To Idle or Not to Idle – There’s No Question About it

In this day of high fuel costs, a tight economy, population growth, and climate change, it is imperative that we are all armed with the current facts about engine idling.

Idling is defined as running a vehicle engine when the vehicle is standing still. It sounds downright silly, really. Who would want to do that? We don’t go to work each day so that we can pay for our car to get zero miles per gallon. And we all need clean air to breathe – why would we needlessly spew exhaust into it?

Well, the majority of us in Bozeman do idle needlessly, most commonly when we’re warming up the engine, “running inside for just a minute,” using the drive-thru, staying comfortable while waiting inside a vehicle when it’s cold or hot outside, picking someone up, dropping someone off, or talking on a cell phone. While there are times when we are legally obligated to idle our vehicles, such as at a stop light, the above reasons for idling are typically unnecessary.

Many of our beliefs about idling are out of date, from the 1970s and earlier, and don’t apply to newer vehicles. Following are two of the most common myths about idling:

Myth: On a cold day, it is best for the health of a vehicle to warm up the engine by idling until the engine is warm.

Truth: For temperatures above 32 degrees, there is no need to warm up most vehicles. From 0 to 32 degrees, you should warm up most vehicles for 30 seconds. For temperatures under zero, you should warm up the vehicle for 1-3 minutes. In all cases, it’s best to idle for the recommended time, then drive slowly for the first minute or two. (Excessive idling can actually damage engine components.)

Myth: It uses more fuel and costs more to restart an engine than it does to let it idle for a few minutes.

Truth: If you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds (except in traffic) turn off the engine. (Actually, idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than it takes to restart the engine, but in order to offset potential incremental maintenance costs, the breakeven time is 30 seconds.)

There are important reasons to change our idling behavior, perhaps the most compelling being our health. Idling releases hazardous chemicals into the air including carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter. These idling byproducts are related to ill health effects ranging from asthma to cancer, and no one is immune when it is in the air that we breathe. Ironically, some of the most common idlers are parents running their engines and spewing these toxins outside of schools and activity venues while waiting for their children.

Environmental concerns are also paramount. Emissions from idling contribute to smog, haze, greenhouse gas emissions, and ground level ozone. Has anyone looked out the window towards the north from Bozeman on a clear day? You may have noticed that the air is not so clear.

Saving money and fuel is another reason to stop idling. The average annual fuel cost for a vehicle that idles ten minutes each day is 20 gallons/$75 for a small car, 40 gallons/$150 for an 8-cylinder engine, and 15 gallons/$67.50 for a diesel engine. Remember, these savings could be yours by doing nothing more than turning off your engine when it is unnecessarily running. A no brainer!

We’ve all become familiar with the slogan “Hang Up and Drive.” Now it’s time to consider another – “Idling Gets You Nowhere.”

Elin Hert lives in Bozeman and is a volunteer member of the City of Bozeman’s Idle Free Bozeman working group. 

This article was first published as a guest column in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and can be found HERE.

77 replies

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Migos Type Beat

    […]Here are some of the web pages we suggest for our visitors[…]

  2. Placements says:

    Placements

    […]Here is an excellent Blog You might Come across Intriguing that we Encourage You[…]

  3. manufactured says:

    manufactured

    […]here are some links to internet sites that we link to due to the fact we feel they’re really worth visiting[…]

  4. home says:

    home

    […]that could be the finish of this report. Right here you will locate some websites that we think you will enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  5. Download Free Mr Crack Mixtapes

    […]just beneath, are various totally not related web-sites to ours, nevertheless, they’re certainly worth going over[…]

  6. Music Leaks says:

    Music Leaks

    […]check beneath, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, nonetheless, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  7. forex no deposit bonus 2017

    […]please pay a visit to the web pages we adhere to, including this a single, because it represents our picks from the web[…]

  8. all forex brokers

    […]although web-sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they are actually really worth a go as a result of, so possess a look[…]

  9. no deposit bonus forex

    […]we prefer to honor many other web web-sites on the net, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  10. no deposit bonus

    […]Here is a superb Blog You might Find Intriguing that we Encourage You[…]

  11. Viagra kaufen

    […]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated web sites to ours, on the other hand, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  12. data science courses

    […]Here is a great Blog You may Uncover Exciting that we Encourage You[…]

  13. fresh news says:

    fresh news

    […]always a major fan of linking to bloggers that I enjoy but do not get a whole lot of link like from[…]

  14. https://youtu.be/c49tU2i2JSI

    […]one of our guests recently recommended the following website[…]

  15. Pinganillo says:

    Pinganillo

    […]although web sites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they’re really really worth a go by, so possess a look[…]

  16. Pinganillos says:

    Pinganillos

    […]we prefer to honor several other net internet sites around the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  17. Pinganillo says:

    Pinganillo

    […]one of our guests lately proposed the following website[…]

  18. telefonsex mit cam

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated information, nonetheless truly really worth taking a search, whoa did one particular master about Mid East has got more problerms at the same time […]

  19. camsex says:

    camsex

    […]below you’ll locate the link to some sites that we consider you should visit[…]

  20. telefonsex says:

    telefonsex

    […]check below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, even so, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  21. tel-sex.cc says:

    tel-sex.cc

    […]very couple of web-sites that transpire to become in depth below, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly worth checking out[…]

  22. https://youtu.be/kK7UQ9-3-D4

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nonetheless truly really worth taking a appear, whoa did one study about Mid East has got a lot more problerms also […]

  23. https://youtu.be/_6FlbFkQdi0

    […]here are some hyperlinks to web sites that we link to mainly because we feel they may be really worth visiting[…]

  24. https://youtu.be/v9MMRSuY4SE

    […]please take a look at the internet sites we stick to, including this 1, as it represents our picks through the web[…]

  25. usuwanie dpf gdansk

    […]please go to the web pages we stick to, such as this 1, because it represents our picks in the web[…]

  26. https://youtu.be/LGAcnLXbnAw

    […]usually posts some extremely fascinating stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]

  27. chat online with people

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  28. best cheap hotel booking site

    […]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I love but do not get a whole lot of link love from[…]

  29. classifieds says:

    classifieds

    […]one of our visitors not too long ago suggested the following website[…]

  30. image hosting

    […]we prefer to honor numerous other online web pages around the internet, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  31. cPanel Web Hosting

    […]here are some links to websites that we link to for the reason that we believe they’re worth visiting[…]

  32. website auction

    […]we came across a cool website that you simply might appreciate. Take a search when you want[…]

  33. Mickey Mouse pillow cases

    […]Here is an excellent Blog You might Discover Fascinating that we Encourage You[…]

  34. Hockey says:

    Hockey

    […]just beneath, are several absolutely not associated web-sites to ours, nonetheless, they may be surely really worth going over[…]

  35. sex toys says:

    sex toys

    […]we came across a cool internet site that you simply could get pleasure from. Take a look should you want[…]

  36. Discover New Artists

    […]that will be the finish of this write-up. Right here you’ll discover some web pages that we believe you’ll enjoy, just click the links over[…]

  37. Free Mixtape Downloads

    […]the time to study or stop by the subject material or web pages we’ve linked to below the[…]

  38. Discover New Artists

    […]usually posts some extremely fascinating stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]

  39. Free Mixtape Downloads

    […]The facts mentioned in the write-up are some of the very best accessible […]

  40. Marco Lavell Mixtapes

    […]usually posts some incredibly exciting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]

  41. Free Mixtape Downloads

    […]we prefer to honor several other world wide web websites on the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  42. 100% pure kona

    […]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I really like but don’t get a lot of link really like from[…]

  43. buy pure kona

    […]very couple of internet sites that occur to become comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly effectively worth checking out[…]

  44. 100% kona says:

    100% kona

    […]we prefer to honor numerous other world-wide-web internet sites around the net, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  45. kona coffee says:

    kona coffee

    […]one of our visitors recently proposed the following website[…]

  46. buy kona coffee

    […]here are some links to internet sites that we link to due to the fact we feel they are really worth visiting[…]

  47. pure kona coffee

    […]Every as soon as in a even though we opt for blogs that we study. Listed below would be the newest internet sites that we select […]

  48. sporti says:

    sporti

    […]very handful of web-sites that come about to become in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out[…]

  49. River Cruises

    […]Every when inside a although we select blogs that we read. Listed beneath are the latest websites that we opt for […]

  50. best kona says:

    best kona

    […]one of our visitors lately encouraged the following website[…]

  51. best kona says:

    best kona

    […]please visit the web sites we stick to, including this 1, as it represents our picks from the web[…]

  52. screen says:

    screen

    […]below you’ll obtain the link to some web pages that we assume you’ll want to visit[…]

  53. RMUTT says:

    RMUTT

    […]Here is a good Weblog You might Come across Fascinating that we Encourage You[…]

  54. kona coffee says:

    kona coffee

    […]here are some links to web-sites that we link to for the reason that we assume they may be really worth visiting[…]

  55. kona coffee wild

    […]check beneath, are some completely unrelated websites to ours, nevertheless, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  56. mountain coffee hawaiian

    […]always a significant fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but don’t get a good deal of link like from[…]

  57. kona coffee beans hawaiian

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  58. real work from home jobs

    […]always a massive fan of linking to bloggers that I really like but do not get a good deal of link appreciate from[…]

  59. ebay motors says:

    ebay motors

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  60. homes made from shipping containers

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated data, nonetheless genuinely really worth taking a look, whoa did a single master about Mid East has got far more problerms as well […]

  61. Auto loan says:

    Auto loan

    […]we prefer to honor quite a few other internet websites around the internet, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  62. 11 piece dining set

    […]we came across a cool web site that you just could possibly get pleasure from. Take a search in case you want[…]

  63. wisdom teeth removal Daytona beach

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  64. dating sites for teenager

    […]Every once inside a though we opt for blogs that we study. Listed below are the most current web sites that we opt for […]

  65. bantningspiller

    […]always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I adore but do not get a whole lot of link like from[…]

  66. Go Here says:

    Go Here

    […]check beneath, are some totally unrelated web-sites to ours, having said that, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  67. find a property

    […]Here are a few of the web sites we suggest for our visitors[…]

  68. More Help says:

    More Help

    […]Here is a superb Weblog You may Discover Interesting that we Encourage You[…]

  69. Queen Hair says:

    Queen Hair

    […]always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I love but really don’t get a great deal of link appreciate from[…]

  70. 7 color shower

    […]Here is a good Weblog You might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[…]

  71. Sac papier luxe

    […]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they are really worth a go by way of, so possess a look[…]

  72. Soft Tip Darts

    […]we prefer to honor many other net web-sites on the internet, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  73. Boat Shipping

    […]just beneath, are quite a few completely not related websites to ours, nevertheless, they’re surely really worth going over[…]

  74. Ausgetrickst says:

    Ausgetrickst

    […]usually posts some quite fascinating stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]

  75. Klepper Faltbootwerft AG

    […]here are some hyperlinks to internet sites that we link to since we think they may be worth visiting[…]

  76. Google says:

    Google

    Usually posts some pretty intriguing stuff like this. If you are new to this site.

  77. Google says:

    Google

    Just beneath, are many entirely not connected websites to ours, nevertheless, they may be surely worth going over.

Comments are closed.