Oil question

[ClickClickBoom]

Found this whilst poking around the internets dark corners, opine if you dare:
Nano-based lubricant from Millers Oils: potential fuel saver on track and road - SAE International

Nano-based lubricant from Millers Oils: potential fuel saver on track and road - SAE International

[S2GART]

This isn't so much a remark about the oil, but something that was in the article, dealing with the start/stop feature more and more cars are coming with. Has anyone given thought to the potential excessive wear on an engine due to the enormous amount of starts the engine will go through? Also, just exactly how does this new technology work? Does the engine actually physically stop? If so, are you telling me the starter is being used at every single stop sign/light, stop and go traffic etc.?

[nineball]

Originally Posted by S2GART

This isn't so much a remark about the oil, but something that was in the article, dealing with the start/stop feature more and more cars are coming with. Has anyone given thought to the potential excessive wear on an engine due to the enormous amount of starts the engine will go through? Also, just exactly how does this new technology work? Does the engine actually physically stop? If so, are you telling me the starter is being used at every single stop sign/light, stop and go traffic etc.?

yes and no. i just picked up a new bmw 535xi and it has this feature. once the engine is at a normal operating temp if you come to a stop for more than 2-3 seconds the engine will shut off, so long as your foot is still on the brake. as soon as you release the pedal the engine will start up again. there is no cutoff for any of the things running (lights, radio, windows, etc) during this series of events either. there is also a button right below the push start that will turn this feature off.

i can't tell you much more other than when it does the restart the tach never goes over 500rpm, or significantly lower than when starting a cold engine. there is no surge, or anything for that matter, to tell you the car has restarted other than listening for it.

will it cause excess wear on the start or other engine parts? don't know, and don't care. this one is a 3 year lease so literally everything is covered under warranty other than tires (yes that includes all items such as wipers, brakes, belts, bulbs, etc and all routine maintenance).

[HarryD]

Wikipedia has a nice article on the technology here: Start-stop system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I really like the Mazda system: "The i-Stop system, Mazda’s first start stop system, detects which piston is in the best position to restart quickest, which is the one in the combustion stroke phase, where air and fuel are in the cylinder, ready to be ignited. The mixture in this cylinder is ignited by the spark plug, forcing that piston down, resulting in a near instantaneous engine start time of 0.35 seconds.[16]"

They list the following as issues: "Many people think that long term use may induce additional wear due to lack of oil lubrication, but this is not true. In a start stop system the short stop times keep the engine and oil warm, retaining lubrication.[23] Some implementations do not use a starter motor, eliminating concerns of starter motor wear. Mazda i-stop used in their Mazda3/Axela line (in Europe and JDM) uses combustion to restart their engine by sensing the position of the piston in the cylinder. They claim quieter and quicker engine restart within 0.35 seconds.[24]"