Does the ECO mode of a car affect the engine and gearbox? I thought I could save fuel, but I didn't know the harm.

Many models will be equipped with ECO function, some will write ECO directly on the button, and some will draw a small green leaf. Will frequent use of this function affect the engine and gearbox?

Let's talk about the principle of ECO first. When this function is turned on, it will change the characteristics of the accelerator pedal and the logic of gearbox shifting. Simply put, the throttle opening of the engine has changed. Before stepping on the 20% throttle, the throttle opening is 20%. When the ECO function is turned on, the throttle opening will become 15% or even 10%. Step on the accelerator at the same depth, and the throttle opening will change. In this way, the engine power is more fleshy, but it is more fuel efficient. What happened to the shifting logic of the gearbox? The upshift of the gearbox becomes more sensitive and the downshift becomes slower; For a simple example, before starting ECO, step on the accelerator normally, and the 2000-rpm gearbox will shift up. After the ECO is turned on, the gearbox may shift up at 1800 rpm or even lower. When we step on the accelerator deeply, the gearbox will immediately downshift and increase the speed to get more torque. When the ECO is turned on, the gearbox will not downshift.

After opening ECO, will it affect the engine and gearbox? It not only has no damage to the gearbox, but also reduces the wear of the gearbox. The gearbox plays the role of "variable speed and torque", the force acting on the gearbox by the engine becomes smaller, and the power output of the gearbox is smaller, which can reduce the wear between gears of the gearbox. For example, when we ride a variable-speed bicycle, when we shift the gear to the highest gear, at the same pedaling frequency, the number of revolutions of the bearing is smaller, but more force is needed, and the knee bears more force, that is, the engine. ECO only adjusts the gearbox software and has no effect on the hardware. However, using ECO regardless of road conditions will have certain hidden dangers to the engine. For example, the vehicle has been at low speed and high load, which is not good for the engine at all.

In short, the main purpose of driving in ECO mode is to slow you down, which is very useful in urban traffic jams. Avoid stepping on the brakes quickly after the throttle is too large, so that driving will not be so tired, but when driving normally, the throttle will be fleshy, so be sure to turn it off when driving at high speed, especially when overtaking.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.