Eco Mode, Fuel Additives and Start Stop Opinions.

Joshua Oakes

Active Member
Apr 30, 2020
62
16
How effective do people find the different modes with the Leon FR, mainly the eco mode. I’ve got the 184 with the DSG gearbox. I can definitely tell the accelerator is much less responsive when in Eco mode, and it often coasts to save fuel, how much does this actually help, compared to normal and sport mode?

I do a lot of motorway driving so want to save fuel on these journeys but how much will it actually save? I’m yet to do a long journey so will see for myself but wondering everyone else’s opinions.

I’m tempted to try millers ecomax as I’ve read good things on this and might save some fuel, it’s not major, I don’t necessarily drive like a saint but wondering what is the best combination to save some fuel with my driving style haha.

Another thing is, do people use start stop, I’ve read it can be really bad for engine and turbo and doesn’t actually save much fuel, is this correct? Surely it wouldn’t be on the car if it would ultimately be bad for it?


Josh.

Black Leon FR 2.0TDI 184 DSG
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
Nothing wrong with start stop all it will do is increase wear on the starter and battery longevity.

will not effect turbo / engine

i don’t notice much difference between any of the modes. Only that throttle response in eco mode is down right dangerous
 
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Joshua Oakes

Active Member
Apr 30, 2020
62
16
Nothing wrong with start stop all it will do is increase wear on the starter and battery longevity.

will not effect turbo / engine

i don’t notice much difference between any of the modes. Only that throttle response in eco mode is down right dangerous

Ahh right no worries, I’ve been told it’s something to do with cooling of turbo, when engine is off it is not providing cooling to the turbo which can damage it, whereas if engine is on it is providing cooling, by sounds of it this may not be true then!

Ahh so potentially not worth putting it into eco at all as it doesn’t provide much benefit in fuel savings.


Josh.

Black Leon FR 2.0TDI 184 DSG
 

black_sheep

Active Member
Mar 10, 2013
1,256
585
In ECO mode as you have discovered, the DSG box allows the vehicle to coast when no demand on the engine. It also cuts a lot of parasitic energy draws on the engine, by altering the A/C and comfort settings.

In all of the different engine modes, it is the throttle sensitivity that is altered only; power output is still the same, so in an emergency, 100% throttle is the same in any mode. In addition, the torque on the 184 ps diesel will allow a responsive pick-up in all gears/modes, unlike some of the less powerful/torquey variants ie. 1.5 petrol.
 
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Big Col

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Nov 5, 2013
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North Ayrshire
Another thing is, do people use start stop, I’ve read it can be really bad for engine and turbo and doesn’t actually save much fuel, is this correct? Surely it wouldn’t be on the car if it would ultimately be bad for it?


the manufacturers couldn't care less about the longevity of the car, as long as it makes it to the end of the warranty period and has a low CO2 rating.

I was always taught never to immediately switch off an engine after a hoon, especially a turbo, give it time to cool down.

I do very little town driving so I always switch start stop off.
 
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Joshua Oakes

Active Member
Apr 30, 2020
62
16
the manufacturers couldn't care less about the longevity of the car, as long as it makes it to the end of the warranty period and has a low CO2 rating.

I was always taught never to immediately switch off an engine after a hoon, especially a turbo, give it time to cool down.

I do very little town driving so I always switch start stop off.

So think it could be wise to leave it on during traffic jams on the motorway day but on short journeys maybe have it turned off as it won’t save much fuel?


Josh.

Black Leon FR 2.0TDI 184 DSG
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
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I read up on stop-start years ago and basically, it's a waste of time. Not good for the engine, starter or battery but saves a fraction of a polar bear so in it goes. Gets disabled on every car we have.

You don't need additives, just use good fuel. Not even every tank, maybe every third one. That's what the main difference between plain vanilla and premium is, better additives. detergents etc. Do that and you won't have any problems.

It might make more of a difference with the DSG box but I've tried driving like a grandmother in eco mode and it made a very slight difference to economy. So now it lives in Sport. If I wanted an unresponsive engine I wouldn't have bought an FR in the first place.
 

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
All good advice from @Mr Pig there.

My philosophy has always been to buy a car that I can afford to drive "normally". Presumably, you bought a 184, rather than a 150, for a reason? Enjoy those advantages and try not to worry about a few MPG here or there, would be my advice.

Things like stop-start and eco mode were designed to produce good results in WLTP tests etc. They make very little difference to real world MPG (which will probably be more dependent on your route than anything else) but spoil the enjoyment of the car IMO.
 

Mr Pig

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Jun 17, 2015
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Things like stop-start and eco mode were designed to produce good results in WLTP tests etc.

A lot of the changes to modern cars are to make them cheaper to build, cleaner and more economical. They don't actually make the car better and repair costs go up. The focus of the manufacturer's attention used to be on you. It isn't any more. It's on keeping bureaucrats happy while fooling you into believing it's all still about you.
 
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CupraGeezer

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May 11, 2018
357
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A lot of the changes to modern cars are to make them cheaper to build, cleaner and more economical. They don't actually make the car better and repair costs go up.
True.

The other thing that's going on is the development of all the technology required for autonomous cars. All those assistive systems are switched off on my car so that I can drive the thing myself while I'm still allowed to. [Sorry for the thread drift, rant over]
 
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xyz

Full Member
Feb 28, 2004
565
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oxford
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There’s no one thing that helps with fuel economy - it’s a combination of things. I’ve had 47mpg out of my manual Golf R but I was stuck behind a truck at 50 for miles so I decided to try and drive it economically. I had it in individual mode with the engine in Eco and dipped the clutch on downhill stretches to see what difference it makes and the results speak for themselves. I’ve only ever used Shell V Power or when that wasn’t available, Tesco Momentum. The only time you’ll damage the turbo is by thrashing it before the oil’s warmed up or switching it off after hooning it without letting it warm down. I’ve hardly ever disengaged stop/start and I’ve just replaced the battery at just over four years old. Battery life is supposed to be between three and five years so it’s done well. Coasting was in use on trucks I was driving back in 2010 and it makes a difference - I could get over 10.5 mpg out of my truck which was very good going back then and still is now. Not sure about additives helping. Just make sure you use good fuel, drive carefully if you’re on an mpg run and remove anything from the car like roof boxes etc and any junk and clutter in the boot.


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Mr Pig

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Jun 17, 2015
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I’ve hardly ever disengaged stop/start and I’ve just replaced the battery at just over four years old. Battery life is supposed to be between three and five years so it’s done well.

Our last car was over six years old and had 75,000 miles on it. Original battery still working fine thanks to stop-start always being off I think maybe?

There is no way on earth that stop-start is not going to be harder on the batter, starter and the engine.
 
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CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
The Mondeo I had before my Cupra was on its second battery when it died (or more accurately had too many minor problems to make it worth fixing) at 14 years old / 173,000 miles. From memory, the first battery lasted about 10 years. If manufacturers are now saying that batteries only last 4-6 years, it's because of all the additional systems (esp. stop-start) that they've loaded onto modern cars.
 
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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
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If manufacturers are now saying that batteries only last 4-6 years, it's because of all the additional systems (esp. stop-start) that they've loaded onto modern cars.

It has to be. Stop-start batteries and starters have to be better than standard batteries or they would fail quickly but that can't be that good. If a standard starter will turn over an engine say, a thousand times before it wears out then stop-start starter will have to start the same car maybe ten or twenty times that in the same time frame. The things might be better but they're not that much better! Lives are going to be shorter.
 
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xyz

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Feb 28, 2004
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Our last car was over six years old and had 75,000 miles on it. Original battery still working fine thanks to stop-start always being off I think maybe?

There is no way on earth that stop-start is not going to be harder on the batter, starter and the engine.

Depends on how many extras are placing load on the electrical system. Hardly any of my driving is in traffic so the stop/start issue doesn’t really come into it for me. Depends on the battery too. Some are better than others. There are too many variables to put battery failure down to stop/start use.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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Joshua Oakes

Active Member
Apr 30, 2020
62
16
All good advice from @Mr Pig there.

My philosophy has always been to buy a car that I can afford to drive "normally". Presumably, you bought a 184, rather than a 150, for a reason? Enjoy those advantages and try not to worry about a few MPG here or there, would be my advice.

Things like stop-start and eco mode were designed to produce good results in WLTP tests etc. They make very little difference to real world MPG (which will probably be more dependent on your route than anything else) but spoil the enjoyment of the car IMO.

Yeah course and the car is great fun, however I do a 370 mile trip twice a week most weeks so wondered what helps and what doesn’t during this journey, the rest of the time is near enough fair game and I’m more than happy taking the hit mpg wise, also still learning car so want to know other peoples experiences.


Josh.

Black Leon FR 2.0TDI 184 DSG
 

SteveGSXR600K1

Active Member
May 6, 2017
572
187
Stop/Start was introduced, apparently, to reduce CO2 pollution. Even though the car isn't using fuel when the engine's off, it uses more to start up again, therefore less economic. Only worth using if you're in a bad traffic jam.
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
I guess it depends on your usage but while I agree stop start can be annoying it can save a lot of fuel. In my Cupra the in town fuel use is dramatically lower with stop start than without.

If i use my preferred route to work the economy is pretty dire, about 17mpg. With SS its 24mpg. That quite a big saving over the week.

However my less preferred route gives me 28mpg without and 29 with, but is a little longer and less predictable.
 
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Slickric21

Active Member
Feb 23, 2019
549
250
Norfolk
My experience of both eco mode and stop start is that they do reduce average fuel consumption.

Eco vs Drive, there is a definite reduction in mpg over a long journey, maybe not massive amount but it’s there. Plus on a gentle cruise it’s a much smoother experience on the whole due to the coasting feature.

Stop/Start, whilst sometimes incredibly annoying, eg you are just coming to a temporary halt at a roundabout, is definitely good when you are stopped at traffic lights or anytime for than a few seconds. Fuel consumption basically freezes on the trip computer whilst stopped, whereas without stop/start you can watch the trip mpg dropping in front of you.

At least that’s how it is for me anyway on my R ST.

However I find stop/start is not available most of time anyway anymore unless I’ve either been on a long trip or recharged my battery :))
 
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