Will frequently shutting off the engine to prevent long idling shorten the life of the starter?

A friend of mine just sent me a link to an article on Hypermilling…I have the same question as you do about this. I would think that the pieces and parts used to run the car would get worn out a lot quicker.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-tips-ecodriving.php

Don’t do it. The effect on gas mileage will be minimal, and the wear on all the little metal parts rubbing against each other in your motor would be increased.
The old advice is still the best- overinflate your tires a bit, take off more slowly from stops, use your cruise control whenever possible, get it serviced often, don’t speed.
Try to get away from the trap of treating your car as if it were just a gas tank attached to a pedal; we all do some times. Me too! Bicycling does wonders for your gas mileage as well ;^)

Kev, this is a job for the Car Guys. You should call Tom & Ray tomorrow!

most cars with fuel injection or carburator are set to run rich fuel mixture (more fuel until engine warms) during the starting process. So if you were to micro measure the fuel use, you likely use more by starting than by idle