Auto stop/start poll

LowCountryDenali · August 25, 2020

16 minutes ago, Gangly said:

Nothing quite like knowing every time you start your truck you have to deactivate an option you never wanted to begin with. If only GM could hear my sigh every time I reached down to hit that dang button.

It’s the government, not GM.

Gangly · August 25, 2020

4 minutes ago, LowCountryDenali said:

It’s the government, not GM.

I know its the Gov't, but I still want GM to hear the sigh :). At least they make it easy enough to deactivate through a third party product.

aseibel · August 25, 2020

On 8/23/2020 at 9:59 AM, OnTheReel said:

I read somewhere that the break even for fuel consumption is 30 seconds. That is, if it shuts off for less than that amount of time, it’s actually wasting more fuel during restart than it saved by shutting off. Most stop signs and lights are shorter than 30 seconds so there’s that.

Not since carbureted engines has this been accurate. Since we now have fuel injection, shutting the engine off for a few seconds saves more fuel than a restart. There's various numbers around the web, but I believe 10 seconds of off time is worth it. Here's some sources:

https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/which_is_greener.pdf

https://slate.com/technology/2008/05/is-it-more-efficient-to-leave-your-car-idling.html

I have only driven one rental car with this feature. It was a shock at first, but after the first day I was over it. No real affect to my driving a manual transmission, but it restarted when I took my foot off the brake, so by the time I was applying the gas, I was ready to go. I haven't experienced this in an automatic truck yet.

I would think this is more dependent on one's driving situation. I only have a handful of stoplights in my town. Most places I go involve very little sitting still, so I'd leave the feature on. I could see it being very beneficial or very annoying depending on different conditions.

Jav_eee · August 25, 2020

Not since carbureted engines has this been accurate. Since we now have fuel injection, shutting the engine off for a few seconds saves more fuel than a restart. There's various numbers around the web, but I believe 10 seconds of off time is worth it. Here's some sources:
https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/which_is_greener.pdf
https://slate.com/technology/2008/05/is-it-more-efficient-to-leave-your-car-idling.html

I have only driven one rental car with this feature. It was a shock at first, but after the first day I was over it. No real affect to my driving a manual transmission, but it restarted when I took my foot off the brake, so by the time I was applying the gas, I was ready to go. I haven't experienced this in an automatic truck yet.

I would think this is more dependent on one's driving situation. I only have a handful of stoplights in my town. Most places I go involve very little sitting still, so I'd leave the feature on. I could see it being very beneficial or very annoying depending on different conditions.

It takes a smidge too long in these trucks. I’m in the habit of coming off the brake just before the light changes.

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OnTheReel · August 25, 2020

Interesting. At any rate, the feature is much better suited to smaller displacement engines in terms of drivability.

The Terrain and Malibu I’ve had as loaners did not have auto stop defeat switches and it was fine, hardly noticed the auto stops. A 6.2 V8 does not start as quickly, quietly or smoothly as a 1.5 turbo. There is a slight rough idle following restarts and I just don’t like it unless there’s a substantial fuel savings (as in long lights or my drive-thru example).

Thankfully they did add the switch to disable to our trucks. I think there will come a time when it’s no longer defeat-able. I could see buying a module to kill the feature at that point. Until then the switch is fine by me.

6sigma · August 25, 2020

I've noticed the UPS and FedEx trucks shut off the engine every time they stop now. I'm guessing they've done the analysis on fuel savings versus wear and tear on the trucks. Or maybe they do it just to signal they are doing something to reduce emissions on deliveries.

I've got a 3.0 diesel and I usually press the button every time. Sometimes I forget and when it shuts off I'll hit the button. But I've wondered how much wear and tear on the starter actually occurs versus the fuel savings. There is no real data on this anywhere that I can find. With the DI system the restart is nearly instantaneous. I worry about turbo cooling with zero oil pressure but again, I've heard that is no longer an issue with modern turbos (nobody uses the turbo timers anymore). I think I'll just continue to press the button. A diesel at idle uses very little fuel.

Cpl_Punishment · August 25, 2020

I read an article in Popular Mechanics a while back saying the starters in vehicles with auto start/ stop are beefed up to last for more cycles than standard starters but they didn't have any specifics that I can recall.

batman900 · August 25, 2020

6 hours ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

I read an article in Popular Mechanics a while back saying the starters in vehicles with auto start/ stop are beefed up to last for more cycles than standard starters but they didn't have any specifics that I can recall.

I've read that somewhere as well.

Side question: Has anyone with the Range disable had the auto stop engage once in a while when driving? It's happened twice recently after starting the truck and coming to my first stop sign. Doesn't do it any after that.

mbaee · August 26, 2020

11 hours ago, Gangly said:

I wish there was a setting or option within the truck that would allow you to select whether it is permanently "on" or "off" when you start the truck. I press that button so much I have a feeling that it will look like a 15 year old button in less than a year.

Nothing quite like knowing every time you start your truck you have to deactivate an option you never wanted to begin with. If only GM could hear my sigh every time I reached down to hit that dang button.

I'll leave it up to you whether it's something you want to install on your truck, but this is exactly what the Auto Stop Eliminator product does for me. I too was tired of pressing the button every time. Now when I turn it off with the button, it is permanent. I can turn it back on if I want to and it will be permanently on until I turn it off again. Each time I start the truck, the device does its job and the dash board flashes with the message telling me the system is disabled before the revs drop to idle. It's worth every penny for me to put me back in control of a feature of the truck (whether I wanted it or not).

Gangly · August 26, 2020

20 hours ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

I read an article in Popular Mechanics a while back saying the starters in vehicles with auto start/ stop are beefed up to last for more cycles than standard starters but they didn't have any specifics that I can recall.

Its in the owners manual as well.

CamaroVetteGuy · August 27, 2020

22 hours ago, mbaee said:

I'll leave it up to you whether it's something you want to install on your truck, but this is exactly what the Auto Stop Eliminator product does for me. I too was tired of pressing the button every time. Now when I turn it off with the button, it is permanent. I can turn it back on if I want to and it will be permanently on until I turn it off again. Each time I start the truck, the device does its job and the dash board flashes with the message telling me the system is disabled before the revs drop to idle. It's worth every penny for me to put me back in control of a feature of the truck (whether I wanted it or not).

How do you deal with having to turn the hvac system, heated seats or radio on and off?

mbaee · August 27, 2020

2 minutes ago, CamaroVetteGuy said:

How do you deal with having to turn the hvac system, heated seats or radio on and off?

The same way I do the start/stop system now. I don't have heated seats, but the radio and HVAC controls are permanent settings. I set it how I like and it stays that way until I decide to change it. Nothing frustrates me faster than a manufacturer or developer deciding how I should use their product instead of allowing me to use it as it is able to function. This goes for GM, Google, Microsoft, anyone. Don't provide an on/off button that doesn't function as an on/off button. It works more like a pause button. I've built Arduino powered CANBUS modules in the past that will keep turning things on or off as I see fit when the manufacturer doesn't allow it. My old 2004 Malibu wouldn't stay in HVAC recirculate mode for more than 10 minutes without switching back. I complained that I wanted to keep bus and truck diesel fumes out of the car with my infant child. Dealer said it is "as designed". My arduino plugged into the OBD port and listened on the CANBUS for the "recirculate off" message and would send the "recirculate on" signal in response. Worked great!

MTY55 · August 28, 2020

On 8/23/2020 at 12:59 PM, Jav_eee said:

It’s hot where I live so the ac is always running, as a result my truck never auto stops.

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I've had my truck for week now and it has been hot and the A/C has been cranking constantly and I find it hardly shut off at all. The 2018 Traverse I traded on the truck used to shut off at just about every stoplight A/C running or not. The 2018 Malibu is the worse of the bunch.

Wintersun · August 28, 2020

I leave the auto stop enabled on my 2018 Traverse because it works and does not interfere with my driving. Other vehicles though have a history of having this feature cause the car or truck to stop completely in the middle of the roadway and if I had a car or truck where this has happended I would definitely want to disable this.