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Idlestopper???

9K views 66 replies 22 participants last post by  RedPandaDev 
#1 ·
I've seen a number of mentions over on the MDX boards of the Idlestopper or IDS, which if I understand it correctly is some thing that one installs in the console and it somehow automatically turns off the auto engine start/stop every time you start the car.

Do we know yet if the Pilot has the same "Individual" drive mode that can be customized like on the MDX (and where apparently you can also set the auto engine to be off?) It's not really any different because on the MDX then you need to still select Individual every time you start the car, which is no different than just pressing the "off" button for the engine start/stop....but just curious if anyone knows. I expect this will become a topic of interest for the 2023 Pilot board as it is on the MDX board
 
#2 ·
it somehow automatically turns off the auto engine start/stop every time you start the car.
It's not a very complicated device. Effectively what it does is automatically send the signal of the auto idle stop off button being pressed when the car is turned on. So instead of you having to manually press the button, it effectively presses it for you at every startup.

This is also why it is able to allow you to still turn it on if you so choose simply by pressing the button again.
 
#3 ·
I haven't gotten my Elite yet but from watching a video it doesn't seem there is an Individual drive mode on these cars like there is on the MDX. So pressing the button to turn it off may be the only way. I will have to see how intrusive the system is because I've never owned one but in rental cars I hate that engine restart at every stoplight
 
#9 ·
At the end of the day AIS likely does not have a super huge MPG benefit for the CAFE ratings, otherwise Honda would not give you a button to turn it off, similar to what they've done with VCM. Having a button to turn it off nullifies the CAFE benefit. I'd wager it's more to stay on par with the competitors who do have AIS in their vehicles.
 
#11 ·
Edmonds testing shows an average of 9.5% fuel saving with the use of an Auto Idol Stop systems. Road and Track states that it is over an 8% savings. Varta, a well know battery manufacturers testing has shown as much as a 15% fuel savings.

I know of no manufacturer that doesn't have a system to temporarily turn off the system. Otherwise to your way of thinking Honda wouldn't provide a way to turn off Econ mode either.
Apparently the savings are meaningful. And yes they do want to give the option to turn it off but they are never allowed to have it be a setting that is permanently off because then it would not count for the CAFE certification from my understanding
 
#10 ·
Edmonds testing shows an average of 9.5% fuel saving with the use of an Auto Idol Stop systems. Road and Track states that it is over an 8% savings. Varta, a well know battery manufacturers testing has shown as much as a 15% fuel savings.

I know of no manufacturer that doesn't have a system to temporarily turn off the system. Otherwise to your way of thinking Honda wouldn't provide a way to turn off Econ mode either.
 
#45 ·
Edmonds testing shows an average of 9.5% fuel saving with the use of an Auto Idol Stop systems. Road and Track states that it is over an 8% savings. Varta, a well know battery manufacturers testing has shown as much as a 15% fuel savings.

I know of no manufacturer that doesn't have a system to temporarily turn off the system. Otherwise to your way of thinking Honda wouldn't provide a way to turn off Econ mode either.
If it saves that much gas I will leave it on. My wife don't like it but I told her you can turn it off when you drive not when I'm driving lol.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 
#14 ·
I started the thread on MDX board 😊😊. IDS currently supports only the new Acura TLX & MDX. IDS allows you to customize the individual drive mode and save the settings so the next time you start the vehicle those settings are retained . One of the settings is to enable or disable auto stop/start. I installed it on my new mdx and love it. Idlestopper is a different device basically disables the auto stop/ start for you. I have a ‘16 Pilot and I disabled it by hard wiring it. I don’t believe Idlestopper came out at that time.
 
#15 ·
As I've driven more new vehicles I have forced myself to leave the auto-stop on and have found myself largely used to it. Newer and newer models are quicker and less noticeable on the restart. If I buy a newer vehicle with it, unless it is really easy and cheap to disable I will likely leave it on for my around town driving. If there is a day/situation where it is annoying me I will turn it off. I don't sit in stop and go a lot so the MPG benefits (8% or higher has to be for urban users spending a lot of time stopped) probably won't be there for me.

I'm trying to adapt to the times, as much as it may kill me at times.
 
#17 ·
Idlestopper may work fine for me most of the time. Where I drive in-town, I don't encounter too many traffic lights, but they tend to be long lights with turn lanes 4 ways. I couldn't imagine driving with it in areas with 4-way stops every two blocks, but I haven't tried it yet. Soon, I hope.
 
#21 ·
I would venture to say that as long as you drive the vehicle as intended to maintain the battery you should have no problems. Maintaining an AGM battery in a vehicle isn't all that tough. It just takes a little driving time really. Short little 1 or 2 mile trips don't give the vehicle time to charge up the battery. I'm 6 days short of 3 years into the OEM battery on my 2020 Touring and the SOC is 12.6 after a charge and 8 hour rest before testing.

If you don't like the Auto Idle Stop feature, there is alway the option to turn it off with your free idle stopper device.
 
#25 ·
No offense to the smart designers of this Idlestopper, but honestly watching that video of the installation, how much stuff you need to pull apart, and also knowing that it costs money to buy the unit, I can't shake the feeling in my head of WHYYYYYYYY. All of this to save us from taking our finger and pressing a button when we start the car. It's not that hard guys. I would be the first one to buy this product if a) there was no on/off button to begin with or b) turning off idlestop was some convoluted thing, like you had to reach under the dash every time and pull out a wiring harness, or access a setting behind 7 different settings menus.....but it is literally a push of a button that is mere inches below where your finger is going to be anyway to press Drive.

It's a cool solution and workaround that avoids the absolutely tiniest task in the world...pressing one button that is in clear reach haha. It would be like if I invented some convoluted system that automatically flushes my toilet....really haven't had a problem taking my hand and pressing down the lever before.....
 
#47 ·
I can see it being intimidating to take that many panels apart, but it's not really that big of deal. Only took him 7 minutes in the video? I'll be doing this once we get a new Pilot, as the wife would always forget to press the button so I ended up putting the idlestopper in our 2017.
 
#48 ·
I installed the idle stopper in the first week of ownership. I cannot stand the damn thing shutting off every time I get to a light (curse words were said). So much lag. Also, believe what you want but the fuel savings are minor in comparison to the wear and tear on your engine and starter. Just a dumb idea. Idle stopper works like a charm though. Hasn't causes a single issue in the 2 months since it was installed.
 
#50 ·
I installed the idlestopper module over the weekend and it's been great. It works exactly as described and the installation process took me less than an hour, including the time for reinstalling panels, packing up tools and cleaning up. I watched their YouTube video and followed the install process for our Pilot, step by step. The process is reasonably easy for anyone that has hardwired a dashcam, hardwire a radar detector and much easier than change out a radio head unit, replace speakers or install sound deadening. The auto start/stop was just annoying, didn't save any noticeable fuel and I always forgot to push the cancel button until the vehicle turned off.
 
#52 ·
I find if i stop gently it will not shit off but at a stop if I push harder on brake it shuts off
+1 this

Personally, I think the system is designed great. I used to be opposed to the start/stop tech but honestly as I get older I realize how genius it is and how well Honda implemented it on this car. Like you said, I can control it by how hard I step on the brake pedal. If I barely miss a traffic light an know I am going to be stopped for a long time, I just press a little harder on the pedal and the system turns off the engine and it literally takes 1/2 a second for it to turn the car back on. When I know I am going to be stopped for only a moment, I just don't press as hard on the pedal and the car stays running. You can almost feel the engagement point on the pedal after awhile. When you consider how much gasoline and emissions this cuts out over 100's of thousands of cars on a daily basis, it really adds up...and believe me I'm certainly no huge environmentalist. Now, if you want to talk about the ridiculous overcomplicated systems being required on diesel engines these days, I can get on board with that argument
 
#55 ·
I installed idle stopper on my 23 pilot. The install was super easy. I think it took maybe 45 minutes? All the panels come off so easy I found it an absolute breeze and honestly I'm happier now that I don't have to push the button every time I drive.

So although I fully understand people who are just saying "why" I could ask the same about people who tint windshields or the people on this form spending dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars blacking out their elite editions.

If it makes people happy, who cares.


With Idle stopper disabled and brake hold enabled. I am in love with the car. Coming to a stop, having it perfectly brake and then immediately go is very satisfying to me IMO and that to me is worth the $100 or whatever plus 45 minutes of my time.
 
#56 ·
Totally agree with you! Had Idlestopper on my 21 Pilot Elite & also installed it on my new 23 Elite. Without it, I would sometimes forget to push the button to disable Idlestop. To me it is a safety issue. I could care less about the minimal fuel savings. I recently tried the brake hold as well. It’s awesome! Especially in drive-thru lines.
 
#58 ·
I think people say it is a safety issue down the road when the car ages and either becomes hard to start or might come across a problem after starting once and then not start again causing you to become a traffic impedance, putting you in harms way.
 
#61 ·
That's exactly what happened on my 2017 Pilot Touring, and it started within a couple of years of buying it. I don't mind the idea of it, but sitting stalled out at a green light while you try to figure out the order of operations to get it back into park to maybe start it with the button on the first or second try is not something I want to experience again.
 
#62 ·
That's exactly what happened on my 2017 Pilot Touring, and it started within a couple of years of buying it. I don't mind the idea of it, but sitting stalled out at a green light while you try to figure out the order of operations to get it back into park to maybe start it with the button on the first or second try is not something I want to experience again.
I believe this was a known issue on previous generations and has been corrected.

The new Pilot is equipped with a heavy duty starter and an AGM battery. I personally have no concerns leaving the auto start/stop feature as is.
 
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#63 ·
When I was first researching the Pilot I thought Auto Stop was gonna be the biggest annoyance in the world.

Honestly I never bother to press the switch because my natural driving style never even activates it. I am a smooth driver and when I come to a stop at a light I have been doing so with a light brake foot for smooth deceleration such that once I stop, I can hold the stop with light pressure on the brake pedal and that doesn't trip the Auto Stop. I don't ever feel the need to jam more leg pressure at the stoplight anyway....I am already stopped and I don't need to be super-stopped haha

So yeah I would never need to pay money to add this idlestopper to my car electronic circuits but others may have different driving styles and preferences
 
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