What is the best way to save gas at LONG traffic lights? Turn off the car? Put it in Park? Neutral?

Question

What is the best way to save gas at LONG traffic lights?

I work as a delivery driver, so I drive A LOT. What can I do to save gas when I am delivering the food to the customer?

It takes about 3-5 minutes to get to their door, ring the doorbell, give them the food, take the cash and get back to my car.

What should I do during the time I am delivering the food?

Turn off the car?

Put it in Park?

Neutral with parking brake?

Any other ideas?

Answer 1

Just turn it off and leave in in neutral with your foot on the break so when you start it you can just put it into drive faster and not in reverse since you will have alot on your mind...

Answer 2

shut it off when ever you can, although i wouldn't do it at traffic lights

Answer 3

turning car off is the only thing! that delivery time is very important, plus by leaving car running you are inviting theft!

Answer 4

UPS has their drivers turn off the vehicle for every delivery.  Since they stand to save a lot of money with policies such as this, they have probably done research to substantiate it.  It must work.

Back in the '70's when there was a shortage of gas, it was recommended that if you knew you would be waiting at a light for more than 1 minute, you could save gas by shutting off your engine.

Answer 5

Shut the engine off when waiting and put it in park.

Answer 6

If the light is, indeed long, over 2 minutes, turn it off.  When taking the delivery to the door, turn it off.  Re-starting a car, assuming it is in good running order, uses the same amount of gasoline as 30 seconds of idling.

Answer 7

i find putting my truck in neutral and setting the parking brake works best. when you turn the car on and off you are actually wasting more gas. Park should do the same thing but i have a standard so i use neutral.

Answer 8

I don't know alot about cars but i would do neutral w/parking breaks.

Answer 9

in most cases  switching an engine off and back on can save fuel but it does take a small amount more fuel to restart than to idle depending on time left idling etc.

more than 3 minutes its best to switch off . do NOT rev engine on restarting as you have wasted any savings. have you thought about the additional wear caused by the starter motor being used this way> it will wear the starter ring teeth and  motor out much quicker and over time  when one or both fail cost you far more than any savings over a year  or tow in fuel.

  unless you are stopped for more than 5 Min's its most probably not a good idea ot keep switching off. It is however illegal over here to leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running although they turn a blind eye to van drivers doing drops  if they can SEE the driver nearby.

  put it in P when you stop as this locks the transmission up and will stop and rolling on an incline whereas neutral can allow it to roll if the parking brake fails etc.