paul34

oh no, please, let's not start another argument with people insisting coasting in neutral saves gas...

draxcaliber

it is a pretty simple concept to grasp. your gas consumption is directely related to your rpms. gas is supposed to move your forward, brakes are meant to make you stop. if engine brake to slow down your making your rpms rise and using gas with every rpm. if you are rolling down a hill in neutral, and your engine is idling at 700 rpms. when driving my ford explorer down hills, the intant mpg computer would shoot up to 99 mpg because it was practically idling. sorry, i completely missed the last discussion, could somebody send me a link to that thread?

tC9o9

ya.. i think i missed it like this guy missed his shift ;)

engifineer

When you coast in gear, your throttle is in the same position and the ECU is not adding any more fuel than it needs to in order to keep the engine running. Gas consumption is NOT totally based upon engine rpm. The engine is looking at air flow, throttle position and load as well. There is negative load on the the engine, and most (if not all nowadays) fuel injected cars limit fuel injector pulse when the car is coasting in gear with the throttle closed. So you will see little, if any, difference between coasting in gear and in neutral regardless of what the terribly inacurate mpg gauges say .

I dont use the engine to brake all the time, but I NEVER coast in neutral, it is dangerous in many situations. On large, long hills engine braking is a safer method if there is a possiblity of brake over heating, so that method should be used. Normally, I just use the brakes and down shift as I slow down to keep the engine in the proper rpm range for the speed I am travelling. This also serves to ensure that if I need to get on the gas and avoid something (like a moron on a cell phone running a red light) I am in the power band. That is my only consideration in normal driving. All of the methods for coasting in neutral, engine braking all the time, etc to save gas typically show little result and produce more un-necesarry wear than you will ever save.

Put it this way: If you can improve consumption by a few mpg (which is more than in realistic in most cases) using a combination of various methods... you will save a couple hundred bucks a YEAR on fuel. Relax and drive normal.

tC9o9

i never did it to save gas.. i just did it cuz it was easier on me, that way i didnt have to step on the clutch and brake at the same time..

because i may be wrong since i havent driven a standard in a LONG time.. but say your in 3rd gear and you have to slow down.. dont you have to step on the brake and clutch while you are in gear and then when you resume kinda heel toe it and let off the clutch.. or can you just brake while still in 3rd and then resume acceleration without ever touching the clutch?

engifineer

As long as you dont drop to a speed at which the engine will bog out in 3rd, you just use the brake and then let off. The only time the clutch needs to be depressed when slowing down is to downshift (Slowing to a point that the next lower gear must be used) or come to a complete stop.

paul34

for those people who wanted to read it - https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...r=asc&&start=0

You can also visit www.standardshift.com if you are still curious.

Also, remember that RPMs do not directly correlate to gas usage. It is hardly that simple. For example, keeping the lowest RPMs possible does not result in the best gas usage. If you lug the engine in a gear, like, for example, let's say you slowed down to about 20 mph but stayed in 3rd - you're going to press the accelerator, and get no response, and then finally you'll get a sluggish response. That indicates (most likely) a wasted fuel delivery. Always keep your engine in the range where it responds instantly - for our tC's, I've found this means keeping it above 2000. If you're falling below 2k, downshift (unless, of course, conditions do not permit).

Going downhill (or otherwise coasting) in gear will not only allow you to retain full control over the vehicle, but will also allow you to save on fuel as the fuel injectors do not have to spray fuel to keep the engine alive in neutral. The wheels will turn the engine (if you are off the throttle).

flintgauge86

This topic has already been beaten to death in another thread...