Force alternator to ALWAYS charge?

[benlovesgoddess]

Is there any danger of losing brakes and power steering in an emergency?
I found just coasting in neutral, but engine on, too much of an out of control uncomfortable feeling!
Have you compared EOC and driving without turning it off during coasting?
I was lead to believe with older cars it often used more fuel restarting the engine than leaving it running unless it was for long periods.
I occasionally turn the Honda off if first at a stop signal, but it is a faff restarting on the key.
The whole EV at slow speeds is pretty sweet with the Prius. I liked my old stop-start in the Hyundai, but it was hit and miss if it worked.

[benlovesgoddess]

Someone in an eco modded Geo Metro posted about a great eco marathon result and had a kill switch mounted on their gear lever.
I don't know about difficulty or cost of installation , but it sounded easier than switching the key.

[ChewChewTrain]

There's plenty of vacuum assist left to keep the brakes working.

No power steering. It's a 1989 Civic!

Having SO much success with EOC (54.9mpg last tank) I have no interest in coasting with the engine on.

Perhaps it's older carburetor cars that use more fuel for restarting. My 1989 Civic was the first year Honda used electronic fuel injection.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by benlovesgoddess

Someone in an eco modded Geo Metro posted about a great eco marathon result and had a kill switch mounted on their gear lever.
I don't know about difficulty or cost of installation , but it sounded easier than switching the key.

I don't mind switching off the key, although I do end up giving passengers a long explanation about what I'm doing and my sister yelled at me for my "being cheap".

[benlovesgoddess]

Ha ha ha! How does your last tank compare to a tank where you didnt bother turning the engine off?

[ChewChewTrain]

39.3mpg was the first tank I posted on Fuelly. Big improvement at 54.9 now.

[benlovesgoddess]

Cant argue with that - i'll even boot hooters chick out the passenger seat for a 16 mpg increase. ..

[ChewChewTrain]

Okay. Just got done doing 800 mile roundtrip to Los Angeles. On the long freeways legs, I posted some pretty disappointing numbers around 45 to 50mpg, when I was expecting to best my 56mpg record.

A lot of that travel was at night, where, when the headlights are on, the alternator is constantly running.

My original problem was that EOC does NOT allow enough engine running time to properly recharge the battery.

Not realizing that the alternator causes SO much drag on my tiny 1.5ltr engine when it's running I had thought the solution was to trick the alternator into running more often.

In light of my poor MPG Olympic performance, I've decided a solar panel charger is the best way to go.

Now I have to wait ANOTHER 4 years to compete in the next MPG Olympics.

[BlueRover]

The alternator constantly runs and the built in voltage regulator tries to maintain a constant voltage at all times.

[Draigflag]

Doug I'm not sure the alternator is the issue here, there are millions of small cars, a lot smaller than yours and charging is not an issue. Have you considered all other possibilities?