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I was on the several taxis in Asia and I noticed that most drivers shift to Neutral when stopping. Is this just a habit of theirs or does it have an effect on the car? (etc gas consumption)?
While I doubt leaving the car in drive while stopping a traffic light would put excessive heat on the transmission and torque converter, putting it in neutral will save you some fuel, and possibly extend the life of the brakes a little more.
Here's why. When the car is in drive, the engine is essentially connected to the wheels. Since the engine is still spinning (even when your foot is off the accelerator), there is some torque applied to the wheels. This torque is small enough for you to stop the car by using the brake pedal (and is not large enough to cause serious strain to a well-designed and well-maintained transmission....so don't worry about excessive heat on the transmission). That torque wastes energy in two ways. Firstly, you're basically supplying energy to the wheels but not moving it, so it's a waste. Secondly, the car is applying extra braking effort in preventing that torque from moving the car. If you put the transmission into Neutral, you save that extra energy and braking effort, consequently saving gas.
While I doubt leaving the car in drive while stopping a traffic light would put excessive heat on the transmission and torque converter, putting it in neutral will save you some fuel, and possibly extend the life of the brakes a little more.
Here's why. When the car is in drive, the engine is essentially connected to the wheels. Since the engine is still spinning (even when your foot is off the accelerator), there is some torque applied to the wheels. This torque is small enough for you to stop the car by using the brake pedal (and is not large enough to cause serious strain to a well-designed and well-maintained transmission....so don't worry about excessive heat on the transmission). That torque wastes energy in two ways. Firstly, you're basically supplying energy to the wheels but not moving it, so it's a waste. Secondly, the car is applying extra braking effort in preventing that torque from moving the car. If you put the transmission into Neutral, you save that extra energy and braking effort, consequently saving gas.
Don't really see it that way. Wouldn't the higher rpm's from being in neutral use more gas? And once the car is stopped there is no brake wear because nothing is moving to create friction.
Maybe they use neutral when stopping because of a rough idle or a trans problem.
but doesnt higher rpm's result from the engine running FREELY without having to power something? What i mean is, it IS higher revs, but I don't think it uses more gas. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I used my really amateur knowledge of cars to judge. I think of it as riding a bicycle, if you are on a high gear and you are pedalling hard, that is low rev but uses a lot of energy. But if you are on gear 1 and pedalling fast, it is the opposite.
So since it's on Neutral, and the engine's running nice and easy, I think the increase in RPM is normal and prob doesn't affect gas consumption.
While there may be a difference in doing so it will be so small you will not notice any differences in saving gas. How do I know? I tried it last year when gas prices skyrocketed on all of us lol...
but doesnt higher rpm's result from the engine running FREELY without having to power something? What i mean is, it IS higher revs, but I don't think it uses more gas. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I used my really amateur knowledge of cars to judge. I think of it as riding a bicycle, if you are on a high gear and you are pedalling hard, that is low rev but uses a lot of energy. But if you are on gear 1 and pedalling fast, it is the opposite.
So since it's on Neutral, and the engine's running nice and easy, I think the increase in RPM is normal and prob doesn't affect gas consumption.
The difference would be so small it wouldn't have any effect on the fuel mileage.
I also used to see European drivers jump out of their cars when it stopped raining and take off their windshield wipers. I guess rubber was expensive. Not uncommon to see windshields with scratch marks because someone would forget and turn on the wipers without the blades.
I also used to see European drivers jump out of their cars when it stopped raining and take off their windshield wipers. I guess rubber was expensive. Not uncommon to see windshields with scratch marks because someone would forget and turn on the wipers without the blades.
what the? I would be so confused if I saw that. Oh and another thing, many taxi drivers in Asia drive barefoot, guess it's more comfortable? Just a bit odd
Keep in mind that brakes are easier and less expensive to service than transmissions and clutches.
When stopped for a "long" time I shift to neutral to remove the load on the torque convertor. The 100 rpm change is meaningless for fuel consumption for the duration of a stop - if the rpm is even higher at all. The engine computer may drop the idle to the lowest stable speed.
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