bump starting once a day to save fuel?

Good Afternoon All,

I am curious to know if bump starting will save fuel? Would it cause more wear on oiling parts? I live on a hill and have the ability but is it worth it?

Justin

Bump start will not save fuel or cause more wear on oil parts. Best to use the starter.

Depends on how smooth it bumps, which depends on your clutch. If it feels too jerky, don't do it. One of my mk3's has an old, worn clutch, so I do it all the time. The other one has a new clutch with a sharp engagement, so I use the key on that one.

The only reason for doing it is to save the starter, and maybe the ignition switch.

Actually, I believe bump starting is one of the techniques used by hyper milers. The theory is that electricity needed to turn the starter need not be replaced by the alternator. It's up to you if that's worth it or not. My favorite is leaving the air conditioning off while driving with the windows closed. Let me know how that works out for you.

mohawk69 said:

My favorite is leaving the air conditioning off while driving with the windows closed.

Click to expand...

Killing A/C is just a warmup exercise (pun). The best stuff are the body mods, like moving the side mirrors indoors, and building an aero tail out of fiberglass. Then you have electrical mods, like an injector cutoff switch on the gear shift, so you don't burn precious picodrops while coasting in neutral. Or driving 15mph too slow, because fuel is the only thing of value, and time costs nothing.

Hypermilers will do anything.

not sure if OP is just trolling but... just drive it. you will accidentally spill more at the pump than you will ever save by bump starting it.

there is nothing in the world that is more irritating than being stuck behind a hypermiler doing 15mph under so that they can get 51mpg instead of 49mpg...

jhax said:

Good Afternoon All,

I am curious to know if bump starting will save fuel? Would it cause more wear on oiling parts? I live on a hill and have the ability but is it worth it?

Justin

Click to expand...

N, probably not. You could do like I did my my 1954 Ford. My Ford had a lot of problems so it seemed like we pushed it more than drove it.

What you could do is cut a big hole in the floor board and Fred Flintstone you car around most of the time.

It was a legitimate question. I knew it wouldnt save much, just a thought that popped in my head that's all. Thanks for the replies.

Maybe another angle here is: fuel savings due to a bit of starter electricity saved vs. clutch lifespan, since a bump start, by its nature, (unless you want to twist the engine and tranny on their mounts every morning) requires you to slip the clutch.

Oh good. Now we have to factor in engine/tranny mount wear.