Night driving

[k.civic.f4i]

do any of you switch off your car at traffic lights or EOC at night? would you be able to do it with the lights on? battery drainage and visibility(drivers seeing you) seems to be an issue.

[theycallmeebryan]

On my Ninja 250, the lights stay on even if the engine is killed. Sometimes ill flick the key off and back on so that the headlight goes out (if there isn't traffic coming from ahead of me), but the tail light will stay on.

hypermiling all the time, it has become a normal driving habit for me

[PaleMelanesian]

Yes, I do. I have a trickle charger at home to top off the battery, which DOES get run down a bit. It cost me 10 cents this last tank. Compare that to several dollars of gas had I left the engine running.

[wagonman76]

I kill the engine at this one stoplight I know is long, if it turns red pretty much right as I get there. I leave the lights on, but then turn the key back to ON to kill the chime. Old car, lights are tied to nothing except switch and chime. Battery drainage does not seem to be an issue, at least I've never had a problem. Heck, a lot of new cars have the option to leave the lights on for awhile after you shut the car off anyway.

[i_am_socket]

I do EOC and engine off at lights at night. The lights are automatic in my car so unless I switch it all the way off, they stay on. I don't worry about battery drainage since it's only for a minute or so at a time. I don't do it in the rain, though; too much to pay attention to (road conditions and dumbass drivers).

[Ryland]

The battery on my electric car that runs the lights is good for nearly an hour of driving per charge.
In my gas car I don't normally drive for more then a mile at a time with the engine off and haven't had any issues yet.

[PaleMelanesian]

My issue is how much the engine is off - easily more than half the drive. With that short engine run-time, the alternator is also running very little. It's fine in the summer, but headlights are the "straw that broke the camel's back" and it needs a little boost.

[cfg83]

k.civic.f4i -

Mine is strategic. If I *know* the timing of the red light, I will turn off the engine and turn off the headlights but leave the running (or parking?) lights on. Once a car pulls up behind me and stops, I will turn off the lights completely because I don't have to worry about someone not seeing me as they pull up. It just depends on the situation.

CarloSW2

[k.civic.f4i]

the cents versus the dollars in savings definitely sounds good. im not trying to turn off my lights completely though because im sure theres some ca law against it(gotta do more research). my main concern is the battery drainage.

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

headlights are the "straw that broke the camel's back" and it needs a little boost.

would your battery drainage in that 30secs - 1.5mins be enough for you to NOT be able to start your car? i just dont want to get stranded in the middle of a traffic lane, especially in the middle of the night.

[PaleMelanesian]

I'm not concerned about being stranded. It's a manual, and if it's getting that low, I'll just do a bump-start before I come to a stop. I do that at stop signs anyway.

I'm more concerned about battery life. Discharging a normal car battery too far, or too frequently, will shorten it's useful life. Without the charger, I was seeing voltages down to 11.3 or 11.2 at the end of a long glide. As a drive goes on, it gets lower and lower. With the battery topped up, I'll get down to 11.8 or so - much better.

I will drop down to parking lights if it's a long stop - my taillights are still fully lit. I also use the parking brake and let off the brake pedal, for a little less drain.