[ELI 10]

Notice I didn't say "Love"

But on a serious note after 2 months of driving my ISG Rio5 I am beginning to appreciate ISG. That is saying a lot because my first impressions were negative to say the least. I had ISG permanently disabled for about 2 weeks. Then I thought to myself; hey I paid $400 for this option and I just threw this money out the window! I need to find a way to use ISG and stop fighting it.

My biggest problem with ISG is stop signs. During a normal stop with a clear road ahead the motor will shut down and restart. This is very annoying and a TOTAL waste of battery/starter/gas for this short of a stop.

The whole key to a good driving experience with ISG is the prudent use of "sport shift" mode. When coming to a stop sign just move the shifter to sport mode and ISG will not activate. When pulling away from the stop sign either go ahead and shift manually through sport mode, or simply flick the shift lever over to "D". This is a very smooth process and is now 2nd nature to me. I actually enjoy this interaction with my car!

There is no doubt that ISG can save you gas when waiting at stop lights, especially on a boulevard with numerous long stops. It is kind of cool sitting there in total silence with all of your accessories running as normal. Your lights NEVER dim and your fan speeds stay constant thanks to the DC-DC converter included in this package.

When delving in to the engineering behind ISG you discover a lot of clever parts are included with this package. The alternator in this system only charges when coasting or decelerating, hence using kinetic energy to charge the battery and giving you better acceleration and economy. The engine block is also unique to the ISG models.

I will update my original ISG rant!

 

[T. Pritchard]

I had ISG permanently disabled for about 2 weeks.

How did you permanently disable it? I turn it off with the button, but the next time I restart the car it is back on.

 

[MaybeKia]

Kind of dumb form ISG to turn engine off at stop sign. They should include some sort of timer (i.e. turn engine after 5 sec (to be driver adjustable) of not moving, etc.).
If you have to switch to S then to D then to S what is the point of having 'smart' car. Buy manual or do not buy ISG. Probably you did not have an option regarding ISG...
How fast it starts engine after stop?

 

[ELI 10]

Kind of dumb form ISG to turn engine off at stop sign. They should include some sort of timer (i.e. turn engine after 5 sec (to be driver adjustable) of not moving, etc.).
If you have to switch to S then to D then to S what is the point of having 'smart' car. Buy manual or do not buy ISG. Probably you did not have an option regarding ISG...
How fast it starts engine after stop?

No I did not have an option as I bought the car off the lot and was offered an excellent trade in price on my Soul towards this car - it was too good to pass up (even with ISG). I also wonder why KIA is not using a "timer" on ISG. They already have 1 TSB update that cured some ISG problems, but not all. Hopefully a timer function will be added in the future.

Scince I use Sportronic mode a lot the switching between S and D doesn't really bother me, but a "stop timer" would definitely make driving with ISG more enjoyable...It's just common sense!

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

I rarely drive in stop-go traffic, so for me, ISG would be a waste of $400. Come to think of it, that would buy a helluva lot of idling time.

The ISG at stop signs might induce some drivers to "not quite stop". Also would be fun during 3-point turns or while manoeuvering in a car-park.

 

[ELI 10]

The ISG at stop signs might induce some drivers to "not quite stop".

EXACTLY!

What was KIA thinking

 

[MaybeKia]

$400 comes to ~330 liters of regular. How much you can save on turning an engine at every single stop during the trip form A to B specially in city driving? And if KIA shuts down engine at EVERY SINGLE STOP, you better buy new battery and starter and few other parts and keep them in your trunk...

 

[ELI 10]

To idle or not to idle - That is the question

$400 comes to ~330 liters of regular. How much you can save on turning an engine at every single stop during the trip form A to B specially in city driving? And if KIA shuts down engine at EVERY SINGLE STOP, you better buy new battery and starter and few other parts and keep them in your trunk...

Some interesting data from the California Energy Commission. Also the starter motor/gearing and battery on the ISG system are designed for heavy use. They are not the standard issue Rio components. I honestly feel once KIA adds a timer function for stop signs this will be a decent system for a select set of drivers:

SHOULD I SHUT OFF THE MOTOR WHEN I'M IDLING MY CAR
HERE'S THE RULE OF THUMB: If you're in a drive-through restaurant/business line or waiting for someone and you'll be parked and sitting for 10 seconds or longer... turn off your car's engine.

Why??

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. Research indicates that the average person idles their car five to 10 minutes a day. People usually idle their cars more in the winter than in the summer. But even in winter, you don't need to let your car sit and idle for five minutes to "warm it up" when 30 seconds will do just fine.

But you're not going anywhere. Idling gets ZERO miles per gallon.

The recommendation is: If you are going to be parked for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine. Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. And when you start your engine, don't step down on the accelerator, just simply turn the key to start.

An alternative to idling is to park your car, walk inside, do your business and then go back to your car.

Here are some other Myths associated with idling.

Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.

Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.

Myth #3: Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running. Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that will likely be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling. The bottom line is that more than ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

 

[dazekiel]

ELI 10, I actually cited that exact bit of literature in a speech I did a while back. A thing to add to it is that the information is based on cars that are NOT designed to stop the engine and then restart it again instantly.

I would suggest that the ISG process probably uses less fuel than turning off a normal engine and then restarting it. Simply because the system is going to stop the engine in an ideal, known state for instant restarting, whereas turning off a normal engine will leave it in a relatively random, unknown state.

 

[ELI 10]

ELI 10, I actually cited that exact bit of literature in a speech I did a while back. A thing to add to it is that the information is based on cars that are NOT designed to stop the engine and then restart it again instantly.

I would suggest that the ISG process probably uses less fuel than turning off a normal engine and then restarting it. Simply because the system is going to stop the engine in an ideal, known state for instant restarting, whereas turning off a normal engine will leave it in a relatively random, unknown state.

Thanks for the input Dazekiel I would definitely agree with your last statement as the ISG ECM sets all re-start parameters for optimum efficiency. The gearing and engagement process is also optimized, and the alternator is under a "no load" state at re-start.

 

[ELI 10]

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. Research indicates that the average person idles their car five to 10 minutes a day. People usually idle their cars more in the winter than in the summer. But even in winter, you don't need to let your car sit and idle for five minutes to "warm it up" when 30 seconds will do just fine.

OK

Using this data along and the following criteria:
30.0 MPG (City Driving)
$3.85 per Gallon of Gas

10 Minutes x 365 Days = 3,650 minutes (conservative in my case)

3,650 Minutes / 2 = 1,825 Equivalent Miles

1,825 Miles / 30.0 MPG = 60.8 Gallons

60.8 Gallons x $3.85 DPG = $234.08 Savings / Year

So it will take about 20 months of use for my ISG system to start paying dividends (for me), plus I am helping the environment and driving around with some cool technology that cars costing 3X as much as mine don't even have available as an option. I'm actually beginning to talk myself into this ISG thing

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.

-Something doesn't sound right; note the qualification about used twice.

1 mile in 2 minutes is 30 MPH, so it must be a very inefficient engine if it can't idle on a lot less fuel than going at 30 MPH.

 

[MaybeKia]

This is definitely great idea (ISG) and I am on for it completely! Timer is the way to go and beside that user adjustable time (from stop to shut off) should be smart option.
But how will the whole system work in a stop and go (stop for a 2 sec, go 2 meters, stop 2 sec, go 3 meters, stop 3 sec, etc.) which sometimes happens in rush hour?
I usually wait until gap between car in front of me goes beyond 10 meters to move a car but then I risk somebody to smartly cut in between or angry beep-beeps from behind.

 

[LordHelmet]

This is definitely great idea (ISG) and I am on for it completely! Timer is the way to go and beside that user adjustable time (from stop to shut off) should be smart option.
But how will the whole system work in a stop and go (stop for a 2 sec, go 2 meters, stop 2 sec, go 3 meters, stop 3 sec, etc.) which sometimes happens in rush hour?
I usually wait until gap between car in front of me goes beyond 10 meters to move a car but then I risk somebody to smartly cut in between or angry beep-beeps from behind.

i know right! it's not like you will get there any sooner than the car in front of you, so who cares how close you are to them at all times. I guess if the idea was that if you were close enough you could actually drive over the car in front of you, and thus get there faster by being "up their butt", then it would make sense that the people behind you were angry that you weren't using your "jump over the car in front of you" super powers!