OK to coast downhill in Neutral?

[RVGRINGO]

No wonder the US economy is in free-fall!
You're fired!

[Dunerunner]

mikeaponte77 - You post from work? You must be a Government Employee!!

[oldmike]

Ohh! nooo! UUU DI INT!!! DO not try to be the Trump, your hairpiece might fall off.!!!

[oldmike]

he, he, he jealous!!!

[smarticus]

I will as of Friday.

[mmmeat]

Originally Posted by unicycle

This has been a useful if not entirely conclusive thread. As noted, it's too early to tell how many different things will affect our cars. If someone mentions how shifting into N for a few minutes at a time eventually led to having to get a new tranny

While shifting TO N may not do anything ... it's the shifting FROM N that may damage things. Not to mention whatever damage may occur while IN N.

Your pal,
Meat.

[hampyoung]

So I still do not have an answer as to WHY it could be bad to coast in neutral down a hill. Anybody have an explanation on the technical reasons?
And furthermore, how is it different than towing the car?

H

[unicycle]

Wow, did some of y'all think I was being serious when I used the word 'neuter' earlier. It's amazing how people have no difficulty hearing a joke but can't read one ** they need the raised eyebrows and the titters of the rest of the audience.

Henceforth, assume that every word I type is as I intended it. If something seems off, it's because I was making a joke. See? Look at my eyebrows! Hear the titters of the crowd!

Now get back to work!

[rawlus®]

i'd be curious as to what someone might hope to actually gain by doing this practice, it can't be about mileage can it? i mean, are people really that obsessed that they're considering this to save perhaps a fraction of a cent? have things really gone that bad already?

is it just for the sake of doing it and no other reason?

do people actually do this alot? intentionally coast down hills? in all the years i've owned vehicles and driven i can't say that the thought of such an act has ever crossed my mind, and the thought of others doing it now brings to mind some of the points made earlier in the discussion... it seems rather unwise to be fiddling with the shift levers and playing at coasting down hills when concentration should be focused upon not killing the other motorists sharing the driveway.

[rawlus®]

Originally Posted by hampyoung

So I still do not have an answer as to WHY it could be back to coast in neutral down a hill. Anybody have an explanation on the technical reasons?
And furthermore, how is it different than towing the car?

H

actually, several answers have been posted earlier in the thread.
engine braking loss
brakes beyond design capability/heat
shifting back into a drive gear seems to me to be the big one - does it become a game now? estimate how fast you're going and what kind of gear you should be in when you shift back and then play at matching engine revs to do it. it's not like you're in 5th gear and just letting the clutch in and out.

it's different from towing a car because presumably, the engine is not running while towing, you are not shifting out of N while it's being towed and the drive vehicle towing is using both it's brakes and it's engine compression to control both vehicles.

i wonder if i might save more gas by putting my tow vehicle into N on long downhill stretches too! maybe tractor trailers can advise on the success of that.