Hacker News Reader

Comment by 1123581321 | Hacker News Reader

What do you mean by “the start-stop nonsense” as opposed to using pedals? I don’t have a newer car.

Some will stop the engine while idling and the brake pedal is pressed. When it is released it will start the engine again. This is to avoid idle consumption and emissions at intersections, open bridges etc. (The stop/start is performed without you turning the key for ignition).

Or the OP simply meant he didn't like the button with the label "start/stop" present on many "keyless" systems (wireless keys) :-)

I put my money on the first. If you're not used to it - it can be quite unnerving when the engine suddenly stops at an intersection.

> it can be quite unnerving when the engine suddenly stops at an intersection.

Even more unnerving when it doesn't start right away, and you're already pushing the gas when it does, causing the car to lurch forward unexpectedly fast. All you can do is hope the person in front of you doesn't stop quickly, before you can get your foot back over to the brake.

I rented a Ford Ecosport for a road trip earlier this year and made good use of the unlimited miles package ;) It had the idle shutoff feature, which I didn't realize at first but figured out after a stoplight or two. Through a few weeks of city driving and highway driving, I never once felt it lurch. It was always absolutely responsive. Maybe they've gotten better? It worked great, and it was really nice to know I wasn't burning through gas idling at any stoplight or stop-and-go traffic on the highway.

This is a feature every car should have, and one that'd make much more sense to mandate over rear-view cameras.

No. Rear-view cameras are safety. They're simply a switch. IF in R turn on CAMERA. If move to D, turn off Camera. If MT, IF in R, Camera, if not no Camera.

Gas mileage is simply an op-ex of a car, and does not make more "sense" over a rear view camera, because increased c pillars decrease overall glass and visibility.

I rather pay a few bucks more in gas then have a featureset unused in my car or have to go through disabling it every time I operate it.

Rear view cameras are a major safety innovation for pickups and SUVs. There's simply no way to see if a child is standing in back of your rear bumper without one.

OP is likely talking about the system that automatically shuts down and restarts the combustion engine when you come to a complete halt. This is meant to reduce emissions and fuel comsumption.

I don't get why people are so opposed to it, I love it and I drive a Mercedes-AMG. Fantastic feature in traffic.

Audi driver here, and I hate it. Especially hate that I have to push a button every time I start the car to disable it. What an awful feature. Then again, I live in rural America and traffic isn’t a frequent thing I experience.

If you don't experience traffic frequently, then why would it bother you? It does nothing if you're just driving along. And I'm curious - what exactly makes you hate it?

I can't help but think that the extra wear and tear from start/stop cycles will end up exceeding the value of the fuel saved.

People always made that argument, but seeing as S/S systems have been in use for at least a decade now and we're not seeing catastrophic increase in rates of alternator/starter failures, I'd say that's not true. And it's not about fuel savings for me at all, it's just nice that the engine shuts off in traffic, it's quiet for a moment while you're standing still.

What's the link between start and stop and pedals ? Isn't it seamless for the driver ?

With a bit of practice, yes. First time I drove such manual transmission car was very confusing. I didn't know the engine stopped because I switched in wrong gear and didn't have enough torque or what. Felt very frustrating. After I got used to the transmission it was ok. I guess it would become seamless after a couple of days.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com