What have you done to your car today?

First time I started driving cars with stop/start, the main reason I didn't like it was because it was disconcerting - it felt really unnatural and my brain kept screaming "nooooo, you've stalled it somehow!"

I'm not actually entirely convinced about the environmental and efficiency benefit but the silence is nice, it's just a case of training your brain to get used to it
 
iaind said:
First time I started driving cars with stop/start, the main reason I didn't like it was because it was disconcerting - it felt really unnatural and my brain kept screaming "nooooo, you've stalled it somehow!"

I'm not actually entirely convinced about the environmental and efficiency benefit but the silence is nice, it's just a case of training your brain to get used to it
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Start/stop isn't really an efficiency benefit unless you're stopped for prolonged periods, however the environmental benefit can't be argued against.

On the one hand your car is sat going nowhere yet still emitting poisonous gases, and on the other...well, it's not. Simple.

I had it in my E91 320d and quite liked it, and the M135i has it too. I think it works better with the auto than the manual gearbox personally.
 
[TW]Fox;29198942 said:
Trust me on this - stick with it for a month. You'll get used to it and once you do, it's absolutely fantastic. Sitting at the lights in silence is brilliant.

If you still hate it after a month you'll always hate and can thus just turn it off, but give it a chance!
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Apart from when people think you've stalled your old mans M5 and laugh... :p

That was the only time i didn't like it...
 
Havana_UK said:
Start/stop isn't really an efficiency benefit unless you're stopped for prolonged periods, however the environmental benefit can't be argued against.

On the one hand your car is sat going nowhere yet still emitting poisonous gases, and on the other...well, it's not. Simple.

I had it in my E91 320d and quite liked it, and the M135i has it too. I think it works better with the auto than the manual gearbox personally.
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I wouldn't say I'd argue against it, I dont claim to have done much research into any studies or figures behind it. Ultimately fuel efficiency and environmental benefits are pretty much the same thing... the amount of exhaust out has to be directly proportional to the fuel in.

But from a basic physics perspective, an engine is going to need a certain amount of energy to get it going and thus will emit a certain amount of exhaust when it starts. It stands to reason that there's an amount of time where its more physically efficient for an engine to stay running than to stop and start again. It may well be that with modern engines, that the "break even" point is so short a duration that it's totally worth it.... I'd be interested to see some actual numbers around that myself - it was always the reservation I had about them.
 
iaind said:
I wouldn't say I'd argue against it, I dont claim to have done much research into any studies or figures behind it. Ultimately fuel efficiency and environmental benefits are pretty much the same thing... the amount of exhaust out has to be directly proportional to the fuel in.

But from a basic physics perspective, an engine is going to need a certain amount of energy to get it going and thus will emit a certain amount of exhaust when it starts. It stands to reason that there's an amount of time where its more physically efficient for an engine to stay running than to stop and start again. It may well be that with modern engines, that the "break even" point is so short a duration that it's totally worth it.... I'd be interested to see some actual numbers around that myself - it was always the reservation I had about them.
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Modern engines use starter motors rather than puddles of fuel to start the engine so its not really relevant.
 
iaind said:
Free energy? Sweet.
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BMW's system uses capacitors that are charged whilst the engine is running to provide power for stop/start. It's no free of course, but they are recharged using scavenged energy whilst braking or coasting down in gear, i.e. energy that would otherwise have been wasted as heat.
 
Havana_UK said:
BMW's system uses capacitors that are charged whilst the engine is running to provide power for stop/start. It's no free of course, but they are recharged using scavenged energy whilst braking or coasting down in gear, i.e. energy that would otherwise have been wasted as heat.
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Understood - the energy required to charge those is going to be fairly minimal, but I cant believe that the same amount of fuel is injected during starting than idle. Someone's measured it - and quite an interesting read, albeit on a much older car

http://www.iwilltry.org/b/projects/how-many-seconds-of-idling-is-equivalent-to-starting-your-engine/
 
Got the car back from the insurers and they've done a fantastic job 2nd time round and I'm really pleased with it. On top of that I've also done the following:

-Ditched dealer plate for a plain one with no graphics/border
-Resprayed all front grilles/fogs gloss black again
-Fitted replacement front splitter
-Changed number plate bulbs to white LED (Not too bright, look very much OEM and tidier)
-Ordered a set of standard brake calipers to replace my 300mm Mondeo setup. However I have the larger ST170 carriers so I can still run the 300mm disc on stock calipers for better pedal feel with the benefits of larger disc. The mondeo setup has a larger piston so loses a lot of the feel.
-Ordering a set of DS2500 pads at end of the month.

Question for OcUK: What colour should I paint my replacement calipers? My current ones are red however I'm really tempted to paint them silver to match the car, thoughts? Here's how it currently looks for reference...

23swu44.jpg
 
Be adventurous! Everything goes with silver!

Blue! Purple! Green! Orange! Yellow! Different colour in each corner!
 
shauncr91 said:
Question for OcUK: What colour should I paint my replacement calipers? My current ones are red however I'm really tempted to paint them silver to match the car, thoughts? Here's how it currently looks for reference...
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I think blue callipers would work well with a silver car.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
No one keys off really though.
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I must be in a minority of one here, I regularly switch off my car or truck when sat at lights or in stationary traffic, I don't switch it off anywhere near as many times as my other halfs 12plate focus (with stop /start fitted) does but, I do it all the same.
 
I fitted some solid shifter mounts to the Evo yesterday. Not sure if it's the placebo effect but first impressions are that the gearchanges are a bit smoother.
 
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