How's your idle?

[SteveSRT8]

Please discuss your vehicle's idle quality.

I have a 14 RAM 5.7 Hemi that is the king around here. Super smooth and quiet idle, you would never know it has 395 hp on tap. Cheapest fuel in the city yet it runs like new with over 80k miles on it.

Another in my stable, 18 Chevy Express 3500 with the new 6.0 with VVT. Also has a nearly imperceptible idle, but only has 30k miles, too. Neat thing about this one is the AC compressor can cycle and the only way you can tell is by sound, you would never know otherwise.

Then there's my sig car, 06 300C SRT8 6.1 Hemi. Always had a distinct hitch in the idle. An extremely quiet and smooth car even at 110k miles, it has never and will never be a super smooth idle. It's the only hint that this is a mid 12 second car.


Sound off...

 

[Bailes1992]

The only car I have with a very smooth idle is our Mondeo ST220. I suspect this is where more cylinders will generally win.

My Wifes 900cc 3 pot turbo Dacia has an idle which can rattle your teeth out.

 

[supton]

So-so. The V8 seems fine and quiet, and is good/great. The I4 in wife's Camry has a little shake. The I4 in my Camry... no mistaking that it's got a few miles on it.

None are fast, and none give the impression of being so.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Seems like the FA20DIT is known for a bit of a wonky idle, doesn't make my teeth rattle but it just doesn't like to settle at any particular RPM.
I convinced myself that it gets a little better when I run carbon cleaner with the Subaru "tool", but it might be wishful thinking and sure doesn't last.
My wife used to insist that there was something wrong with my car and even berated me for spending "all that money" on a vehicle that didn't run properly.
Now I can just remind her that it's her fault our daughter's car has a jammed drain plug and it was also after that same cheapo oil change I told her not to get that the two of them freaked out because the car was harder to start all of a sudden.

 

[Railrust]

2007 Lexus LS 460 -- Incredibly low idle (around 500). Smooth. Direct injection

2008 Honda CRV -- 130,000 miles. All I can hear is that valve train...tricky ticky ticky. And I've adjusted it...still ticky ticky ticky. Don't care.

2018 Chevy Silverado -- 30,000 miles. 5.3 direct inject. Seems smooth. You can't hear the direct inject unless you're standing next to the wheel well

2004 Dodge Ram -- 5.7 Hemi. That one you could clearly hear the "Hemi Tick"

1999 Honda Accord -- 278,000 miles when I sold it (someone actually bought it with that many miles on it). Thing ran great EXCEPT when it idled. Low idle, would stall. Couldn't figure it out...replaced Idle air control valve. Replaced EGR. No codes. Upper end clean. Ran great otherwise. I bet that thing is still running.

2002 Jeep Liberty -- 3.7 181,000 miles. Idles pretty darn good. Maybe a little roll to it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

2001 Triton 5.4 somewhere in the 220-230k range: Smooth. Definitely more smooth than the Subaru. When all the exhaust parts are in good shape there have been a few times I thought it stalled. Unless I run the living daylights out of it, you can hear the chatter of piston slap or a worn out lash adjuster.

2001 Jeep 4.0 214k: Rough. There's not a dead miss, but I can feel there's a few cylinders that are tired. It also feels that way driving.

2018 Subaru 2.5: Smooth but has the weird shake / gyration thing that all subarus have due to the way the engine tries to rotate.

My old Focus would vibrate pretty bad at idle. After I got the hydraulic engine mount replaced, I put a poly transmission mount in. Shift feel was great, though!

 

[IndyIan]

My old 95 sohc Neon had a bit of idle lope, quite noticeable with the muffler off. The odd time the idle speed drops on the Focus after an autocross run(I guess the ecu is in open loop mode) and it has a bit of lope to it. Kind of interesting to hear in a 4 cyl,

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
Please discuss your vehicle's idle quality.

I have a 14 RAM 5.7 Hemi that is the king around here. Super smooth and quiet idle, you would never know it has 395 hp on tap. Cheapest fuel in the city yet it runs like new with over 80k miles on it.

Another in my stable, 18 Chevy Express 3500 with the new 6.0 with VVT. Also has a nearly imperceptible idle, but only has 30k miles, too. Neat thing about this one is the AC compressor can cycle and the only way you can tell is by sound, you would never know otherwise.

Then there's my sig car, 06 300C SRT8 6.1 Hemi. Always had a distinct hitch in the idle. An extremely quiet and smooth car even at 110k miles, it has never and will never be a super smooth idle. It's the only hint that this is a mid 12 second car.


Sound off...

Every car I've had except my cammed up 5.0 was very calm at idle. My 505hp 427 had some "shudder" to it. Shook the whole vehicle, but from outside or unless you touched it, it just calmly purred as a dull rumble. Very sedate.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
Please discuss your vehicle's idle quality.

Another in my stable, 18 Chevy Express 3500 with the new 6.0 with VVT. Also has a nearly imperceptible idle, but only has 30k miles, too. Neat thing about this one is the AC compressor can cycle and the only way you can tell is by sound, you would never know otherwise.

Sound off...


My 16 [5.3] Tahoe with 64K miles idles exactly the same as your Express 3500. Same goes for the A/C which is constantly on since the day I bought it. I use only 87 octane. I use Mobil fuel 99% of the time.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

BMW I6 (N55) idles as smooth as a baby's @#$!

 

[Trav]

This engine (one like it in a running car) had the smoothest idle I ever experienced, other super smooth idle engine were V12's, other H and rotary engines. I never experienced a V6, V8 or inline that comes close. The H12 big bore short stroke made big HP but was turbine smooth

 

[PimTac]

2017 Mazda CX-5 with the SkyActiv 2.5.

Idle is very smooth at around 550rpm. Occasionally I have to glance at the tach as it is so smooth and quiet I cannot tell if it is running. The idle will increase to around 700rpm for a few seconds then back to 550. The A/C is not on, this is for cleaner emissions as I understand it.

 

[OVERKILL]

The RAM, you can't feel it run (5.7L) like yours. The Jeep has two idle speeds: ~800RPM and ~650RPM depending on its mood and when it drops down to the 650 it has a bit of a lope to it. You can always tell it is running though. And hear it.

 

[MCompact]

All of my cars have a smooth idle; the 2er ha a throaty exhaust so you fee a bit of a rumble- but the idle itself is smooth.
The Clubman had a bit of a rough idle until I replaced the spark plugs, as the PO never changed them and they were 14k miles overdue.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted by IndyIan
My old 95 sohc Neon had a bit of idle lope, quite noticeable with the muffler off. The odd time the idle speed drops on the Focus after an autocross run(I guess the ecu is in open loop mode) and it has a bit of lope to it. Kind of interesting to hear in a 4 cyl,



Is your 07 Focus electric throttle? There was one specific intersection that I could always make my 2011 Focus idle at like 500 RPM or stall every time I drove through it. I would take off from one stoplight and wind the engine out pretty good, then put it in neutral and coast the rest of the way. For some reason that would confuse the computer.

 

[14Accent]

My Caddy still idles so quiet that I thought it had stalled today while I wasn't paying attention. 650 RPM and smooth as silk.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted by Miller88
Originally Posted by IndyIan
My old 95 sohc Neon had a bit of idle lope, quite noticeable with the muffler off. The odd time the idle speed drops on the Focus after an autocross run(I guess the ecu is in open loop mode) and it has a bit of lope to it. Kind of interesting to hear in a 4 cyl,



Is your 07 Focus electric throttle? There was one specific intersection that I could always make my 2011 Focus idle at like 500 RPM or stall every time I drove through it. I would take off from one stoplight and wind the engine out pretty good, then put it in neutral and coast the rest of the way. For some reason that would confuse the computer.

2007 was the last year of the cable throttle in the Focus. Once or twice its stalled in the stop box at the end of a autocross run in the same situation you describe, basically WO to clutch in with no throttle down to idle.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Seems like the FA20DIT is known for a bit of a wonky idle, doesn't make my teeth rattle but it just doesn't like to settle at any particular RPM.
I convinced myself that it gets a little better when I run carbon cleaner with the Subaru "tool", but it might be wishful thinking and sure doesn't last.
My wife used to insist that there was something wrong with my car and even berated me for spending "all that money" on a vehicle that didn't run properly.
Now I can just remind her that it's her fault our daughter's car has a jammed drain plug and it was also after that same cheapo oil change I told her not to get that the two of them freaked out because the car was harder to start all of a sudden.


There was an ECM update for that.

It seemed to cause two things for our '14 FXT:

1. The idle is smoother at all times.

2. Cat light-off takes longer, but results in a smoother idle during. Before the reflash, cat light-off would result in the boost gage indicating very close to 0# and usually an UGLY idle. I knew what it was and didn't mind the rough idle during light-off, but I can definitely see the vast majority of others freaking out about it.

//

Now that I'm running a Cobb Stage 1 flash, things are still fine.


I just purchased some CRC intake valve and turbo cleaner, which I plan to use for the first time at ~70k miles.

 

[Pew]

Freaking horrific, but it is a 3 cyl engine with an inherently unbalanced designed that is made tolerable with a dual mass flywheel and super soft mounts.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Pretty crappy at this point. 274k, and it vibrates a fair amount when the A/C compressor kicks in. It's better in Neutral or Park. The engine itself idles fine but I do believe the old venerable CR-V is now staring at the end of it's life in the near future.
The trans is beginning to shudder and slip just a hint if I really push it from a standstill. I'm trying to baby it. Shifts fine otherwise. I added 5oz of Lubeguard Red last week.