New owner that is confused!

[Yaris_Mirtle]

Hi Everyone

Ive had my new car for a couple of weeks now - its a Yaris 1.3 SR :-)

Im sure this has been asked before, so sorry if Im going over old ground...

Firstly - seriously - do you really stop the car at every traffic light? Is there a guide on how long the stop should be in order for it to be efficient? For example, some of the lights near us change after about 30 seconds. Others take a lot longer... Plus there is the time when the lights have been on red for a while already..?

Next one - the fuel left in the tank figure tells me I have 10 miles left in the tank, but the gauge with the lines is showing two lines. Which one is going to be more accurate and do you think the computerised figure will work it out over time (or should I reset it?)

Hmm - I did have a third question, but my brain has gone to sleep and I have forgotten what it was! Ill post again when I remember!

Thanks for reading any any responses (in advance :-) )
Sue

[YAR1S]

I havnt ever "stopped" my engine at a light before..... just put it in neutral and 3rd gear down a hill.

[1NZYaris1]

i want pic's of the mpg gauge , showing miles to go :thumbup:

[SilverBack]

I don't shut the engine off at the light because it actually burns more fuel at start-up along with stressing the starter. Not worth it

[mryaris]

I don't shut the engine off at the light because it actually burns more fuel at start-up along with stressing the starter. Not worth it


That depends on how long the light is or how long you are stopped. If it is more than a minute then it saves gas to turn off the car. The stresses on the starter are miniscule, at best.

I generally don't shut off the car at a light because if you let your mind wander too long you forget it's not running and have to hurry up and start the car before anyone honks.

I do, however, turn it off when I'm sitting in the drive-thru or when I'm stuck at a RR crossing.

[YAR1S]

i heard through the grape vine that 12 seconds was the time-worth of gas used in a startup....

i'd like to think so, but who knows.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I shut off the engine at the lights that I know will be long. I also look at the cross light, and when it turns yellow, I start the engine. Very simple, and has picked me up an additional 1-3 mpg (I do mainly freeway driving, so if I were to do more city driving, I would think it would benefit me even more). Contact Brain (Bail Out), he's one of the experts here on hypermiling.

[SilverBack]

That depends on how long the light is or how long you are stopped. If it is more than a minute then it saves gas to turn off the car. The stresses on the starter are miniscule, at best.

I generally don't shut off the car at a light because if you let your mind wander too long you forget it's not running and have to hurry up and start the car before anyone honks.

I do, however, turn it off when I'm sitting in the drive-thru or when I'm stuck at a RR crossing.

Our red lights usually last less than 30 secs, so it's not really a problem here. But what you and Kaotic are saying does make sense for those long waits, especially at railroad crossings

[NJBob]

This is off the track a bit but I must say since I've pretty much stopped trying to improve my mileage, I've really enjoyed driving a lot more. I really like my Yaris and it's fun to unleash it's potential. I still get 36-38 mpg which ain't bad, ya know? :biggrin:

[Yaris_Mirtle]

Hi everyone...

Not sure if I said - but this is the new one with the stop/start technology in it... it goes into some kind of warm-idle state or something like that...

Basically, you put the car in neutral, take your foot off the clutch and then it turns off. Then as soon as you put your foot on the clutch it comes back on and you pull off as normal (in gear of course ;-) )

Must admit, Im a tad worried about it breaking down (new technology phobia!) and my husband keeps stalling it, but hey ho, we will get there...

This morning when I went out in it, the last fuel line thing was flashing away and it took 34.7 litres (sorry dont know what that is in gallons) - given it says its a 42 litre tank, I think the mileage to go thing just needs a bit of action and then it might be correct. It said I had 0 for at least two miles as I limped to the closest petrol station!

I think I am going to agree with the comment about not watching the miles... It does make everything more stressful!

Thanks everyone
Sue

[NJBob]

I haven't heard of that. It's a great step in the right direction and must take some getting used to. I don't know whether I'd have the patience to learn that. I've driven 4 cylinders for most of my life but that just pushes the fun factor out the window. As long as there are so many big guzzlers around me in this country I think I'll just be happy where I am. Enjoy your new car, Sue. Keep us posted on your progress. :thumbsup:

[voodoo22]

Hi Everyone

Ive had my new car for a couple of weeks now - its a Yaris 1.3 SR :-)

Im sure this has been asked before, so sorry if Im going over old ground...

Firstly - seriously - do you really stop the car at every traffic light? Is there a guide on how long the stop should be in order for it to be efficient? For example, some of the lights near us change after about 30 seconds. Others take a lot longer... Plus there is the time when the lights have been on red for a while already..?

Next one - the fuel left in the tank figure tells me I have 10 miles left in the tank, but the gauge with the lines is showing two lines. Which one is going to be more accurate and do you think the computerised figure will work it out over time (or should I reset it?)

Hmm - I did have a third question, but my brain has gone to sleep and I have forgotten what it was! Ill post again when I remember!

Thanks for reading any any responses (in advance :-) )
Sue

If it's safe to do so and your comfortable doing it, you should shut your car off whenever you're stopped for 7 seconds or more.

I can't tell you which is more accurate in regards to the fuel gauge, because we don't have a gauge stating how much mileage is left, only the fuel meter, but I can tell you that I can easily drive another 200 kms+ when the 6th bar goes away and only the 7th and 8th remain.

[mryaris]

This morning when I went out in it, the last fuel line thing was flashing away and it took 34.7 litres (sorry dont know what that is in gallons) -

One US gallon is 3.78 liters, so you put in about 9.2 gallons.

[yarswiss]

Hi everyone...

Not sure if I said - but this is the new one with the stop/start technology in it... it goes into some kind of warm-idle state or something like that...

Basically, you put the car in neutral, take your foot off the clutch and then it turns off. Then as soon as you put your foot on the clutch it comes back on and you pull off as normal (in gear of course ;-) )

Must admit, Im a tad worried about it breaking down (new technology phobia!) and my husband keeps stalling it, but hey ho, we will get there...

This morning when I went out in it, the last fuel line thing was flashing away and it took 34.7 litres (sorry dont know what that is in gallons) - given it says its a 42 litre tank, I think the mileage to go thing just needs a bit of action and then it might be correct. It said I had 0 for at least two miles as I limped to the closest petrol station!

I think I am going to agree with the comment about not watching the miles... It does make everything more stressful!

Thanks everyone
Sue

You must have the new 1.33l Yaris, which has in-built StopStart technology. It automatically shuts off the engine, and you don't need to
worry about this breaking down, as Toyota has tested it thoroughly with the Prius, from which I believe it is sourced; or from Bosch, which builds these systems and are very reliable.

You are lucky to have this engine, it is probably the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gas vehicle you can buy. Us 'Merican fuel-misers would kill for that engine in the Yaris. Enjoy!

[Forrest]

This is off the track a bit but I must say since I've pretty much stopped trying to improve my mileage, I've really enjoyed driving a lot more. I really like my Yaris and it's fun to unleash it's potential. I still get 36-38 mpg which ain't bad, ya know? :biggrin::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I no longer calculate the miles per gallon at a fill up. I know I am not spending a bundle to fill up the car when needed and thats great. I just enjoy driving the car.

[360cubes]

calculating mileage is good for not only personal [amusement], but to keep track of other things. Using too much fuel can mean a lot of things. Or getting a lot better mileage than normal can be other things are possibly broken or will soon fail. One thing I don't like about the Yaris is the lack of dash lights to more precisely tell you what's wrong. I suppose I'm overly used to driving trucks, where I have a gauge for everything lol.

One instance in my old G*C 1500, I noticed I was getting from 17mpg down to 12mpg over a period of five weeks. I took it in for a check and found out that a few of the O-rings around the fuel injectors were broken/shot and fuel was getting mixed in with the oil. If I had let it go the engine could have failed altogether costing major $. For the sake of a couple minute calculation every fill-up, it's more than worth the time.

[BailOut]

I don't shut the engine off at the light because it actually burns more fuel at start-up along with stressing the starter. Not worth it
That is incorrect. Millions of miles of road testing from hypermilers and hybrid owners have consistently proven that the break-even time for a warm start in any modern vehicle is just 7 seconds of idling. Starting a car is not a wear-less event, but neither is idling.

[360cubes]

Minor intersections around here are around 30seconds. Larger intersections can run up to 1-2minutes. A lot in the Cambridge, ON area also have trains that regularly cause traffic backups for several minutes. Only if I know I'll be delayed more than a few minutes will I turn my vehicle off.

For those that do shut off their vehicles regularly, be sure not to restart with the fan set on any Defrost or air conditioning position, or the engine will have to work harder to start itself AND turn over your accessories.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Whoa, I want that feature!