Driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission seems pretty straightforward, right? Just put into “Drive”, take your foot off the brake pedal, and go. How hard can that be? Well there are some driving habits that people often do which can reduce the fuel economy, cause excessive wear, and end up costing you in the long run. Here are 4 things you would not do when driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission. Want to know what you should not do with a manual transmission? Follow this Link.
Let’s say that you’re driving on a flat road and at the end of the road is a stop sign. You put the shifter into the “neutral” position and your thinking is that you save fuel by not having any load on the engine. That’s wrong thinking. Modern vehicles actually don’t use any fuel when coasting and in “drive” (or in a gear in the case of a manual transmission). The vehicle’s ECU shuts off the fuel injectors and lets the momentum of the vehicle continue to turn the engine while also providing some deceleration while you’re in gear. Another reason to not put the vehicle into neutral while coasting is that it takes away some of your control. If you need to accelerate again, it will take you longer to do so by having to move the shifter back into the “drive” position. Also sometimes you may be briefly distracted and “forget” to put the shifter back into the “drive” position and you may panic because of the fact that your vehicle is no longer accelerating. We’ve all done it before. We’re impatient and we shift the car from “drive” to “reverse” (or vice versa) before the vehicle actually comes to a complete stop. Doing this can result in premature wear and failure of components inside the transmission. An automatic transmission was never designed to stop a vehicle, that’s the job of the brakes. Replacing worn out brakes is an easy job that can cost as little as $200 but replacing a broken part inside a transmission can start at $2,500. So which amount do you prefer paying? What I mean by that is, don’t rev the engine while in “neutral” and then pop the shifter into “drive”. Inside an automatic transmission are clutch packs and clutch bands that use friction to move certain parts when shifting. Revving the engine and then immediately putting the transmission into drive causes those clutch packs and clutch bands to prematurely wear out. What happens over time is that the clutches lose their ability to hold friction and the automatic transmission begins to slip while in gear. The clutches themselves are not expensive pieces but it is expensive to take an automatic transmission out of a vehicle and then tear it down to reach the clutches that require replacing.
When the transmission is in “park”, there’s a notch that engages and prevents the vehicle from rolling. If the vehicle is still moving, however, it is very easy to break that notch inside the transmission. And, as mentioned earlier, it is a difficult and expensive job to take out a transmission out of a vehicle to replace a small part that costs no more than $30. Eagle Ridge GM – Coquitlam, British Columbia Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube I want to save money on gas while I’m driving by coasting down hills where I live. Can I shift into neutral while the car is in drive? You can switch to neutral while driving in both an automatic and a manual car. In an automatic, simply move your gearshift to the neutral position. In a manual, you only need to push the clutch and put the stick to the neutral position. However, note that coasting downhill to save gas is actually a myth. While your engine uses less gas when coasting downhill, when you hit the incline at the bottom of the hill, your engine uses even more gas. Here’s why. When you start to go uphill again and you put the car back in drive, the fuel injectors have to pump more gas to the engine to avoid an engine stall. If you were to keep the car in drive during the descent and then hit the gas, you would burn through less gas. This is the case no matter what, even if you choose a fuel like 92 octane for better performance. Fortunately, there’s a better way to save money on car expenses than coasting down hills. Instead, use the Jerry app to comparison shop for better-priced car insurance. Jerry is a licensed insurance broker that will collect quotes from over 50 top-rated insurers in minutes. After you find a great rate, Jerry can help you buy new insurance and cancel your old policy. Users save an average of $887 per year. WHY YOU CAN TRUST JERRY Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content. I was told something the other day which I just couldn't believe. This guy told me that putting an automatic car into neutral while driving would hurt my transmission. He said it was common knowledge, but I had never heard of it before now. I put my car in neutral quite often while in motion, so despite my misgivings I've stopped doing so entirely. Does his claim have any meat to it or hoes he have me falling for an urban legend?
Being in Neutral or Drive should have negligible to no effect on the distance the vehicle travels when the accelerator is not pressed because the torque converter disengages the engine below predetermined RPM levels. However, if you somehow were to push just a little too hard and sent the transmission into Reverse instead of stopping in Neutral, you would most likely be faced with purchasing a new transmission. Update: Rafi: If, by your question, you mean to say that you put the transmission into Neutral while waiting at a stop light, then this would not harm the transmission in any way. Though it will not harm your transmission to shift into Neutral while your vehicle is in motion, the additional wear on your brakes by leaving the transmission in Drive will be negligible over the life of the brake pads. It is that minor. Media Platforms Design TeamHere's an obvious but fundamental difference between people who learned to drive stick and those who've driven only ordinary automatics (a growing number, as traditional manuals disappear): Stick drivers are used to shifting while in motion. In an automatic, you shift only when stopped. Perhaps because of that, many drivers greet the idea of shifting while in motion with terror, fearing that they'll somehow blow up the engine or cause some awful mechanical shriek by sticking the car in neutral. Or worse, that they'll accidentally put it into reverse or park while cruising down the highway. I'm here to tell you: Don't be afraid. After years as a driving instructor, and thanks to rental car companies that apparently lost their minds and let me loose with their vehicles, I can assure you: Your engine won't let you destroy it (at least not like this). And shifting into neutral at speed could save you from yourself. Why Neutral Is Your FriendConsider the occasional claims of sudden acceleration (aka unintended acceleration). Anytime the specter of out-of-control cars hits the news, and TV newsreaders are suddenly trying to furrow their Botoxed brows while talking solemnly of demon-possessed vehicles, I know there will soon be an onslaught of calls, texts, tweets, and emails awaiting my attention. My answer to those who fear their vehicle will decide on its own to play race car: "Put it in neutral." Here's why: Government and private studies have shown that pretty much all sudden-acceleration crashes happen when the driver unintentionally presses the accelerator in the mistaken, but unshakable, belief they are pushing the brake. If you hit the brake, you'd know it: I have done hundreds of experiments—some that started above 100 mph—in which I pushed both the accelerator and brake to the floor. The vehicles came to a full, complete stop with the engine screaming wildly. The brake will easily overpower the engine in every reasonably well-maintained vehicle. More From Popular MechanicsThat said, throttles can stick open; I've experienced several. If the throttle is stuck and the driver fails to press hard enough on the brake, or pumps the brakes until the vacuum assist is depleted, the car may not come to a full stop. The point: Regardless of whether your throttle is actually stuck or you're just mistakenly slamming on the gas, the answer is to put the car in neutral. If the throttle is truly stuck, shifting into neutral will prevent the car from accelerating. If you're like most sufferers of unintended acceleration—you're just aiming for the brake and missing—then the same is true. You won't be able to accelerate no matter how hard you hit the gas if the car is in neutral. In my experience, neutral also comes in handy when you're in the passenger seat. If Grandpa mistakes the gas for the brake, moving the gear selector into neutral may prevent a crash. The ability to slow a learner's-permit-holding teen with a quick slap into neutral quells many parents' fears. (Slap the gear selector, not the teen. I know they deserve it. But don't.) Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid of ShiftingStill, when people ask me about unintended acceleration and I say, "Put it in neutral," the response is almost always the same: "But won't that blow up the engine?" Nope. The engine's electronic limiter prevents that. Even if it didn't, would you rather total the car than damage the engine? The person seeking my advice typically ignores my question and, panic rising, asks, "But what if it goes into reverse or park?" It won't. First, depending on your car, the shift lever won't move to the reverse or park position unless you press the physical button on the shifter. New cars with electronically controlled transmissions might not have such physical barriers, but they'll ignore your inappropriate request to park or go in reverse while you're moving. A few go into park at about one-half mile per hour. Neither a U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman nor I could find any law that requires automakers to idiot-proof the transmission. However, no vehicle I've tested in the past 15-plus years will go into reverse with the car moving forward. So there you go. Your engine won't blow if you shift it into neutral while in motion. And the answer to "What happens if you accidentally select reverse or park?" is either "Nothing" or "You can't." |