Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:36 pm
Driving around the A406 North Circular would cause a lot of stop starts in the rush hour 
Of course smooth driving and anticipation are important, and there is no argument about switching the engine off if you think you are going to be stopped for a long time. But what is a long time? 15 minutes?, 5 minutes?, 1 minute, 15 seconds? And often you don't know how long you'll be stopped. Keep the engine running for 5 minutes because you think the traffic will move in the next 20 seconds.francophile1947 wrote:Everybody knows that smooth driving and anticipation saves a lot of fuel. A diesel engined vehicle rolling to a halt, whilst in gear, uses no fuel at all. Therefore, with the correct anticipation, there is no need to switch the engine off, unless you are stopped for a long time.
My current default (in addition to good driving practice) is to switch off the engine unless I am SURE I will be moving within 10 seconds. It's actually more pleasant for passengers.
I'll be happier though when I get my bongo set up with the leisure battery then I won't get the radio going of momentarily as I start the engine.
Dave