BMW, Efficient Dynamics,

dingding

BMW, Efficient Dynamics, where the car cuts out when stopped in traffic.

Just a query, will there be must wear and tear on the engine with the additional stop / starts in traffic.

Would it be better to switch of this feature?

Owen

Funnily enough, BMW thought the same when they were designing the feature, as the last thing they would want is millions being claimed under warranty. Fancy that?

All the engines are thorougly tested in pre-production being started/stopped several thousand times on benches to make sure the process is a well oiled one (Pardon the pun), the starter motor is vastly more powerful than a normal one, and the engine will not cut out all the time, only when it's safe to do so - if the engine is hot for example and needs to cool down, it won't turn off, and the same goes in many other situations.

If you really don't like the feature, there is a button to disable it.

VH

ned78 wrote: »

If you really don't like the feature, there is a button to disable it.

is there really? i thought ED which includes the stop start thing - was the reason bmw do so well with co2 emissions

E92

VH wrote: »

is there really? i thought ED which includes the stop start thing - was the reason bmw do so well with co2 emissions

By BMW's own admission, it improves fuel consumption by just 3% in the EU tests.

And only 4 cylinder models with a manual gearbox have auto stop start anyway.

the merchant

Didn't some Golf diesels have this feature in the late 80's early 90's?

Sandwich

the merchant wrote: »

Didn't some Golf diesels have this feature in the late 80's early 90's?

I vaguely remember something about that. Was it also the version where you had an oversized starter motor which could run as a motor in its own right, just enough to get the car moving and then the combustion took over? The same motor/startermotor was used to charge the battery as a brake to give it enough(or almost enough) energy to repeated the get-moving cycle again.

slimjimmc

the merchant wrote: »

Didn't some Golf diesels have this feature in the late 80's early 90's?

as did the Fiat Bravo too AFAIK

ninty9er

slimjimmc wrote: »

as did the Fiat Bravo too AFAIK

I don't know whether to take that at face value or laugh:D:D

robbie99

There wouldn't be any extra wear on the motor, maybe on the starter-motor but as ned says, bmw would have a beefed up one installed.

One interesting thing is that with the stop-start button (or is it the start-stop button?) and the auto starting in general, is that the starter-motor is engaged for just the right amount of time to (re)start the engine. There's no possiblility for the starter-motor to remain engaged after the engine has fired up like can sometimes happen when you're not sure with a regular key start. The stop-start button is certainly kinder to the starter-motor.

VH

does the stop start setup work the same was as a regular setup - ie starter motor engages teeth on the flywheel?

what other technologies are part of ed as a 3% saving from stop start doesnt sound like much

dingding

Or is the starter motor mechanically connected all the time and been used as an alternator when the car is driving. ?

peasant

Sandwich wrote: »

I vaguely remember something about that. Was it also the version where you had an oversized starter motor which could run as a motor in its own right, just enough to get the car moving and then the combustion took over? The same motor/startermotor was used to charge the battery as a brake to give it enough(or almost enough) energy to repeated the get-moving cycle again.

That would be a "Dynastart" http://www.sachs.co.jp/owx_18_66420_2_6_0_2b548aca87011e.html (sorry, can't find a better site on the quick)
Something invented by Robert Bosch as recently as 1903

E92

VH wrote: »

what other technologies are part of ed

Low rolling resistance tyres, electric power steering(some models), brake energy regeneration, optimum gearshift indicator(manual models), flaps in the air intakes that open and close automatically

Fishtits

Its a standard type starter, just designed for more cycles.

Biro

the merchant wrote: »

Didn't some Golf diesels have this feature in the late 80's early 90's?

Yes, so did the Jetta. Back in the 80's.

Biro

ninty9er wrote: »

I don't know whether to take that at face value or laugh:D:D

I don't know of it in any of the Bravo models, but I wouldn't laugh at anything like that. Fiat are very innovative. The question with Fiat has always been with reliability, never with design, engine performance or inginuety.
I know a few people in different engineering fields, working in different companies. All of them say the same thing. The Italian engineers are brilliant. Bit lazy though!

galwaytt

...was available on Fiat Punto's in the '90s too, iirc.........so, nothing new then.........

In fact, here's an extension of that application, dated October 1978........ http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4632079.html and renewed (I think), in Dec 1986.

gezas

BMW Efficient Dynamics - that’s amazing!

Seth Brundle

gezas wrote: »

BMW Efficient Dynamics - that’s amazing!

Seth Brundle

E92 wrote: »

And only 4 cylinder models with a manual gearbox have auto stop start anyway.

For the moment but Efficient Dynamics is coming to 6 pot engines. As they are planning on reducing the effort into V8 engines, I don't see it being introduced on these.

E92

kbannon wrote: »

For the moment but Efficient Dynamics is coming to 6 pot engines. As they are planning on reducing the effort into V8 engines, I don't see it being introduced on these.

Good to see that they're getting the 6 pot models to have auto start stop. The facelifted E90 was of course supposed to get ASS as standard in 6 cylinder models from the off, but BMW had difficulty in getting the system to re-start quickly enough in the 6 cylinder models, so I'm glad to see that it looks like they've that sorted.

Anything that improves the fuel consumption disadvantage of them over 4 pot BMWs has to be welcomed. After all it is the 6 cylinder models, especially the petrols that the company does best.

As for their argument about V8s, that strikes me as bizarre.

They now think that a 6 pot engine is good enough for a 740i, in 1993 a 730i got a V8 engine. I could be wrong but I'm not aware of any plan by BMW to make a smaller and therefore cheaper V8 than the new V8 twin turbo i.e. the existing V8s will be phased out.

Also the US and Canada, which are markets that like their V8s and large engines, BMW only sells one V8 5 series, meanwhile here in Europe where we don't have any great love for them because of fuel costs and environmental pressures they sell us 2 V8 powered 5 series. People only have a finite amount of money to spend, is it any wonder that when you have to go to a model that ends in 50 rather than 30 like you used to that the V8s don't sell anything like as well?

Similarly with the 4 cylinders doing better, BMW offers such a comprehensive range of them now(there'll be no less than 3 4 cylinder diesel 1 series convertibles to choose from shortly), and again like with the V8s, you have to go way further up the range to get one, like the 320i/520i for years had a 6 cylinder petrol engine, while since 2005 BMW decided that the 318i should now become the 320i(and a lot of E46 320i buyers just went straight for the E90 320i or else switched over to diesel), and the 520i was replaced by the 523i(though effectively we all went straight for the 4 cylinder 520d), but BMW for some reason didn't bother with this in the 3 series(for Europe, a select few markets only got it) and now you have to go to a 325i to get the benefits of 6 cylinder motoring.

As recently as 1994 the 325i was the top model you could buy.

That coupled with the fact that BMW no longer makes a small straight 6(there hasn't been a 2.0 since 2000 and a 2.2 since 2005), and a lot of markets still tax cars greater than 2.0 litres rather highly rather limits the appeal of choosing 6 cylinder power, particularly in countries like Ireland. The smallest 6 pot diesel is a 3.0, and the smallest 6 pot petrol is a 2.5.

Not at all difficult to figure it out really.

I wish BMW would do more to promote models with more than 4 cylinders, and I'm glad BMW didn't see fit to insert the 123d's engine into the 3 series, instead sticking with the 6 cylinder 325d).