I read a North American Motoring article about gas mileage improvements coming for the Mini and one of them was an Auto Stop/Start feature. When you come to a stop in a manual transmission Mini in neutral with the clutch in, the engine will shut down. You then let the clutch out and wait. When you're ready to go again you push the clutch in and the car automatically starts.

I've read on this forum that if you push the Start button with the clutch out the car will start will start when you push the clutch in (I'm not sure about this, my Mini is on order).

It seems that we can perform a "Poor Man's Auto Start" by shutting down the engine when we come to a stop, put the Mini in first gear, let the clutch out, then push the Start button. Then when you're ready to move again you push the clutch in and the car will start, let the clutch out like normal and be on your way.

Has anybody tried this as a gas saver?

Rob

 

I have not. My car is sleeping until April, so can't try it. Doesn't this only work within 30 seconds of pushing the start button?

 

I believe you would be replacing the starter motor in about 6 months if you did that to the present R56. That feature in the future would incorporate a special type of starter motor and gearing for these soft starts..

 

Mine doesn't do this

 

Mine does sometime, but its somewhat unpredictable. I don't know if there is a time limit of some sort.

 

i dont see the difference in the starting with the feature... what makes it any different?

 

I sure hope you are not in front of me at a light.... Let me get this straight - you pull up to a red light - you put it in neutral and your engine STOPS - when the light turns green, you push you clutch in and then the engine starts again - you then let your clutch out and (shittt the light just turned red again).... LOL....

 

What do you do when the light turns green? Everyone that knows anything about clutches and throwout bearings will tell you to put a manual transmission in neutral at a stoplight and let the clutch out to releive the throwout bearing, so there's no difference. When the light turns green you push in the clutch like you normally do and the engine starts, then you let out the clutch to move away. What are you missing?

 

This is how the '08s will work by default from what I hear...

 

From what I've read, MINIs equipped with the auto-start function use a separate "high-capacity" starter, or something of the like. Basically it allows the engine to start almost instantaneously upon releasing the clutch and is meant for extremely frequent operation. In addition to that, there's the 'normal' starter which is used when one initially starts the ignition manually. The "high-capacity" starter is only used when the ECU has shut off the engine automatically.

In Europe yes, but not here.

 

You also have to hold the clutch all the way down the entire time the starter is cranking the engine over until it fires. Otherwise, if you let the clutch out before it fires up it will not start up. You do NOT however, need to hold the start button down the entire time, you can simply tap it.

 

Oy. It would have to start REALLY fast for me to like this. All I can think about is the thing failing to re-start when the light turns green. Ugh. Just a little too micro-managed for my tastes...

 

There's a test drive in Spain (Milan?) of the Clubman you can see on YouTube. The guy puts the Clubman through its paces, and really dislikes the auto start feature.

Here ya go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEcocrAj0cY

 

When I first read about the auto-start it just seemed like a marketing decision. It just can't function comfortably. I can understand a system like this with a hybrid where the electric motor will get you moving while the gas engine is starting but honestly I don't want to be sitting at a stop light and letting the computer fire the engine before I can get moving. I think this is why it's not even an option in the states. It's just too much of a foreign concept.

 

Sure, perhaps not during spirited driving but this would be great around town. I often turn off my car at a train crossing and lights that I know are long. When they decide to get this over here that will be the day I order a new mini.

 

I wonder how much fuel it would really save. Isn't it more an emissions thing?

 

That's my main curiosity as well. I know engines in general are not very efficient at idle and low RPM's, but I just can't imagine it saves that much gas. And IMO, for it to be worth the inconvenience, it needs to offer significant savings. Emissions, on the other hand, are likely reduced a good bit.

Sweet link, thanks!

 

I agree. I don't see how idling for a few minute uses that much gas. Most is lost with medium to heavy acceleration. My daily driver, a 16 year old Sentra, idles for almost 10 minutes every morning, sits in drive thru's, traffic, etc gets 37 mpg average, over 40 on the highway. If idling in traffic for 10 minutes affects mpg that much, maybe this car will get 50 if I stopped warming it up for 10 minutes in the morning.

 

I have been driving standard cars since 1964 - I have Never put the trans in "N" at a light to save the throw out bearing???????? and I have not had any problems..... Right now I have a 66 vette with the trans and clutch that the car was born with - again no problems..... I know this debate has gone on for years - in or out - I will not change my driving habits - they work for me.... I want the option to move if I have to and NOT have to put the car in gear... shitttt happens fast and I do NOT want to be stuck in "N" when it does...

 

You really should put a manual car in neutral and let the clutch out when sitting still for more than just a few seconds, and that 's the way it's taught in driving schools and many state driving test administrators will ding you for leaving the car in gear, but it is an individual decision.

If you do put your car in neutral, when you make the decision to go you have to push in the clutch (and the car will start), then you put it in gear, then you release it and move out. I think the time it takes to put the car in gear will be enough to get a warm engine going.

I wouldn't do this "semi-auto start" all the time, just at long lights or a train crossing where I know I'll be stationary for a while.


Actually you lose the most fuel when you brake. The difference between a slow acceleration and a jackrabbit start to the same speed is very little. Using your brakes turns your gasoline supplied kinetic energy into heat.

Rob

 

I asked askMINI about the Auto Stop/Start feature because of that Clubman test drive in Spain. I had read here that we weren't getting it, but nothing seemed to have a source.My reply from MINI said:

"I am sorry to say MINI Division currently has no plans to bring the
start-stop technology to the United States. However, we are
looking into many new ideas for the future of MINI and it is likely
that this technology will make its way across the pond in future
models. I don't have any specific reasoning for why this decision
was made,"

I don't think I'll be trying to use the "poor man's" version on this one...