C43 Sail Mode, Save Gas
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Joined: Jun 2017
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C43 AMG Coupe
C43 Sail Mode, Save Gas
Hi all,
I realize this is going to be an unpopular post, but I think a useful one since I haven't seen a section for it.
As you all know, we have 5 options I, E, C, S, and S+. However, a perhaps lesser known "hidden" mode is the sail mode. Many of you may recall trying to conserve some gas in the past by getting going and then coasting down hills. However, the "sail" mode will activate during deceleration in E mode and disconnect the engine from the drive train at which point kinetic energy is all that is being used to move the car.
It comes with it's downsides (obviously) in vehicle performance, but can be useful if you are trying to make it to the next gas station or get above 30 mpg.
Those more knowledgable about this than I...
- Does this "sail" mode have any programming in the car or is it just indicating you are not using gas?
- Have you found this mode useful in a pinch?
Maybe everyone already knows, but I didn't and couldn't find much in the owners manual about it. At any rate, cheers!
I realize this is going to be an unpopular post, but I think a useful one since I haven't seen a section for it.
As you all know, we have 5 options I, E, C, S, and S+. However, a perhaps lesser known "hidden" mode is the sail mode. Many of you may recall trying to conserve some gas in the past by getting going and then coasting down hills. However, the "sail" mode will activate during deceleration in E mode and disconnect the engine from the drive train at which point kinetic energy is all that is being used to move the car.
It comes with it's downsides (obviously) in vehicle performance, but can be useful if you are trying to make it to the next gas station or get above 30 mpg.
Those more knowledgable about this than I...
- Does this "sail" mode have any programming in the car or is it just indicating you are not using gas?
- Have you found this mode useful in a pinch?
Maybe everyone already knows, but I didn't and couldn't find much in the owners manual about it. At any rate, cheers!
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Joined: Nov 2016
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From: Toronto, ON
2021 Mercedes C63s AMG Coupe
I use sail mode all the time. No need to be ashamed about not being wasteful. Not all of us ham their cars all the time.
Sail works like you said only in ECO. The way to trigger it is by filling up the charge(you can see it in your trip info in the central screen of your odometer) and then letting your gas go. Your car would enter sail mode. The car will engage the clutch again, if you accelerate, brake or you are going downhill. This feature have saved me a lot of gas. I have averaged 6L/100 day before yesterday which is Honda Civic mileage.
On the other hand I drove 100km yesterday and my mileage was 28.6L/100km at the end of the trip, haha. This car has a two faced personality like none of my exes had.
Sail works like you said only in ECO. The way to trigger it is by filling up the charge(you can see it in your trip info in the central screen of your odometer) and then letting your gas go. Your car would enter sail mode. The car will engage the clutch again, if you accelerate, brake or you are going downhill. This feature have saved me a lot of gas. I have averaged 6L/100 day before yesterday which is Honda Civic mileage.
On the other hand I drove 100km yesterday and my mileage was 28.6L/100km at the end of the trip, haha. This car has a two faced personality like none of my exes had.
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From: Massachusetts
2018 C43 AMG Brilliant Blue Metallic
I use sail mode all the time. No need to be ashamed about not being wasteful. Not all of us ham their cars all the time.
Sail works like you said only in ECO. The way to trigger it is by filling up the charge(you can see it in your trip info in the central screen of your odometer) and then letting your gas go. Your car would enter sail mode. The car will engage the clutch again, if you accelerate, brake or you are going downhill. This feature have saved me a lot of gas. I have averaged 6L/100 day before yesterday which is Honda Civic mileage.
On the other hand I drove 100km yesterday and my mileage was 28.6L/100km at the end of the trip, haha. This car has a two faced personality like none of my exes had.
Sail works like you said only in ECO. The way to trigger it is by filling up the charge(you can see it in your trip info in the central screen of your odometer) and then letting your gas go. Your car would enter sail mode. The car will engage the clutch again, if you accelerate, brake or you are going downhill. This feature have saved me a lot of gas. I have averaged 6L/100 day before yesterday which is Honda Civic mileage.
On the other hand I drove 100km yesterday and my mileage was 28.6L/100km at the end of the trip, haha. This car has a two faced personality like none of my exes had.
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From: NYC
2016 c450 / 2016 VW Jetta 1.8t / 2006 Wrangler X
Kinda unrelated, but I've found that Eco mode (with On/Off disabled) is excellent for bumper to bumper traffic. The longer throttle travel helps to modulate speed better than the other modes.
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C43 AMG Coupe
Absolutely relevant, I think this car was built specifically with the daily driver attitude in mind that the c63 design politely threw out the window. You can average 29 mpg on a tank easy in eco mode, though not the true purpose of the car, a great option to have in the back pocket of an AMG
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2017 C43 AMG
Absolutely relevant, I think this car was built specifically with the daily driver attitude in mind that the c63 design politely threw out the window. You can average 29 mpg on a tank easy in eco mode, though not the true purpose of the car, a great option to have in the back pocket of an AMG
on longer trips 29mpg in eco is no problem but if your commute has any traffic or hold ups i dont see 29 mpg possible.
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E320
I agree this is an extremely useful post. Though I'm still not clear on how to enter sail-mode after going into Eco. I got this car because of its "dual personality" in passing for an everyday driver but having the option to open it up and go when one wants to. Learning to drive it with a subtle touch is as much a learning curve as learning to drive it in full Sport or Sport+. Admittedly, I've only had it three days now.
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From: Michigan
2017 C43 AMG
you put the car in eco mode and with the right conditions (ie. grade, speed, temperature, and many other variables i am sure) when you let off gas completely to coast it will go into sail mode automatically.
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c-fo-fiddy
So jealous of the extra few features you 43 guys get. The sail mode is lower on the list but I'd really love to have it. I'm always in manual mode so that I can ride the motor on hills and downshift at lights to save gas and my brakes. Even though I love to hammer the throttle, when I'm just cruising around, I can be pretty OCD about driving the most efficient way possible. Having the sail mode would really help with my condition lol
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2003 CL 600
So jealous of the extra few features you 43 guys get. The sail mode is lower on the list but I'd really love to have it. I'm always in manual mode so that I can ride the motor on hills and downshift at lights to save gas and my brakes. Even though I love to hammer the throttle, when I'm just cruising around, I can be pretty OCD about driving the most efficient way possible. Having the sail mode would really help with my condition lol
There's no way engine braking saves gas. Brakes, sure, but brakes are cheaper than the added wear and tear on your transmission/engine for the amount of savings you will get, IMO. I use engine braking on my manual cars, but that's more so that i'm in the correct gear in case I need to move off, not because it's saving the brakes.
Sail mode isn't some magic function, cars have been shutting off fuel systems on decel/coasting since the beginning of electronic fuel injection. Most cars also disengage the TCC to prevent engine drag. On a car with no normal torque converter, it has to disengage the multi-clutch to let it free-wheel. They named this sail mode, but it's the same thing that's been going on forever.
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From: NYC
2016 c450 / 2016 VW Jetta 1.8t / 2006 Wrangler X
So jealous of the extra few features you 43 guys get. The sail mode is lower on the list but I'd really love to have it. I'm always in manual mode so that I can ride the motor on hills and downshift at lights to save gas and my brakes. Even though I love to hammer the throttle, when I'm just cruising around, I can be pretty OCD about driving the most efficient way possible. Having the sail mode would really help with my condition lol
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c-fo-fiddy
Sail mode is the opposite of what you're doing. It stops the engine braking effect to allow the car to conserve more energy.
There's no way engine braking saves gas. Brakes, sure, but brakes are cheaper than the added wear and tear on your transmission/engine for the amount of savings you will get, IMO. I use engine braking on my manual cars, but that's more so that i'm in the correct gear in case I need to move off, not because it's saving the brakes.
Sail mode isn't some magic function, cars have been shutting off fuel systems on decel/coasting since the beginning of electronic fuel injection. Most cars also disengage the TCC to prevent engine drag. On a car with no normal torque converter, it has to disengage the multi-clutch to let it free-wheel. They named this sail mode, but it's the same thing that's been going on forever.
There's no way engine braking saves gas. Brakes, sure, but brakes are cheaper than the added wear and tear on your transmission/engine for the amount of savings you will get, IMO. I use engine braking on my manual cars, but that's more so that i'm in the correct gear in case I need to move off, not because it's saving the brakes.
Sail mode isn't some magic function, cars have been shutting off fuel systems on decel/coasting since the beginning of electronic fuel injection. Most cars also disengage the TCC to prevent engine drag. On a car with no normal torque converter, it has to disengage the multi-clutch to let it free-wheel. They named this sail mode, but it's the same thing that's been going on forever.
And downshifting will most definitely save gas. Will it be a lot of gas? No, but it'll add up over time. As far as most cars having a 'free-wheeling' function, this is true. I've seen it on many. Easiest way to tell is to watch the RPM gauge. If you let off the gas and the revs drop down to 800-1000rpm then it's disengaged the TC. If it holds the RPMs, then it's obviously riding the engine as well as shut off the fuel system.
Do you get the icon in the cluster?
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c-fo-fiddy
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From: Just outside Oslo, Norway
2018 AMG C43 T
Eco mode? The fuel is so cheap in the US that eco mode shouldn't be allowed to be mencioned 
In Norway we pay approx. $7,30 - $8,30 pr. gallon ($1,90 - $2,20 pr. litre) for 98 octane 
In Norway we pay approx. $7,30 - $8,30 pr. gallon ($1,90 - $2,20 pr. litre) for 98 octane
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2020
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C43
Hi all,
I realize this is going to be an unpopular post, but I think a useful one since I haven't seen a section for it.
As you all know, we have 5 options I, E, C, S, and S+. However, a perhaps lesser known "hidden" mode is the sail mode. Many of you may recall trying to conserve some gas in the past by getting going and then coasting down hills. However, the "sail" mode will activate during deceleration in E mode and disconnect the engine from the drive train at which point kinetic energy is all that is being used to move the car.
It comes with it's downsides (obviously) in vehicle performance, but can be useful if you are trying to make it to the next gas station or get above 30 mpg.
Those more knowledgable about this than I...
- Does this "sail" mode have any programming in the car or is it just indicating you are not using gas?
- Have you found this mode useful in a pinch?
Maybe everyone already knows, but I didn't and couldn't find much in the owners manual about it. At any rate, cheers!
I realize this is going to be an unpopular post, but I think a useful one since I haven't seen a section for it.
As you all know, we have 5 options I, E, C, S, and S+. However, a perhaps lesser known "hidden" mode is the sail mode. Many of you may recall trying to conserve some gas in the past by getting going and then coasting down hills. However, the "sail" mode will activate during deceleration in E mode and disconnect the engine from the drive train at which point kinetic energy is all that is being used to move the car.
It comes with it's downsides (obviously) in vehicle performance, but can be useful if you are trying to make it to the next gas station or get above 30 mpg.
Those more knowledgable about this than I...
- Does this "sail" mode have any programming in the car or is it just indicating you are not using gas?
- Have you found this mode useful in a pinch?
Maybe everyone already knows, but I didn't and couldn't find much in the owners manual about it. At any rate, cheers!
- Does this "sail" mode have any programming in the car or is it just indicating you are not using gas?
You will know that sail mode is activated when you lift off the gas pedal and your RPM drops below what it normally would be at. Say you're in 9th gear going around 60mph and you let off the gas, your rpm will probably drop down to around 2,000; if you're in sail mode (activated by putting the car in Slippery or Individual with Reduced engine power) and you lift off the gas pedal, your rpm will drop to around 1,000 or even lower.
You will also know you're in sail mode when the number for which gear you're in disappears (it wont show 7 - 8 - 9 anymore) when you lift off the gas pedal.
- Have you found this mode useful in a pinch?
I don't use this in a pinch but I do setup my Individual drive mode to use Reduced engine power and so I do "sail" and this helps me get to 31-32mpg on the highway, as oppose to the usual 22-25mpg I would get in mix driving comfort/sport+ modes.
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2018 C43
If you drove manual car before, sail is same as when you press clutch to coast. In automatic transmission, it uses multiple clutch packs to switch to and from various gears and to disengage and reengage. Knowing how much obscene amount MB charges to replace anything, the clutch packs more or less would fail after warranty period and imo best to save the wear and longevity of the transmission instead of saving a buck on gas.
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C450 AMG
How do you, or can you at all, turn off the eco start/stop coming on when you start the car? I can’t stand it when it comes on all the time when you start the car and why can’t the car start up where you left off. Like if I drive in sport mode all the time, why can’t it just stay in sport mode all the time until I turn it myself? Comfort mode is ok, but I live in the city, so it’s sport or sport+ because I’m constantly accelerating around traffic and it seems the stupid Eco mode would be useless and the Comfort mode is a bit better, but still not responsive enough for where I live, especially with that GD Eco Stop/Start on! I really can’t stand it lol
Super Member
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2018 C43
How do you, or can you at all, turn off the eco start/stop coming on when you start the car? I can’t stand it when it comes on all the time when you start the car and why can’t the car start up where you left off. Like if I drive in sport mode all the time, why can’t it just stay in sport mode all the time until I turn it myself? Comfort mode is ok, but I live in the city, so it’s sport or sport+ because I’m constantly accelerating around traffic and it seems the stupid Eco mode would be useless and the Comfort mode is a bit better, but still not responsive enough for where I live, especially with that GD Eco Stop/Start on! I really can’t stand it lol
Last edited by stockbmw; Jul 18, 2020 at 03:47 PM.
