[AlanHo]

I updated the KIA sat-nav today which took a total of 81 minutes whilst the engine was running.

Rather than do the task on the move – I decided to use the engine idling time to calculate how much fuel the car uses whilst idling and then determine how much fuel ISG (independent stop and go) actually saves.

I know this is arguable – but I made use of the trip mpg figure to calculate the amount of fuel used during the test.

The trips had been reset to zero when I last brimmed the tank and trip recorders.
Trip A now read 198 miles.
The Fuel trip read 38.2 mpg hence the car had used 5.18 galls since it was brimmed.

After an hour of engine idling (with the A.C on auto) the fuel trip now read 36.3 mpg – hence the fuel used since the car was brimmed was now 5.45 galls

Hence in one hour the car had used 0.27 gallons of petrol = 0.0045 galls per minute.

Not a lot at first glance is it?

However – we had cause to drive across Birmingham centre to Wolverhampton this afternoon – the trip recorder measured a distance of 23.2 miles. The overall journey, in quite busy traffic for a Sunday, took 66 minutes during which time we were stationary with the ISG operating for 7.7 minutes according to the stop watch on my wife’s Galaxy phone.
Thus the time spent moving was actually 58.3 minutes.

Hence our overall average speed was 21.1 mph
The “moving” average speed was 23.9 mph.

I reset the trips to zero at the start of the journey – at the end the fuel trip showed 34.7 mpg.

Hence the fuel used was 0.663 gallons.

The fuel saved by the ISG was .0045 x 7.7 = .0346 galls (0.16 litres)

Hence without ISG the fuel used would have been 0.663 + .0346 = 0.698 galls
Over the 23 miles covered this works out at an economy of 33.0 mpg.

You could argue that the saving of just 0.13 litres of fuel (20 pence worth) on that journey is not of any significance – but ISG is used by the manufacturer to get the lowest possible urban fuel consumption – hence road tax rating in the official figures. For this journey the ISG had boosted the fuel economy by 1.7 mpg (5%)

My test fails to take account of the other savings that accrue from an ISG equipped car - such as the alternator being switched into high charging rate on coasting and only used minimally at other times. So the actual fuel saving would be boosted by slightly reduced fuel consumption when cruising

However, my test indicates that you would need to do a considerable amount of urban miles in a petrol Hyundai ix20 or KIA Venga to genuinely save much expense on fuel.

But we all knew that already didn’t we……………………
 

[Keith]

Nicely done as usual Alan.
2 things from me.
1) I'm pretty sure ISG stands for Intelligent Stop Go
2) I also thought the big deal with ISG was carbon emission saving with reduced fuel consumption as a useful bonus.

[Shambles]

1) I'm pretty sure ISG stands for Intelligent Stop Go

Some manufacturers claim it to be Idle Stop-Go 

[AlanHo]

1) I'm pretty sure ISG stands for Intelligent Stop Go

Some manufacturers claim it to be Idle Stop-Go 

It should be called indecisive or irrelevant or insuperable or integrated or insidious or insipid or insolent or insane or insensitive or ingenious or inexorable or infamous or inferior or indecisive or indeterminate or incommensurable or inconsistent or inconsiderate or incredulous or incredible or impulsive or inanimate or idle or ignorant or ignominious or ill-judged or impalpable or ......whatever takes your fancy.

[Shambles]

I Suck Grapes

[AlanHo]

I Suck Grapes

So do I when they are used to enhance the alcohol content of water - especially red ones.....

[Shambles]

Idea Sounds Good

[AlanHo]

I scratch goolies

[Keith]

I Stand Guided then...

[diablo]

I scratch goolies

You can get a cream for that.

I reckon the main benefit is the road tax unless you do a whole lot of town driving.

[Phil №❶]

So how is the road tax calculated, we don't have that here, so ISG would not enhance anything except emission figures, and mechanics pockets, when it fails.

81 minutes for an update with engine running

What was it actually doing 

[Keith]

Road Tax is calculated on the emissions rating.
So it's a great selling point for a car like mine and others with ISG, my road tax is £30 a year after the first free year.

[Aussie Keith]

Did I miss something? What happened to the wagon?

[Phil №❶]

Er yes,


I'm Changing Cars

[Aussie Keith]

Well there you go. Completely missed the memo.

[bumpkin]

So how is the road tax calculated, we don't have that here, so ISG would not enhance anything except emission figures, and mechanics pockets, when it fails.

81 minutes for an update with engine running

What was it actually doing 

The firmware update on the satnav system is quite tedious, you have to download the file from the NavTeq website and then put the file in the root of a USB stick, then pop it into the USB port on the car and leave it to get on with it, it decompresses the file and installs it in stages, sometimes you watch the progress and think it has crashed then suddenly it bursts into life and goes through 80% of that part of the install in seconds then takes another 15 minutes to do the last 1%, it constantly fills you with eternal hope that it is nearly finished then dashes those hopes again.

[AlanHo]

You purchase the map update from HERE (formerly called Navteq) on a memory stick. Then - having paid £144 for the 2014 update you find a text file on the memory stick which states that the map is version 312E7AM - the first 3 digits denote the quarter and year. Hence the maps were compiled in the third quarter of 2012 and are being sold as the 2014 version.

However - I have checked some road changes I know of in the Midlands that were not completed until early 2013 - and they are shown on the new KIA sat nav map.

I was aware that the maps took about 80 minutes to install from posts on the KIA forum - so I did some long overdue tidying of my garage and disposing of some "just in case" junk while the car was doing its stuff with the engine idling.

[Phil №❶]

Why does the engine have to be running ?

Cleaning up in the garage under those conditions, may lead to speculation by the neighbors. 

[AlanHo]

Why does the engine have to be running ?

I have no idea - but the instructions specify that the engine must be running and not stopped. Some of the KIA guys do their updates when on a long journey and switch the ISG off to keep the engine running. I couldn't risk that because having been used a diesel for so many years I have stalled the petrol Venga a few times - especially when in reverse. I must have got too used to the diesel anti-stall characteristics

Cleaning up in the garage under those conditions, may lead to speculation by the neighbors. 

The car was parked outside the garage - so no problem.

[bumpkin]

The car needs to be running, because if you leave it on AUX and miss the battery warning it will switch itself off and brick the system.

[Phil №❶]

Of course, I forgot.

Why not connect a battery charger first and then just switch the ign to on, would that work 

[Surferdude]

Thank God for my TomTom.

[eye30]

And paper map