Cruising in Neutral: Bad?

**impulzz** · July 2nd, 2005 06:06 PM

cruising in neutral is not very bad but it does add to earlier wear of the breaks... engine breaking while braking is a safer option beacuse when you suddenly need to accelerate... like to avoid hitting something that split second of engaging the clutch and popping into gear can cause you that split second...

but it really does save you gas... it's what Mr. Ramirez did to the jazz he drove for petron... neutral on downhills...kaya nya nakuha yung 1114kms on one tank...

**kotiko** · July 2nd, 2005 06:38 PM

Ok. Well I'm using M/T and I really see how it saves much. But yeah, it does promote wearing of other parts a bit faster.

**j_avonni** · July 2nd, 2005 06:55 PM

You may save on fuel but you are compromising safety. What if your brakes malfunction?

**Shadetree MKNX** · July 2nd, 2005 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by j_avonni

You may save on fuel but you are compromising safety. What if your brakes malfunction?

That's a good point, especially for vehicles that do not have synchros or have malfunctioning transmissions.

It happened in my town once, there was this guy (must not have had enough experience) who was asked to drive the dump truck parked outside the Town Hall. The truck was parked facing downhill on a road with a 30deg incline. He climbed the cabin, stepped on the clutch and let the truck roll in neutral with the engine off, thinking it wasn't that much of a deal to start the engine in neutral with the truck rolling.

Turns out the truck had a problem starting. He starts using the brake, upon which he realizes the air tank had been bled empty. He figures he could "roll-start" the truck, so he tries to engage second. Too bad, the truck had no synchros, and all he got was the grinding sound of unmeshable cogs. He finally realized he should not let the speed build up some more so he musters all his courage and tries to do a 90deg turn at 40 kph at the next intersection. (He had passed 2 intersections already while trying to fight with the truck's controls, and the one coming up was the 2nd to the last intersection, whereupon he faced the prospect of ramming the 4-ton, all-steel truck, through a house at a good 50-60 kph.)

Sad to say, all he could manage was a 60deg turn what with the steering's power assist off line. (I think that was pretty good, considering the unimaginable effort a truck's steering would have with the power-assist off. Must have been the adrenaline rush that gave hime the strength to execute that near-90 in less than 2 seconds.) The truck ditches, and plows through somebody's cement fence. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

**EssB** · July 2nd, 2005 11:43 PM

yeah, cruising in neutral especially on downhill will save you fuel, but it is pretty unsafe since there will be less control for the drive wheels. Whenever you have the gear engaged, it provides you better ground traction.

**Shadetree MKNX** · July 3rd, 2005 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by EssB

yeah, cruising in neutral especially on downhill will save you fuel, but it is pretty unsafe since there will be less control for the drive wheels. Whenever you have the gear engaged, it provides you better ground traction.

If you know what you're doing, ie, know the dynamics involved, you can still do it pretty safely. But it's a generally good idea to be safe, especially if you're asked to drive an unfamilliar vehicle.

Things to consider when deciding to freewheel downhill:
1. Is the downhill too steep that it requires you to keep on applying light brake pressure just to maintain a safe speed?

2. Is the vehicle carrying or towing close to max the payload capacity or the towing capacity?

3. Can you be sure the vehicle's brakes are in good working condition, ie, does not grab, pull to one side, is not prone to brake fade, does not require pedal pumping, can retain hydraulic pressure for more than a minute, etc.?

4. Does the engine idle steadily?

If you drive the vehicle everyday, you should have a good idea of its general condition.

Also one more thing to keep in mind is, if the engine dies for whatever reason, stop the vehicle on the side of the road immediately. Do not pump the pedal, just apply steady pressure to stop the vehicle smoothly and quickly. Only when you're stopped should you attempt to restart the vehicle. Restarting the engine while vehicle is in motion might be unsuccessful, all the while the vacuum in the brake booster might slowly be draining away, hence the importance of stopping immediately.

**beerygud** · July 3rd, 2005 03:54 AM

In my opinion it's bad if you don't know how to.

**mbt** · July 3rd, 2005 04:15 AM

it won't break your car.... provided you make sure that revs are appropriately matched when you re-engage the gearbox, whether for manuals or automatics.

i think the reason why it is not advisable to cruise in neutral is that you lose precious time in case of an emergency where you may need power instantly.

**squala** · July 3rd, 2005 04:25 AM

Originally Posted by impulzz

cruising in neutral is not very bad but it does add to earlier wear of the brakes... engine braking while braking is a safer option beacuse when you suddenly need to accelerate... like to avoid hitting something that split second of engaging the clutch and popping into gear can cause you that split second...

but it really does save you gas... it's what Mr. Ramirez did to the jazz he drove for petron... neutral on downhills...kaya nya nakuha yung 1114kms on one tank...

That Jazz was a CVT. If the idea that an A/T gets damaged while cruising in neutral is true, then Ramirez is not being a good example to driving your car. I know they're trying to maximize the fuel, but the whole thing is useless if it will wear out your vehicle more easily.

**Karding** · July 3rd, 2005 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by mbt

it won't break your car.... provided you make sure that revs are appropriately matched when you re-engage the gearbox, whether for manuals or automatics.

i think the reason why it is not advisable to cruise in neutral is that you lose precious time in case of an emergency where you may need power instantly.

I agree. You have less control over the vehicle. AFAIK, its illegal in CA to cruise in neutral or most states prohibits this. I know, how are they going to know right? They will, when you get into an accident.