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arite this may be a dumb question, and im not sure this is even in the right forum, but ive heard that idling wastes gas and also starting up the car uses a fair amount of gas... now lets say my friend has to run into his house to find something and it takes him like 5-10 minutes. is it more efficient to sit there idling or to completely shut off the engine all together ?

 
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idling burns very little gas, high rpm's need more fuel, therefore more fuel is dumped.
idling for long periods of time can foul out spark plugs, however; but in modern cars it isnt a big issue, especially if you change your oil regularly
no problems with idling really

 
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i remember reading this somewhere, like the average car burns 2 ounces of fuel every 1 minute? or something like that.

if its 5 minute, shut off engine. if its just a quick run in and out within the 2min, then idle it. if its in a cold weather climate, then letting it idle may be the better choice.

 
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id shut it off, the new hybrid shuts it off at stoplight so i think it would save gas.

 
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when youre idling you burn the least gas, except of course when the car is off...

 
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It does save gas but I don't shut it off. If you do want to save gas turn the car off everytime you get out. I've left my car on for more than 20 minutes before. It's not bad for the engine but it does waste gas though not much.

 
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I'd shut it off just for security purposes. Its pretty easy to steal an empty car thats running.

 
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engine braking uses the least gas, along with having the engine shut off, they both use 0, this is one of the reasons you can achieve higher mileage with a manual. so if you want to save gas, engine brake while slowing down at stop lights and signs, because when you shift to neutral and coast you burn gas because the engine is idling and it requires gas to prevent a stall. during engine braking the wheels turn the engine and no gas is required.

 
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It shuts off at every stoplight??? and starts up again on its own? wierd

 
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some new cars also shut off up to half of their cylinders when in "economy" mode, like the cadillac sixteen

 
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Yes. The hybrid is gas/electric. I'm not sure when it switches modes, but at stop lights its in electric mode. So the car doesnt technically turn off but its not using gasoline at that point.

 
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oh, neat.

 
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haha yeah i dont leave my car running while i go grab something, i always turn it off then, but what about if im waiting for somebody?

 
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did you guys know that starting a car up causes more damage to a car than driving something like 30,000 miles? i suggest leaving the car on especially in a heavily polluted area. in a heavily polluted area you would be doing everyone else a favor by cleaning the air with your ulev vehicle. see the air comng in dirty and the air coming out ultra...low...emissions

 
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Ive heard if you are stopped for longer than a minute or 2 its better on the car and fuel economy to shut it off.

 
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when i hear the term engine braking, i'm assuming you're downshifting and letting your RPMs go up and you slow down the car...so how would downshifting to an even higher RPM than neutral or the gear you're in save more gas?

 
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on the hybrid, manual tranny models will start the engine back up when the clutch is depressed (to shift into gear), on auto models, engine will start back up when the foot is taken off the brake pedal

 
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engine braking uses the same gas as idling... if it didnt use gas at all when you downshift, the engine wouldnt be on...

 
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just drive a little slower all the time if you're worried about saving gas...

/always shut mine off.

 
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that hybrid suck's...