March 21, 2011
Any reason to put gear (for auto-transmission car) in neutral while stopped?
I was on a guided-tour, riding in a mini-van (automatic transmission). Noticed the driver when stopped (due to red signal or traffic) always shifted to neutral. I am wondering why he would do that – to save fuel economy? to ease up on brake pads? just a habit left over from previous manual-shift driving days? Whatever benefit he thought he might have had, it seems like it’s just extra work on the transmission. Just Wondering. Any ideas?? Thanks.
Related Product:
Microsoft Streets & Trips 2011Plan your perfect tripfrom sightseeing to fuel stops.ProductInformationStreets & Trips is map and travel planning software witheasy-to-use tools that ... Read More >
Related Posts
Filed under Gas Conservation FAQ by on Mar 21st, 2011. Comment. 
Leave a Comment
Comments on Any reason to put gear (for auto-transmission car) in neutral while stopped?
Putting the tranny in neutral is taking pressure off the breaks for sure,saving on gas,helps for cooling in stop and go traffic,helps while the AC is running because the RPM’s go up and the AC clutch doesn’t have to work so hard.
There is every reason to leave an automatic transmission in gear at all times until you reverse direction or park.
There is nothing to discuss.
constantly shifting an automatic to neutral at longer stops will wear the ears on the clutches and eventually cause the tranny to start slipping and eventually ‘drop a gear’. i’ve used neutral during longer stops on my automatic, but only when i was having a problem with the engine idle.
sounds like your driver/guide just had a bad habit!
it does reduce the heat being built up in the transmission to put it in neutral…but it puts more wear on it in the long run putting it in and out of gear