Coasting in neutral, good idea or bad?

cyclonebri1

Wig wrote: »

Fine, that's your opinion. I'm of the opinion that not all cars -with cats- have this. Neither of us can show we are correct.

No, it's not an opinion, it's a fact. But/however we will never agree on this so untill someone more knowledgble than me or thee speaks out, I'm off;)

keep it friendly, as always;)

Ionkontrol

When you take you foot of the gas on a modern car, the ecu shuts off the fuel supply to the injectors,, just enough not to stall, well it does on my 3 series.

Wig

-hint- I can equally say my position on this is a fact. Doesn't mean I'm right.

Wig

Ionkontrol wrote: »

well it does on my 3 series.

Just out of interest, how do you know?

matchmade

I have started cruising in neutral with my foot off the clutch pedal when going downhill, and it appears to have made a large difference to my fuel consummption. I used to average 37mpg in my 1994 manual VW Passat, but since slipping into neutral when there's little traffic about and I can roll downhill, my fuel consumption has improved to 42-44mpg. I have a long downhill run for 2.5 miles on a straight road on my daily commute, and I freewheel the whole way down with no drop in speed until the end, when I re-engage the gears. I can watch my fuel consumption improving every few seconds.

Shoshannah

My dad passed his test in the 1970s and was taught to always use the gears to slow down on approaching traffic lights/junction/traffic queue/whatever. When I passed my test in 2003, I was taught the same thing.

'Coasting in neutral when coming to a stop is bad'. I always thought you didn't have full control of the engine if you did this?

But in 2000 my dad attended an advanced driving course and was taught the opposite - that you must always coast to a stop in neutral. Bizarre. Now nobody knows what to believe. I still think you should keep the car in gear until you stop, although tbh I do sometimes coast to a stop in neutral nowadays.

Harry_Flashman

Of course you're in control when you coast in neutral. I almost always drive like this and consistently achieve better than expected MPG (over a number of motors).

Never had an accident coasting either

LandyAndy

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

Of course you're in control when you coast in neutral. I almost always drive like this and consistently achieve better than expected MPG (over a number of motors).

Never had an accident coasting either

Not if there is a need for immediate acceleration.

Harry_Flashman

And how often does that happen? I can't recall an occasion (and I drive for a living).

I simply make sure I'm well aware of what's happening well in front of me.