Istop technology knows when your car has come to a stop or senses the RPMs in the engine are close to a stop, and you are hitting the brakes.
The Istop system shuts the engine down, and the transmission is disengaged. When the systems senses you have taken your foot off the brake, the system restarts the engine. This technology is designed to prevent fuel-guzzling idling. The system shuts down the engine when the car is in idle mode and restarts it when the vehicle starts to go. Istop technology isn’t damaging to your car’s engine since the technology uses electric water pumps to keep the engine temperature at an optimal level. At the same time, note that the engine has been running and is not off long enough to cool down.
Understanding Istop Systems
Istop cars are somewhat new to the United States market but are used in Malaysia. In 1983, Volkswagen introduced Istop cares to the European market, and today you can find Istop technology in the major American car manufacturers. Istop technology is also found in Audi, Fiat, Hyundai, Land Rover, and Toyota. Although your engine shuts down in an Istop car, other modules continue running because of the type of battery used in Istop cars. Your air conditioning system, power steering, brakes, sound system, and other systems do not shut off; they remain running even if your engine is off. When you are ready to go again, take your foot off the brake, engage the gas pedal, and your engine restarts.
Emissions and Fuel Mileage
Auto engineers feel that start/stop or Istop technology can improve your fuel mileage.
- Fuel savings can be 5 to 10%. However, with gas prices at an all-time low, you may only save less than RM200 per year. However, fuel prices will not remain low forever, and fuel-guzzling cars’ mileage stats could improve with the Istop system.
- Environmental considerations are high. The emissions sent out by your vehicle out are minimized.
You could reduce idling by turning the key off when the car is stopped for ten seconds or more. However, manually turning off your vehicle can be dangerous in traffic. An Istop car takes idling out of the picture by automatically shutting down the engine.
Everyday Driving
Car dealers have noticed that with a smaller engine, the Istop system works quietly and smoothly. If you drive a car with a larger engine, you will feel the Istop system fluctuates. Another great feature of the Istop car, with an Istop vehicle, you don’t need to worry about cold engine startup, which is a very vulnerable time for engine components.
Yet, some areas of an Istop car that drivers are unhappy with include:
- The engine noise is particularly loud.
- You can feel vibrations every time the engine starts.
- Air conditioning does not work well if the engine stops. If you are stopped in traffic, the interior temperature of your car can become uncomfortable.
- It takes several minutes for the air condition to reset itself.
Important Features
To keep your Istop car running efficiently, the car manufacturer has produced different elements. These include:
- The electric, heavy-duty starters. The starter spins the flywheel that starts up the engine. The starter also moves the pinion gear out of the way.
- Transmission. In an Istop car, the transmissions automatically shift into neutral when your vehicle is stopped. You may have an auto-hold feature in your vehicle that helps start the vehicle when the accelerator is engaged.
- The type of battery for the Istop function are also larger than standard car batteries. A larger battery is essential to keep all the other accessories running when the engine stops.
Type of Battery for Istop Car Function
The type of car battery Malaysia used by an Istop car is called an AGM battery. The properties of AGM batteries include:
- Great cold-start characteristics,
- Powerfully starts the starter motor and reduces running time.
- Highly stable. Stability allows AGM batteries to switch the engine off and on several times at short intervals.
- AGM batteries are charged by the generator and also by the braking energy recovery system.
An Istop Car Cannot use a JIS Battery.
JIS batteries or Japanese Industrial Standard ( lead-acid batteries) are not powerful enough to handle the stop and start characteristics of an Istop car. The components of a JIS batter include:
- Tested are at -15⁰C
- Durability requirements are 6V for European applications
- Smaller than an SAE battery, but the positive pole is larger than the negative pole.
- Older Japanese cars use JIS batteries.
Car Batteries Malaysia
Are you in Malaysia and driving an Istop car? If so, you will need a powerful battery that provides high cranking power, longer service life, and high vibration resistance. Give Car Bateri a call, and you will receive free delivery and install. It’s easy to pay – cash or card. Car Bateri also offers a 12-18 month warranty assurance for your new battery.
- A type of battery for your Istop functions is the Century Marathoner. This battery has the following characteristics:
- High cranking power that includes low electric resistance separators to boost electrical current flow.
- Longer service life. The battery is lead-calcium with tin alloy. The design is a labyrinth and has gas-liquid recombination covers. You will experience a low water loss and a longer service life for your Istop car.
- High vibration resistance because of separator thickness and improved container design. Better container design is an excellent characteristic of your Istop car – it stops the annoying vibration when stopping and starting.
If you find you don’t like your Istop system, most vehicles are manufactured with the technology to override the system manually. However, your fuel mileage will be reduced by up to five percent, and you will have to turn off the Istop system every time you get into your car. To date, no Istop manufacturer allows you to disable the Istop function permanently.
You do not have to worry about the wear and tear on your engine or the pressure on your car battery in Malaysia. Istop cars have been manufactured for the stop and start motions, and the components used are different than in a car without this technology.
