is it illegal to coast in neutral?

[ilovethescudo]

is it illegal to coast in neutral or with the clutch depressed?

 

[MistaX]

Yes that is an offense punishable by the death penalty.



NO. It's impossible to tell if someone is even doing that!

 

[Wolfe]

Um...?

All I can figure is that he might be asking if it'll damage the car. And it doesn't, although in the long-term the throwout bearing would appreciate it if you used neutral, or just stayed in gear.

 

[ExigeEvan]

You're clutch will hate you for it.

 

[Muzaffar]

What a weird question.....i guess its illegal if you were going downhill (or something like that) But why are you asking?

 

[Famine]

is it illegal to coast in neutral or with the clutch depressed?

In which territory?


In theory at least, you could posit that with the clutch disengaged (EE - with the pedal down the clutch isn't being used) means that you no longer have positive control of your vehicle's speed and, in the UK, that'd be classed as Driving Without Due Care.

But I've never, ever heard of anything like this.

 

[Wolfe]

Looking around the 'net a bit, it appears that coasting down hills in neutral or with the clutch depressed actually is illegal in many u.s. states.

I imagine it's designed to get stupid people to understand that they shouldn't ride their brakes all the way down a mountain, but I'd have to find a list of states/areas to figure out if it's only tied to mountain ranges.

You should see some of the idiotic comments people have made on the matter, though. Like claiming your brake discs will explode at the very moment you have to make an emergency stop...

 

[ExigeEvan]

EE - with the pedal down the clutch isn't being used)

I was under the impression that while the clutch plate wouldn't wear, the diaphragm springs would be stressed more than is ideal.

 

[Famine]

I was under the impression that while the clutch plate wouldn't wear, the diaphragm springs would be stressed more than is ideal.

Possibly - I hadn't considered that. Mind you, I've never heard of a clutch failure from that.

 

[Venari]

It's not illegal, but it might get you in trouble:

102: Coasting. This term describes a vehicle travelling in neutral or with the clutch pressed down. Do not coast, whatever the driving conditions. It reduces driver control because

* engine braking is eliminated
* vehicle speed downhill will increase quickly
* increased use of the footbrake can reduce its effectiveness
* steering response will be affected particularly on bends and corners
* it may be more difficult to select the appropriate gear when needed.

All true. Now, imagine this: you are coasting downhill in heutral, riding the brakes, and someone pulls out from a side junction. You slam on the anchors - and nothing really happens.

Wham slam kaboom, and the other guy's insurance company is now peering down it's nose at you. Would you get away with it?

V.

 

[Jay]

Possibly - I hadn't considered that. Mind you, I've never heard of a clutch failure from that.

I have had one pressure plate (the heavy plate the holds the diaphragm springs) diaphragm springs that were failing, to compensate I would tighten my clutch cable until it reached the end of the thread and broke, I went through 3 cables before I bothered to replace the pressure plate.

Also excess use of the clutch (depressing the pedal) accelerated the wear of the throwout bearing.

 

[Duke]

I was under the impression that while the clutch plate wouldn't wear, the diaphragm springs would be stressed more than is ideal.

I can't see how it would hurt the diaphragm springs, but it will wear the throwout bearing. I've never had a throwout bearing fail before the plates were worn out, however. I just replace it while I'm in there already.

The main reasons that it is illegal to coast downhill are A) it's too easy to lose control of speed, especially if you're trying to see how fast it will coast; and B) idling in neutral, the car might stall at speed, and you wouldn't notice until you lost power steering and brake vacuum boost.

 

[MustangSVT]

I don't recommend coasting if you're going down a mountain or something like that. Other than that, I coast all the time, especially on my daily ride to university. It appears I get very good gas consumption from the way I drive, so I do it when I can. The hills that I "coast" down on though are small, we're talking at most 5 degree inclination or something like that. The most I'll ever go over the limit is about say 70kmh in a 60 zone, at which point I press the brake a lil to get back to 60ish. On big hills or going down a mountain, I recommend using engine brake.

 

[stumpydino]

i can hear when my car stalls, or rather dont cos it goes quiet lol i might coast on odd occasions, usually only in slow queues and im only moving a few feet. it is seen as not being under complete control apparently though

 

[Slick Rick]

Its not illegal but instructors teach you not to coast in netral or with the cluch depresses. They say you have less control over your car which is true.

How come your asking btw?

 

[El Jarretto]

Here it is illegal to coast down a hill. I don;t think it's illegal to just coast on flat ground though.

 

[ilovethescudo]

B) idling in neutral, the car might stall at speed, and you wouldn't notice until you lost power steering and brake vacuum boost.

exactly how can an engine stall in neutral? and is it damaging to an automatic transmission? if so then how?

 

[Thatman]

Its also Illegal to shut off the car while driving btw.

 

[jammyozzy]

exactly how can an engine stall in neutral?

If the engine doesn't run particularly well, say it's a cold day and the choke is left in, it's very possible to stall in neutral while the car is moving because the transmission won't keep the engine turning over.

 

[Duke]

exactly how can an engine stall in neutral? and is it damaging to an automatic transmission? if so then how?

No, it wouldn't be damaging to an automatic transmission, or a manual.

Lots of cars that are in marginal repair will not idle reliably, and need some throttle on to stay running. If you were coasting along at 60 mph with the car out of gear, wind noise would mask the engine sound (since it is at idle RPM). If the engine quit, you probably wouldn't notice until the idiot lights lit up.

But you'd have lost power steering and you'd be on the emergency vacuum reserve for your brake booster, which is only good for a few pumps.

 

[Gil]

Illegal or not, why would you want to?
It's kind of a dangerous thing to do, for all of the reasons discussed above.
It won't save any fuel.
It will cause some parts to wear more.
Your engine might stall. Causing it to be harder to steer or stop.

It seems like a bad idea all the way round.

 

[Orion]

Illegal or not, why would you want to?
It won't save any fuel.

Then why the fuel in my Orion VII CNG mileage go from 2.6MPG flooring it down a hill to 3.2MPG when coasting down a hill in neutral? Good thing I'm not paying for gas.

It took a while for these calculations...

 

[Famine]

Then why the fuel in my Orion VII CNG mileage go from 2.6MPG flooring it down a hill to 3.2MPG when coasting down a hill in neutral? Good thing I'm not paying for gas.

It took a while for these calculations...

Now leave off the gas and see how the fuel economy improves.

 

[Orion]

Now leave off the gas and see how the fuel economy improves.

It still somewhat improved, I guess the weight, and automatic seamless shifting and the famous automatic crawling is what helps with this. Then again it didn't improved on the Orion VII CNG, but it did on the Orion V CNG.

This must have to do with the gear ratios. The VII model has ratios that would have it near redline most of the time, which is not good because this transmission over revs each gear under light/no throttle. Also the speed limiter keeps it at the higher rev's. It goes through 6 gears in under 35MPH!

Shift points
1st: 0MPH-7MPH
2nd: 7MPH-11MPH
3rd: 11MPH-20MPH
4th: 20MPH-27MPH
5th: 27MPH-34MPH
6th: 34MPH-37MPH
Speed Limiter: 37MPH, with an almost non existant 6th gear.

The V on the other hand has much better ratios, much faster, no speed limiter, and lighter. It seems to have much more torque and HP.

Shift Points
1st: 0MPH-11MPH
2nd: 11MPH-21MPH
3rd: 21MPH-30MPH
4th: 30MPH-38MPH
5th: 38MPH-62MPH
6th: 62MPH-85MPH+
Speed Limiter: None.

Ratios can determine gas mileage a little bit too, since the hill that I used for the experiment was long and steep, it was pretty easy to calculate, and plus I had to do this around 2A.M., because no one rides these that early in the day.

The real question is when will Famine post in the "Ask GTPlanet!" forum?

I might make a thread about that.

 

[Gil]

Then why the fuel in my Orion VII CNG mileage go from 2.6MPG flooring it down a hill to 3.2MPG when coasting down a hill in neutral? Good thing I'm not paying for gas.

It took a while for these calculations...

I probably should have said, "It won't save an appreciable amount of fuel.
The computer in my truck and van say I'm getting one mileage. The gas pump and odometer say something quite different.

AND BTW, what in the wide world of sports is an Orion VII CNG?

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

AND BTW, what in the wide world of sports is an Orion VII CNG?

It's a bus, definitely shouldn't be looking in sports for that.

 

[V1P3R]

I have it in neutral all the time when I go down my over pass on the way home. I have to slow down anyway because the turn is literally right at the bottom of the hill.

Oh and if you think that's bad there are people that go slower than I can coast down the hill i.e. riding the brakes or not knowing what an accelerator is.

Oh yeah... Saves gas too. Well... as long as you don't have a lead foot. :mumbles: stupid FM2 :mumbles:

 

[Kylehnat]

Now, imagine this: you are coasting downhill in heutral, riding the brakes, and someone pulls out from a side junction. You slam on the anchors - and nothing really happens.

Only if a moron is at the wheel. Generalization: those who drive manual transmission cars are smarter drivers, and more aware of the subtle nuances of driving. I've never, ever had my brakes fade on long downgrades, and that includes a couple of times when harder braking was required. Riding the brakes will torture them (whether you're coasting or not), but decent drivers don't do that.

I can't see how it would hurt the diaphragm springs, but it will wear the throwout bearing. I've never had a throwout bearing fail before the plates were worn out, however. I just replace it while I'm in there already.

Everyone in my family coasts quite a bit (probably more than "recommended"), and we've had no problems with bearings wearing out. And like you say, considering the life-expectancy of the other clutch components, it's not really an issue worth worrying about.

exactly how can an engine stall in neutral?

The first car I drove didn't particularily like cold mornings. In the winter, it would stall when the clutch was disengaged. I probably sounded like an idiot trying to keep the revs up during upshifts. Needless to say, it was rather annoying.

Lastly, regarding this issue of coasting/braking, the engine braking in most road cars is piss-poor, except at high RPM. At medium-to-high speed, it's almost impossible to downshift on a hill without a)over-revving, b)continuing to pick up speed, or c)relying on brakes to scrub off speed anyway.

 

[Gil]

It's a bus, definitely shouldn't be looking in sports for that.

Consider it an obscure reference to one of the funniest movies ever made.
Blazing Saddles

 

[Orion]

I probably should have said, "It won't save an appreciable amount of fuel.
The computer in my truck and van say I'm getting one mileage. The gas pump and odometer say something quite different.

Think about it, judging by the percentage, it's quite good. That means a car with 26MPG will get around 34MPG if the same calculations work... I might test this on a manual car too.

AND BTW, what in the wide world of sports is an Orion VII CNG?

You REALLY don't want to know.