March 20, 2011
Will putting your car in neutral save gas?
I have heard that if you put your car in neutral while slowing down to stop, it will save gas, rather than have it on D all the time. I have an automatic….if i do that, will it mess my car up…..as in changing to neutral while still on going like 40 mph??
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Filed under Gas Conservation FAQ by on Mar 20th, 2011. Comment. 
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Comments on Will putting your car in neutral save gas?
Just leave it in D, it can put extra wear on the transmission. There will be no harm dropping into neutral going 40, but putting it back into D will wear it a bit.
If you’re at a stoplight for more than a few minutes, put it into neutral if you want, thats the only time you’ll see a benefit.
If you want to fiddle with the shifter, thats what a manual is for.
only if you do it 100% of the time you MIGHT see a difference, automatics where not made to switch gears, if you want to save gas that you will notice, get a stick shift. you also risk damage to the transmission.
I agree with Jake. The only time that you might be saving some gas would be coming down a mountain. Thats about the only time that shifting it into neutral would help with gas.
In theory it would seem to save gas. BUT, usually when you are decelerating to a stop your engine is at idle,as your foot is off the gas. The drag cause by your transmission at that point does not cause the motor to use more fuel and is actually designed to help you in slowing down which is what you are doing. Getting rid of kinetic energy. putting vehicle in nuetral is inconsequential at best.
Better to keep air filter clean, engine tuned, tire pressure correct as a way to save gas, and of course drive slower.
First coasting down a road in N will cause undue tranny wear. Next putting the car in N may save a tiny little bit of gas, but will cause a 3,000 rebuild charge. do the math.
I agree with Mr Answer man.
Coasting is equivalent to getting your car towed. Ask any car guy (who knows) and they’ll tell you getting towed is really bad for the transmission.
That advice is from the old carburetor days. The modern electronic fuel injector system knows the load on your engine. It know when you are coasting, idling, accelerating, decelerating. In my Audi built-in MPG computer, when I get off the gas the numbers first goes from 20 to 50 to 99 then “—”. That’s because the injector is on at less than 1% of duty cycle at coasting or decelerating.
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There is a safety concern you MUST consider. Many modern automatic transmissions WILL NOT let you shift back in to drive unless you apply brake. So unless you remember to stay on the brake before shifting, you will have a safety issue doing this while the car is moving.
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