YACT: Coasting car....saves fuel???

[SurgicalShark]

These days, I coast car if I am approaching a light or I know if I will be entering a facility soon, thus having to break anyways.

By coasting, I mean, I put car in neutral and let it run on its own momentum. My naive questions are:

1- Does it save fuel?
2- Does it do any harm to car or transmission, which I suspect does not, but want your opinion!

 

[DivideBYZero]

NOT AGAIN :|

 

[SurgicalShark]

Oh come on, I am seriously interested in knowing!

 

[swtethan]

well...... are you pressing on the accelerator? then there is your answer

 

[JS80]

Doesn't that screw up an auto transmission?

 

[SurgicalShark]

Originally posted by: swtethan
well...... are you pressing on the accelerator? then there is your answer

okies

 

[CaptnKirk]

. . . on a treadmill with a tail wind?

 

[SurgicalShark]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
. . . on a treadmill with a tail wind?

But it did not take off :Q

 

[lozina]

You'll also save some gas if you put your car in neutral, turn off the engine, and push it to your destination.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Is 10lb considered bulk?

 

[skyking]

Anticipating lights and slowdowns in traffic so you don't use your brakes, saves gas and brakes. Kicking it into nuetral is negligible.

 

[Maximus96]

and where can i buy it online?

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: lozina
You'll also save some gas if you put your car in neutral, turn off the engine, and push it to your destination.

and stop feed your kids those mcgrease burgers... the extra weight is costing you 28mpg.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

You'll save more fuel by leaving it in gear and taking your foot off the gas (engine braking)

- M4H

 

[cKGunslinger]

Crystals with solution!

 

[DivideBYZero]

What about an alternator sized chunk?

 

[PingSpike]

I just drive like I always drove. What am I going to save? $3? With the amount I'm getting reamed on the increasing in prices of groceries, heating, etc....its not even worth the effort to worry about the gas usage.

 

[mrchan]

Gas is cheap (relatively). Transmissions are not. Doing that long term could cause a lot of damage.

 

[jtvang125]

I heard adding acetone in with your gas gives you more mileage and makes your car run better.

 

[kmrivers]

BEEEEEEFFFFFFFF!

 

[Baked]

Saving gas by shifting to neutral... LMAO.

 

[manlymatt83]

So using your brakes uses GAS?

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: Baked
Saving gas by shifting to neutral... LMAO.

in a manual tranny vehicle it's not like it's gonna hurt anything to coast in nuetral...however if you suddenly needed to accelerate you would have to get it back in gear and get the clutch back out...which is enough to keep me from doing it

and like M4H said you'll save more by engine braking anyway

/thread

 

[fbrdphreak]

Since no one has mentioned this yet:

When you put the transmission in neutral, the engine is using whatever amount of fuel it normally uses when idling (or thereabouts). If you are coasting to a stop with the engine in gear (or Drive), it is probably using very near that same amount. When your engine reaches a certain RPM (say 1500RPM or so), the fuel injectors are shut off and your moving wheels keep the crank turning and the engine running. Thus if you coast slowly to a stop, overall you will use less fuel than if you put it in neutral and coast to a stop. Will this make a big difference? Not really, but why do it less efficient?

 

[clickynext]

You're not gonna save anything unless what you normally do is pedal to the floor until a metre before the line, and then slam on the brakes!!