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Old 05-11-2011, 12:52 PM   #61
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That's just goofy, At a RR xing I can see shutting off the engine but not at alight, it actually uses more gas to start it than it would to just sit there through the light cycle.
Apparently not.

From: How Much Gas Is Used to Start a Car? | eHow.com


"Fuel is used only in the initial ignition of an engine that first second. Anything after that is part of the engine idling. The number varies, but if you are idling the car anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute, you are burning more fuel than is used for the initial ignition. Again, the time range is dependent on the size of the engine. Four-cylinder engines would be closer to 30 seconds, and eight cylinder engines would be closer to the one-minute limit. That means if you are going to sit still for more than a minute, it uses less fuel just to restart the engine."
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Old 05-11-2011, 12:58 PM   #62
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How long would I need to run(not driving, but just sitting idling) my TV to charge my deep cell battery up a bit?.. or will that even do anything, maybe you actually have to be driving with the rmps up...?
Hi, Baj

From the discussion, it sounds like you'd better check for any restrictions you might encounter where you're going...
I can't answer your question from my own experience- the only power draw in my trailer is lights and I rarely run my battery out before I leave a campsite.
And if I do, I use a lantern- or go to bed early!
I'm really just a tent camper that's moved "up" to a rigid, towable tent!
I think a lot depends on the output of your TV alternator, whether it has to charge your TV battery at the same time, the size of your charge line, etc.
Hopefully others more experienced than I will advise you in this department.

Francesca
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Old 05-11-2011, 01:38 PM   #63
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As a famous person once said get used to it. In Europe virtually all cars automatically shutoff when at idle and it's mandatory in 2020. We'll start seeing it soon enough here, there are a few cars that already have the 'feature'.

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Old 05-11-2011, 02:08 PM   #64
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As a famous person once said get used to it. In Europe virtually all cars automatically shutoff when at idle and it's mandatory in 2020. We'll start seeing it soon enough here, there are a few cars that already have the 'feature'.

Norm
Did you mean that you have heard that it will be mandatory in Europe or in the U.S. in 2020?
Either way it will not affect me as I have already sworn off of new cars due to mandatory features which are both arbitrary and dangerous, foisted on us by people who would not know a "dipstick" if they saw one... even if they ARE related.
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Old 05-11-2011, 02:27 PM   #65
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Did you mean that you have heard that it will be mandatory in Europe or in the U.S. in 2020?
Either way it will not affect me as I have already sworn off of new cars due to mandatory features which are both arbitrary and dangerous, foisted on us by people who would not know a "dipstick" if they saw one... even if they ARE related.
Mandatory in Europe. Our politicians are fond of copy cat laws plus all cars for Europe will be that way.

Norm
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Old 05-11-2011, 02:47 PM   #66
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Here in Colorado the Puffer Law pertains more to people being with the vehicle. You can not let a car idle unattended. AT ALL! People get tickets for it all the time here. You have to be within the vehicle. So allowing your window's time to defrost is ok, it's just letting your car warm up all alone is a huge no no.......... Guess they figure if your sitting in it, you won't let it idle as long as you would if you start it and let it run for long periods of time.
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Old 05-11-2011, 03:37 PM   #67
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So much for sitting at the breakfast table and hitting the auto start button.
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Old 05-11-2011, 06:21 PM   #68
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Did you mean that you have heard that it will be mandatory in Europe or in the U.S. in 2020?
Either way it will not affect me as I have already sworn off of new cars due to mandatory features which are both arbitrary and dangerous, foisted on us by people who would not know a "dipstick" if they saw one... even if they ARE related.
Just curious.... Which mandatory features are you talking about that are arbitrary & dangerous?
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Old 05-11-2011, 07:31 PM   #69
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I'm not answering for Floyd, but I looked at a KIA once at the Kia store and they MAKE you BUY at an additional cost this little gizmo that you MUST pass your key over to start the car. Now I don't think it was a security device because , who wants to steal a Kia? I believe it was more of a tracking device so they could find it when you stopped paying for it.
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Old 05-11-2011, 07:42 PM   #70
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who wants to steal a Kia?
...............
.............................................Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC01237.jpg
Views:	18
Size:	279.8 KB
ID:	35880

Don't make me come over there....

Francesca
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Old 05-11-2011, 08:20 PM   #71
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Just curious.... Which mandatory features are you talking about that are arbitrary & dangerous?
You would, of course, have a right to disagree, but ...

I want consistent and predictable brakes which do nothing but brake, controlled by a foot pedal.

I want a consistent and predictable throttle which is controlled by the driver through a direct connection to a foot pedal.

I want consistent and predictable steering which responds directly and proportionally to the driver's input from the steering wheel.

I want a safe passenger compartment without the threat of assassination or grievous harm in the event of a fender bender.

Each of these have been illegal since at least 2008.
Each could spark a contentious dead end discussion.

Tangentally, I would prefer to be responsible for my own tire pressure and not have to spend many hundreds extra when choosing tires and wheels.

My big brother was a competent mechanic whose advice was sage...
Orwell's is not!

I apologize for my part in aiding and abetting the hijacking of this thread.
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Old 05-11-2011, 08:36 PM   #72
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Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles View Post
...............
.............................................Attachment 35880

Don't make me come over there....

Francesca
ha ha, it was a Rio, or that other bottom of the barrel car they have.
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Old 05-11-2011, 08:51 PM   #73
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Floyd,
Well put and I understand where your coming from. We don't have to agree, but I did want to hear your opinion. Thank you.

My bad too... for contributing to the hijacking of this thread.... sorry bout that.
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Old 05-11-2011, 09:32 PM   #74
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ha ha, it was a Rio, or that other bottom of the barrel car they have.
Well...O.K....

All is forgiven!

Francesca
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Old 05-11-2011, 09:37 PM   #75
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Moving along to something more dignified...

HELLO ?

BAJ ?

Are you still there?

Your friends,

US !
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Old 05-11-2011, 10:35 PM   #76
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Turning off the furnace at night is ok is milder temperatures. There's a couple problems with doing this. One, if it's really cold you end up with frozen plumbing inside the trailer. Two, depending on how cold you can expect it to get you'll need several different sleeping bags rated for different temperatures. Where we were in Big Bend with the temperatures dropping to 5 degrees everything inside the trailer would have been frozen if we didn't have the furnace on.
We bags rated for around 50 degrees and set the thermostat for that. If temperature stays above the furnace doesn't come on, if it gets colder it comes on.
I have a hard time understanding why people want turn off the furnace at night. Do you turn off the furnace at home at night?
Actually, we do turn off the furnace at home at night. We're in bed, no need to waste gas!

Regarding the travel trailer, I forgot that I own a Bigfoot with a winter package. Sorry! My pipes are encased in fiberglass and the cabin is double insulated. As a result, I was very comfortable camping in the Rockies with a malfunctioning heater and only sleeping bags to keep me warm. And the reason I bought a Bigfoot over a Scamp or Casita is that I planned to do winter and spring camping in colder climates.

My propane heater is controlled by a thermostat. However, I do feel uncomfortable keeping it on all nite. For one thing, I want to conserve the Propane gas. Secondly, safety concern: I want to wake up in the morning.
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Old 05-11-2011, 10:41 PM   #77
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Floyd, I will disagree with you a bit... My 2009 Scion (sub $20k car) brakes, handles, and keeps traction better than my mid-80s Mercedes could ever hope to do... And it costs less to maintain. Also, the mechanical throttle linkage was forever sticking in the Mercedes. Once, I had to reach down and pull the pedal off the floor. Of course, it only takes a floor mat to stick a pedal down, right? The Benz was considered a marvel of modern technology, but I know I can avoid many more dangerous situations in my current econobox since it has these newer safety features (nearly all of which were pioneered by Mercedes, I should say).

To a certain extent, it seems like each generation believes that what they are familiar with is the best, and anything newer is not necessary. Antilock brakes have done wonders for reducing accidents, and stability control is going to overshadow ABS quite a bit. The thing about these features is that they do something the driver cannot -- in the case of ABS, they pump the brakes faster than any human, and in the case of stability control, it can brake any one wheel in order to bring the axis back into alignment with the direction of travel. My tractor has independent brake pedals for each rear wheel... My car does not.

Some things seems excessive to me... Like headlights that aim themselves based on info from GPS satellites. Maybe I'm just getting old.
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Old 05-12-2011, 12:31 PM   #78
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Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman View Post
Close to freezing should be OK. You're 16' is a bit bigger than my 13' so in very cold weather you'll probably use a bit more propane than I. When I was in Big Bend National Park the temperatures got down to 5 degrees at night and near freezing during the, I keep the thermostat set at 55 at night and at about 67 during day. Under those conditions a full tank lasted about 3 1/2 days. If you're just getting down to freezing at night and warmer during the day you shouldn't have any problems.

I know that some people turn off the furnace at night, but not me. I have the furnace to keep my trailer warm day and night. Not as warm at night, but I don't allow it to freezing or below either.

We do us sleeping bags. Individual bags are warmer than blankets and provide both top and bottom insulation.
We tent camped at Big Bend in the month of March. It was so nice sightseeing all day and stayed around 75degrees all day.
WELL-Around 5pm the temp started plunging to 50 and that night it dropped to about 26 degrees. We froze in that tent. Of course we had summer sleeping bags. Whenever I Hear Big Bend I think of that night.
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Old 05-12-2011, 12:54 PM   #79
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Sounds just plain lazy and uncaring to me.

John
My 2 cents----Ive been tent camping for 50 years in almost all the states.
At night ,I let my yellow water go right on the ground ,usally behind a tree. I think all the bears and other animals have been doing that since birth. Dead animals lay on the ground and rot away usally after other animals have torn them to shreds.(called the food chain). So come on all you earth lovers, your overdoing the grey water thing. Do you really think your hurting the evironment with water that you could drink if it was a matter of life or death. I'd be more worried about oil dripping from your car and the chemicals the chinese are putting in your trail mix.
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Old 05-12-2011, 01:40 PM   #80
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Come on group play nice. There's no place on this forum for politics or flaming anyone. Y'all know better.
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