Is it bad for the car if I put it in neutral when going down a long, steep hill?

[0roo0roo]

Dear Tom and Ray:

My father and mother are constantly arguing about whether it is right to put the car in Neutral sometimes. My father drives an automatic car, and when he goes down a hill or is ready to stop, he puts the car into neutral. I am tired of hearing them yell at each other. Would you please tell me which one of them is right.[yellowcar2.gif] Ian

Ray: In the last few months, we've been called upon to settle sibling rivalries, boyfriend/girlfriend disputes, even a romantic problem concerning a husband's unusual attraction to his Nissan Hardbody truck, so I guess we can handle a little family therapy, Ian.

Tom: The answer is that your mother is right. Shifting back and forth between Drive and Neutral puts unnecessary stress on the drive train, and makes those parts wear out faster.

Ray: And more importantly, taking the car out of gear when going down hill is dangerous. Not only can you not accelerate to avoid a sudden obstacle, if need be, but you also lose the natural braking action of the engine, and you can easily build up excessive speed and overheat the brakes.

Tom: But if mom and dad are constantly yelling at each other, I have to suspect that this automotive argument is just symptomatic of something deeper, Ian. There's got to be something else that's bothering them, and I think that only professional counseling will get to the bottom of it.

Ray: It could be Dad's tightness with a buck...

Tom: Or Mom's cigar smoking.

Ray: But whatever it is, they've got to dig through it and sort it out, Ian. Wish them luck for us. http://www.cartalk.com/content.../1995/November/09.html

course this doesn't apply to him probably since he probably stays in neutral the whole time?

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
As a rule, never coast in neutral..i have always been told that by my dad. He has a permernent german licence.

OMG!!!11!1!!!1 Not a permanent German license. I guess that means no other answers can be accepted.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
As a rule, never coast in neutral..i have always been told that by my dad. He has a permernent german licence.

OMG!!!11!1!!!1 Not a permanent German license. I guess that means no other answers can be accepted.

I'm not gonna say anything... but you're being a dick.

 

[Adn4n]

NO IT IS NOT BAD!

I was stuck on the top of a ski resort last week over here in Utah with my Jetta. Something broke, I don't know the term in anything other than German(rotary axil?). Anyhow, I put it in neutral, had my buddies give it a push, and roled down and then some. I eventually ended up driving 7 miles in neutral. Salt Lake City is such a great place for driving without gas, there are a lot of hills here hehe.

My mechanic laughed, but said it's not bad.

WTF? my dad has a German license(lived there), he never acts all "master race."

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Adn4n
NO IT IS NOT BAD!

I was stuck on the top of a ski resort last week over here in Utah with my Jetta. Something broke, I don't know the term in anything other than German(rotary axil?). Anyhow, I put it in neutral, had my buddies give it a push, and roled down and then some. I eventually ended up driving 7 miles in neutral. Salt Lake City is such a great place for driving without gas, there are a lot of hills here hehe.

My mechanic laughed, but said it's not bad.

A Volkswagen breaking down? :Q

We don't look kindly on liars here. 😀

 

[Adn4n]

Rofl. I'm talking a 1990 Jetta here. Made in Mexico?

Plus it was still working, just the wheels wouldn't move; engine ran perfectly fine, which allowed me to brake on my way down.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Adn4n
Rofl. I'm talking a 1990 Jetta here. Made in Mexico?

I was being sarcastic. Many of the AT members share my view of Volkswagen, past and present.

 

[Adn4n]

Yeah, duly noted. Just like to point out what a POS I have.

 

[0roo0roo]

i wonder if he's riding the clutch too?

 

[DeeKnow]

Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
As a rule, never coast in neutral..i have always been told that by my dad. He has a permernent german licence.

hah! like that is some kind of qualification ...?

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
As a rule, never coast in neutral..i have always been told that by my dad. He has a permernent german licence.

OMG!!!11!1!!!1 Not a permanent German license. I guess that means no other answers can be accepted.

I'm not gonna say anything... but you're being a dick.

Nah.

 

[Confused]

Some newer cars actually use LESS fuel when slowing down when in gear than when they are in neutral.

Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear took an Audi A8 diesel from London to Edinburgh and back on 1 tank of fuel, and he said that when slowing down and coasting, it actually uses NO fuel so long as it's in gear, because the transmission is still turning the engine over, so it doesn't need the fuel to make power. If you put it in neutral, it needs to use fuel to keep the engine spinning.

Plus the fact that it's illegal in many places to coast in neutral, as if it's in gear and you let go of all the pedals, the car will slow down (or stay at a pretty constant speed), but in neutral there is nothing to stop it from speeding up.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

My father and mother are constantly arguing about whether it is right to put the car in Neutral sometimes. My father drives an automatic car, and when he goes down a hill or is ready to stop, he puts the car into neutral. I am tired of hearing them yell at each other. Would you please tell me which one of them is right.[yellowcar2.gif] Ian

Tom: The answer is that your mother is right. Shifting back and forth between Drive and Neutral puts unnecessary stress on the drive train, and makes those parts wear out faster.

automatic !=manual. Automatics have to engage and disengage their clutch packs when shifting from neutral to drive, if you drive a manual you can at least revmatch and adjust to clutch to avoid shocking the engine/drivetrain.

 

[yhelothar]

hmmm I put my 92' corolla into neutral all the time. The car stutters a lot at gear 2, so I usually press the clutch when I brake.

 

[thermalpaste]

Originally posted by: psteng19
On the highway where I commute daily, a portion of it is a steep hill (about a mile or so long) and there's always stop-and-go traffic during rush hour.
Instead of putting the car in gear, I'll just leave it in neutral and let gravity pull me down the hill, brake when necessary.
I figure there shouldn't be any damage to the drivetrain and less wear on the clutch.
But I think I read somewhere that said it's bad to be in neutral while the car is moving for extended periods of time.

THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. YOUR ENGINE ACTS AS A BRAKE AND GIVES YOU MORE TRACTION EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE HAVING ABS/OTHER TRACTION ASSISTS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS PUT THE CAR ON THE HIGHEST GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN THE SLOPE, AND YOUR CAR ENGINE WILL BE JUST REVVING ABOVE IDLE, barely consuming fuel.
IT MAY SPOIL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR IN SOME CARS ( I READ THIS IN MY CAR MANUAL). YOUR CLUTCH WON'T WEAR OUT UNLESS YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY SLIPPING IT AND REVVING THE ENGINE. DISENGAGING THE GEAR WHEN GOING DOWNLHILL WON'T INCREASE YOUR CLUTCH PLATE LIFE NOR WILL IT DECREASE...

 

[element]

Originally posted by: thermalpaste

Originally posted by: psteng19
On the highway where I commute daily, a portion of it is a steep hill (about a mile or so long) and there's always stop-and-go traffic during rush hour.
Instead of putting the car in gear, I'll just leave it in neutral and let gravity pull me down the hill, brake when necessary.
I figure there shouldn't be any damage to the drivetrain and less wear on the clutch.
But I think I read somewhere that said it's bad to be in neutral while the car is moving for extended periods of time.

THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. YOUR ENGINE ACTS AS A BRAKE AND GIVES YOU MORE TRACTION EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE HAVING ABS/OTHER TRACTION ASSISTS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS PUT THE CAR ON THE HIGHEST GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN THE SLOPE, AND YOUR CAR ENGINE WILL BE JUST REVVING ABOVE IDLE, barely consuming fuel.
IT MAY SPOIL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR IN SOME CARS ( I READ THIS IN MY CAR MANUAL). YOUR CLUTCH WON'T WEAR OUT UNLESS YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY SLIPPING IT AND REVVING THE ENGINE. DISENGAGING THE GEAR WHEN GOING DOWNLHILL WON'T INCREASE YOUR CLUTCH PLATE LIFE NOR WILL IT DECREASE...

THANKS JOO AOL H4X0R!

 

[vegetation]

I do this all the time on certain slopes where it is mildly downhill for a mile or so. Due to the slope and aerodynamics of my car, I never exceed more than 10 over the speed limit while coasting down. Putting it in gear would make the car slow down too much so I would have to give it gas all the way down, so there's fuel savings for me. And no, it doesn't do any damage. I have over 150k on my original clutch, though I do rematch but I thought anyone who drives a manual would know how to do this, it's not exactly rocket science to learn. I do not do this when there's traffic though, as it's dangerous; never know when some drunk moron might try to weave in your lane and you need the sudden acceleration to get out the way.

 

[bapace]

I suggest putting your car in Park when going down long, steep hills. I'm not a mechanic, but I don't think it would hurt anything.:laugh:

 

[DanTMWTMP]

that's horrible for your brakes. stop doing that. instead, just put it in low gear. It saves your brakes, and much much more safer.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: thermalpaste

THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. YOUR ENGINE ACTS AS A BRAKE AND GIVES YOU MORE TRACTION EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE HAVING ABS/OTHER TRACTION ASSISTS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS PUT THE CAR ON THE HIGHEST GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN THE SLOPE, AND YOUR CAR ENGINE WILL BE JUST REVVING ABOVE IDLE, barely consuming fuel.
IT MAY SPOIL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR IN SOME CARS ( I READ THIS IN MY CAR MANUAL). YOUR CLUTCH WON'T WEAR OUT UNLESS YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY SLIPPING IT AND REVVING THE ENGINE. DISENGAGING THE GEAR WHEN GOING DOWNLHILL WON'T INCREASE YOUR CLUTCH PLATE LIFE NOR WILL IT DECREASE...

Ruin the catalytic converter? BWAHAHAHA!!! NO car would have such a stupid design that an idling engine would ruin the cat. And a high gear in stop-and-go traffic=bog down/kill your engine.

People, this guy's talking about stop-and-go, so the major arguments against running it in neutral are invalid.

Brake wear? No, he'd be braking anyway, and he's not having to dissipate much kinetic energy.

Safety? If the brakes fail in a stop-and-go situation, you hit the car in front of you at 10 mph. Whether or not you're in gear. In fact, it can be good NOT to be in gear in this situation.

Ability to accelerate quickly? In a stop-and-go situation? Don't make me laugh, there's nowhere to escape to, if you hit the gas you'll just eat the bumper in front of you shortly before getting reamed from behind. Making it partly YOUR fault.


Stop and go down a hill=neutral has no disadvantages and a lot of advantages

Down a hill with no traffic=well that's a different scenario, now isn't it?

 

[thermalpaste]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: thermalpaste

THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. YOUR ENGINE ACTS AS A BRAKE AND GIVES YOU MORE TRACTION EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE HAVING ABS/OTHER TRACTION ASSISTS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS PUT THE CAR ON THE HIGHEST GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN THE SLOPE, AND YOUR CAR ENGINE WILL BE JUST REVVING ABOVE IDLE, barely consuming fuel.
IT MAY SPOIL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR IN SOME CARS ( I READ THIS IN MY CAR MANUAL). YOUR CLUTCH WON'T WEAR OUT UNLESS YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY SLIPPING IT AND REVVING THE ENGINE. DISENGAGING THE GEAR WHEN GOING DOWNLHILL WON'T INCREASE YOUR CLUTCH PLATE LIFE NOR WILL IT DECREASE...

Ruin the catalytic converter? BWAHAHAHA!!! NO car would have such a stupid design that an idling engine would ruin the cat. And a high gear in stop-and-go traffic=bog down/kill your engine.

People, this guy's talking about stop-and-go, so the major arguments against running it in neutral are invalid.

Brake wear? No, he'd be braking anyway, and he's not having to dissipate much kinetic energy.

Safety? If the brakes fail in a stop-and-go situation, you hit the car in front of you at 10 mph. Whether or not you're in gear. In fact, it can be good NOT to be in gear in this situation.

Ability to accelerate quickly? In a stop-and-go situation? Don't make me laugh, there's nowhere to escape to, if you hit the gas you'll just eat the bumper in front of you shortly before getting reamed from behind. Making it partly YOUR fault.


Stop and go down a hill=neutral has no disadvantages and a lot of advantages

Down a hill with no traffic=well that's a different scenario, now isn't it?

Do you know how a 3 way catalytic convertor works? There are 3 chambers where the exhaust gases are re-circulated and thrown out after being processed by a catalyst. When you drive your car, there is enough force for the exhaust gases to be thrown out. When your car is on idle after a bit of driving, the cat con is already hot. Now the idle speed means that the gases take a longer time to come out. This increases the temperature of the cat-con and reduces it's life in the long run. WHen you start your car in the cold, the cat con is cold and takes time to reach it's operating temperature so you are not damaging it.

Has anybody tried cornering their car at high speeds with the clutch pressed? Similiarly when you are coasting down, the engine is uniformly braking. Try coasting on the 1st or 2nd and you may not need to use the brakes unless something comes in your way.

I do not think he would need to brake if he was using the 1st and the 2nd gears, unless really required.

If there is no traffic and If he wishes he can slot the car to the 4th and let the engine buzz at almost idle when he is going down the slope. ANd btw a car won't stall even at the speed of 30kph on the fifth when hes going down a slope. And he's can downshift, if the engine starts knocking.

 

[Amused]

If a car is going to stall, it most likely will while idling.


If you idle your car during descents or coasting, and the car stalls, you lose power steering and brakes.

 

[Pepsi90919]

illegal maybe, harmful no.

 

Originally posted by: spidey07
I'm not a mechanic but I can't see it as being a good thing because your synchros/synchro bearings would be spinning like crazy. So the wear would be on the transmission, cluth/flywheel would have nothing to do with it as they are already engaged - no wear on the clutch.

Again, I'm NOT a mechanic nor do I profess to know the intimate workings of a transmission...its just my best guess.

So I'm thinking synchros.

Your synchros should only be spinning when a gear is selected and the clutch is disengaged.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: thermalpaste

Originally posted by: psteng19
On the highway where I commute daily, a portion of it is a steep hill (about a mile or so long) and there's always stop-and-go traffic during rush hour.
Instead of putting the car in gear, I'll just leave it in neutral and let gravity pull me down the hill, brake when necessary.
I figure there shouldn't be any damage to the drivetrain and less wear on the clutch.
But I think I read somewhere that said it's bad to be in neutral while the car is moving for extended periods of time.

THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. YOUR ENGINE ACTS AS A BRAKE AND GIVES YOU MORE TRACTION EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE HAVING ABS/OTHER TRACTION ASSISTS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS PUT THE CAR ON THE HIGHEST GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN THE SLOPE, AND YOUR CAR ENGINE WILL BE JUST REVVING ABOVE IDLE, barely consuming fuel.
IT MAY SPOIL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR IN SOME CARS ( I READ THIS IN MY CAR MANUAL). YOUR CLUTCH WON'T WEAR OUT UNLESS YOU ARE INTENTIONALLY SLIPPING IT AND REVVING THE ENGINE. DISENGAGING THE GEAR WHEN GOING DOWNLHILL WON'T INCREASE YOUR CLUTCH PLATE LIFE NOR WILL IT DECREASE...

Dude, you REALLY suck at life.