Stop and Go Driving

[f.f.jones]

I know "stop and go" driving is generally harmful to a car. What I don't know is "What EXACTLY is stop and go driving?".

My situation:   I own and drive two large displacement late '60's V-8's (one Ford, one Buick), neither being a high-performance version. Neither one accumulates much more than 500 miles a year.

A typical trip may be 10-20 miles, one way, then after a stop of 15 minutes to up to several hours, we return home. The engines do seem to reach full operating temperature before they are turned off.

Both engines have been recently rebuilt with heads and valves designed for current gas specs. Oil changes are around the 1000 mile mark and I add a zink addative. 

Am I wearing out these engines? Should I do more to prevent wear? Unfortunately longer and more frequent use is not an option as I am fortunate enough to drive them as often as I do.

Any help with my questions will be greatly appreiated.  

[avgwarhawk]

Just driving or starting the engine and getting up to operating temperature as often as possible is the best thing. It more so moves the gas through the system keeping it fresh in the carb. As far as wear, you're just fine with the oil change and zinc added.  Stop and go will not harm your engines.  

[Rusty_OToole]

The type of driving you describe will not harm your cars unduly. They are getting hot enough to dry out the muffler, which means it will not rust out prematurely. And to evaporate any moisture or unburned fuel in the engine. If you have ever taken the oil filler cap off a car and it was full of gray foamy sludge you have seen a motor that is not used enough. It is caused by a buildup of moisture and sulfuric acid in the oil.

You are driving enough to keep the battery charged, to circulate the trans fluid and generally keep things in good shape.

Traffic driving is harder on a car than hiway cruising. The many stops and starts use the transmission, brakes, engine etc harder than simply cruising at a steady speed.

Most wear occurs on first starting the car before the oil has a chance to circulate and the motor warms up. Possibly the worst kind of driving would be to start the car, drive half a mile or a mile to work, shut it off and repeat on the way home after work. You could take more out of a car in 10,000  miles this way, than driving 50,000 miles in coast to coast trips on the interstate.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[8E45E]

7 minutes ago, Rusty_OToole said:

The type of driving you describe will not harm your cars unduly. They are getting hot enough to dry out the muffler, which means it will not rust out prematurely. And to evaporate any moisture or unburned fuel in the engine. If you have ever taken the oil filler cap off a car and it was full of gray foamy sludge you have seen a motor that is not used enough. It is caused by a buildup of moisture and sulfuric acid in the oil.

You are driving enough to keep the battery charged, to circulate the trans fluid and generally keep things in good shape.

Traffic driving is harder on a car than hiway cruising. The many stops and starts use the transmission, brakes, engine etc harder than simply cruising at a steady speed.

Most wear occurs on first starting the car before the oil has a chance to circulate and the motor warms up. Possibly the worst kind of driving would be to start the car, drive half a mile or a mile to work, shut it off and repeat on the way home after work. You could take more out of a car in 10,000  miles this way, than driving 50,000 miles in coast to coast trips on the interstate.

It's not only the muffler that can be affected by not letting the engine get to operating temperature.  The catalytic convertor will plug up if moisture is allowed to build up on the pellets within by not driving it long enough. 

 

I wonder if the same can be said about these newer cars and trucks where the engine shuts down at a stop light and restarts when one touches the accelerator.  

 

Craig

[SC38dls]

I agree the above applies but if you live I a big city stop and go is your daily commute to work and back. To give you an idea we lived 30 miles west of Chicago in a little town called Wayne 1500 people and 900 horses. We would leave at 3 PM to go to symphony hall for a concert that started at 7PM and sometimes we would just make it before they closed the doors until intermission. 
Thats 35 miles in 3 to 4 hours and LA is worse!  I’ve sat in grid lock in NY and not moved a block in 20 minutes. 
That’s  stop and go traffic also 

dave s 

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

The type of driving you describe will not harm your cars unduly. They are getting hot enough to dry out the muffler, which means it will not rust out prematurely. And to evaporate any moisture or unburned fuel in the engine. If you have ever taken the oil filler cap off a car and it was full of gray foamy sludge you have seen a motor that is not used enough. It is caused by a buildup of moisture and sulfuric acid in the oil.

 

That gray/tan colored sludge can also be attributed to a clogged-up road draft system, or a clogged up PCV system. 

 

f.f.jones,What I don't know is "What EXACTLY is stop and go driving?".

f.f. jones, did you try to look it up?? at the touch of your fingers on the computer.

 

Definition of stop-and-go

 

: of, relating to, or involving frequent stopsespecially : controlled or regulated by traffic lightsstop-and-go driving