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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 SUV-driving Biters cut out 5 min of daily idling, in a year we'll curb the CO2 emissions of 75 Americans.
COCKTAIL FACT
Viewers cast more than 74 mil votes to make Jordin Sparks last season's American Idol winner - that's more than any one U.S. president has ever received.
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home › tip library › Car Idling
What's more cringe-worthy than the sound of Ryan Seacrest's voice?
The Bite
The sound of an idling car. It may seem like idling uses less gas than turning your car off and on again, but it usually doesn't, and the pollution idling causes is a lot less entertaining than betting on which Idol winner is gonna get dropped by their record label next.The Benefits
- Less air (and ear) pollution. An idling car creates twice the emissions of a car in motion.
- Saving money. Idling 15 min per weekday can cost you up to $100 in wasted gas over the course of a year.
- Saving oil. American drivers use more than 2 bil gal of fuel each year while idling.
Personally Speaking
School parking lots are notorious for idlers, so most of us probably sucked down a lotta fumes waiting for our parents to pick us up after school, except for Jenifer, who had to walk home...both ways, uphill...in the snow...Wanna Try?
Turn your car off if you're gonna stay put for more than 10 seconds, and BTW: Driving warms up your car way faster than idling.- EPA - resources for starting an idling-reduction program at your kid's school district.
Mar 19,2008
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Hey! Steal My Superwarm Car, Please
Growing up during Montana winters, not only did we start the car in the garage 20 minutes before leaving for school (warming up) and idle it continuously while waiting to pick someone up (staying warm) – we often left the car running in the parking lot while we popped into the grocery store or the post office to run errands.
Certainly not the most eco thing (and these days – probably not the wisest unless you’re sporting lo-jack).
But it sure as hell was the warmest.
-Heather… off to marvel at how quiet my Prius is when it shuts down at stoplights…
Certainly not the most eco thing (and these days – probably not the wisest unless you’re sporting lo-jack).
But it sure as hell was the warmest.
-Heather… off to marvel at how quiet my Prius is when it shuts down at stoplights…
Biter Comments...
You quoted 10 seconds as a maximum time to idle. I've read that this is the amount of fuel used by starting a car from off. True? Or, what is the source of your recommendation?
I was wondering about sources here too as I've heard from multiple sources (including a scientist for whatever cred. that lends) that idling for up to 5 minutes uses less fuel than turning your car off & on again (emissions were not discussed) & I've been hearing my brother (a mechanic) give our mom heck for years about not letting her car warm up (a little - like 1 min. not 10) citing that the minute or so of letting the oil & other lubricants get warm & moving saves wear on her engine (or something like that)& she lives in Fla. so it's clearly not a matter of outside degrees.
A word of advice, starting and shutting your car off numerous times, for short periods of time is extremely hard on your starter and battery. If you have the money to replace these items then by all means keep doing this.
Also, warming your car for a few minutes is ok. It gets the oil and fluids moving in the engine. You should never just start your car/truck and just drive away. But you do not have to sit for 10-15 minutes and wait for the heater to blow warm air.
I agree- would be nice to see the sources on this one. Not that I doubt you guys, just there are a lot of differing opinions on this and if I am going to start telling people "hey, don't idle..." they are going to request more source info than "ideal bite says". :)
I truly love you guys and your off-beat sense of humor, but I have to tell you that I was turned off on this tip by the presentation of mocking someone to make your point (Ryan Seacrest). I don't know much about the guy, and perhaps he's worthy of mocking, but it's something I think is not quite up to the standards of your generally creative, intelligent and witty humor. We're about creating a better world here, not just environmentally, but interpersonally. Just a thought. Other than that, you guys are awesome. Thanks for all you do!
Jason - Are you an engineer? What is your source of these claims?
Click and Clack from NPR's Cartalk say the newer cars do not require ANY warm-up time, and that the point at which it becomes more efficient to turn your car off and restart it rather than idle is 30 seconds.
I've heard that idling for any more than 10 seconds uses more gas than starting it up again.
I have to thank you for this tip! It irks me to no end to see these massive living room sized SUVs idling at convenience stores and I just hope someone will come along and steal them.
I took action this morning and urged my school district with its 250+ schools to participate in the EPA's "Clean School Bus" program. I did the math and found that if each school had 30 buses, they would save $5.5 million and almost 18,000 tons of CO2 equivalent to taking over 111,000 mid size cars off the road for 12 months. I also urged them to post signs for parents picking up their kids letting them know that "This is a no-idle zone. We ask that you please turn your car off while waiting." I gave them the EPA link to learn more. If anyone would like a copy of my exact email so that they can copy it to send to their school district, email me at susanjanvrin@gmail.com
Now, let's see. Thanks!!
During winters here in Iowa we need to warm up our older cars. On a -20 day, our 2002 Saturn only takes about 5 minutes. but my 1995 Pick-up needs almost 15. 15 minutes is a lot of warm up time! My truck sits outside and is usually covered in ice. When I try to drive away too soon my steering is stiff and the tranny lags hard.
I've calculated my costs and driving the truck (so I can haul my free firewood to heat my home) is cheaper than having a new car and paying for a seasons woth of natural gas & electricity to heat my home. I don't drive far and the wood we aquire is harvested carefully to maintain, not destroy, the enviroment. I believe the 15 minute warm up on a cold winter day is worth it.
Did you know that in Sweden, it is illegal to let your car idle for more than one minute? And everyone follows this rule! They are way ahead of us.
Idling is also illegal in Portland, Oregon.
Also, cheaper for you doesn't mean cheaper for the us - in terms of the greater good.
"Also, cheaper for you doesn’t mean cheaper for the us - in terms of the greater good."
Yes my truck requires a warm up. But it hauls wood to heat my home.
In my 80 year old home the gas furnace ran every 25 minutes. The electric heaters for the lower level used 1500 watts and ran just about as often.
Multiply this (and the polution produced by the local coal fired plant for the electricity) by an entire heating season and compare it to a 15 minute truck warm up. You can even add in the burning wood for heat (wood that the landowner used to toss into a burn pile).
I thing that both of us are coming out ahead.
Heather, what was causing your Prius to get less mpg? You had mentioned that you had taken it in to find out what was wrong with it & I wondered what you found out. Just trying to get more info on hybrids.
What irks me is the "No Turn On Red" signs when there is absolutely no reason NOT to turn if there is no cross traffic. I always think of the fumes and wasted gas waiting for a green light. This is particularly irksome at two traffic lights in two different towns that I frequent. I have sat and idled for five minutes waiting for the light to turn green so I can make my right turn. I finally said "the heck with it", if no traffic is in sight (and no cops!) I turn anyway.
Michelle, I think Scandinavia in general has always been far ahead of the U.S. as far as being environmentally friendly is concerned. I remember when I was in Finland (I know, technically, Finland is NOT part of Scandinavia, but it always gets lumped in with Scandinavia because there's nowhere else to put it), but anyway, when I was in Finland 'way back in '72, if you wanted to get your groceries home from the supermarket, you HAD to bring your own reusable bags because the grocery stores didn't supply take-home bags.
As for what is more "cringe-worthy" than the sound of Ryan Seacrest's voice (which I personally don't find to be "cringe-worthy" myself), let's see, there's the sound of "Dubya"'s voice, the sound of Dick Cheney's voice, the sound of Ann Coulter's voice, the sound of Rush Limbaugh's voice, the sound of Bill O'Reilly's voice, and the sound of the voice of pretty much any other conservative pundit you care to name.
Hey Gloria -
Well, I'm trying to do some sleuthing to figure out what's up with my MPG... According to Toyota, the hybrid engine's working just like it's supposed to. I have a sneaking suspicion that it probably has more to do with the fact that there are two steep, SF-style hills between my house and my boyfriend's, and I drive those at least once a day (and I don't drive all that much otherwise). When I'm on the freeway or flat parts of town, I get around 35-42 MPG. But overall, with the hills, I'm seeing around 29-31.
But the fact is, I really want something more like 60 mpg, in a car that drives like a German-engined funmobile.
Too much to ask? ;)
Heather-sounds reasonable. For now I am keeping my present car,a compact Ford Escort that gets decent gas mileage. But I am looking towards the future & what kind(type) of car I will replace it with. Thanks for the info.
I hate having to warm up my car in the mornings too.. i mean i could get in it cold, but hey, im definitely not an Eskimo. maybe i should invent the "get warm in six minutes" car... but then someone would come out with a "get warm in five minutes car" and on and on.... then my six minute car would be nothing but five minutes too long for the smarter people... But hey!! Its worth a shot!! Inst it??
I live in Northern part of India, and we are not having much cold over here, but it goes very cool in night & it is very hard to get my car get started in night time, so i used to warm my car as all you guys are doing. But i found good resource from net i.e. www.infibeam.com this guys helped me out for my problem and gave me 2 good solutions to warm-up my car. :) and not m happy as i was earlier.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Ann | March 19, 2008 at 05:38 AM