I didn't know this until last night but in the state of Oregon, doing this is illegal. Granted, the chances of a police officer pulling you over for it are pretty much non existant, but don't really bring it up if you do get pulled over for some reason. For instance, I was flying down the mountains on I-5 at 85mph in neutral. If I had been pulled over, it would be a bad idea to admit that I was in neutral and speeding lol. What I was doing was somewhat dangerous.

 

i have heard that this is illegal and it makes no sense. Dumbest law ever. The only thing dangerous about being in neutral is.... yeah there isnt one. Going over the speed limit is dangerous. but being in neutral is the same as driving while not accelerating. The only diff with a manual is that the engine runs as a lower rpm than an auto while coasting. I think some politician who knows nothing about cars confused this with having the engine off. If it were illegal you could literally pull over every manual, because while shifting you are in neutral. you shift from gear to neutral to gear. while coming to a stop you put it in neutral then start to apply the brakes. dumb dumb law.

 

I think the reasoning is that if the engine was to die for some reason, the steering would lock and you'd lose complete control of the vehicle. That's the only thing in the back of my mind as I was flying down the hills in neutral lol. At high speeds like I was doing, it wasn't the safest choice for myself.

 

same thing could happen if you are in gear, accelerating, or coasting. Engine could die and any time and being in neutral doesnt increase the chances of this happening. If the engine stalling is the real concern then manuals would be illegal because shifting one wrong can stall the engine.

 

jesus i must be doing something wrong i only get 225 or so per tank about 20 mpg according to the car ive got some light mods but dang i wish i was getting that milage

 

TX_WRX - Speed is relative. You can go 30mph and die fairly easily if you're doing it wrong. I don't push people to drive 90mph but here in TX on the beltway is a great example of when doing 90mph is relatively safe assuming you pay attention, know how to drive, stay within your own limits and respect others on the road.

Also, you mention you don't understand why going into neutral is illegal in some places. I'll let you explore google to find that out, it's very logical. What you should advise instead of being in neutral is to simply hold in the clutch to coast. However you always leave it in gear aside from actively shifting to another gear. Yes, coasting saves gas and isn't a bad thing, just do it safely.

 

how is it any different to hold in the clutch vs put it in neutral. both are neutral. I realize that 90 can be relatively safe if everyone else is doing it but like you pointed out you can die going 30 but you can die easier going 90. 20 over the speed limit is dangerous for those who want to go the speed limit and a blow out at 90 is way worse than one at 70.

 

About the coasting in neutral illegality thing...

I learned this at the MSF course so it might be different for cars but I can't see how. If you have your car in neutral, your foot is off the clutch pedal, so if an emergency arises, you have to push in the clutch, shift to the best gear for the situation, then let off the clutch to regain control of the throttle of the car.

If you just push the clutch in and coast that way, all you have to do is release the clutch to regain control of the power of the car.

This is especially important in motorcycles to avoid accidents. If someone pulls out in front of you, throw out the clutch and brake to slow down quickly. I actually had to do this on my way home from work today. If you're sitting at a stoplight/sign and someone is obviously not noticing you and you think you're going to be rear ended, having the bike in gear gives you a split second more time to get the hell out the way.

It's really not that important to keep the car/bike in gear if you're paying attention, but I just wanted to share the reasons I've been told that coasting in neutral is illegal.

 

this makes sense for bikes because bikes can accelerate out of danger and can move to shoulders etc when they are going to be rear ended. But it makes no sense for cars since they cannot accelerate fast enough to really get out of danger. They can brake and maneuver far faster.

Using the motor to decelerate in an emergency with a motorcycle may be a good idea but on a car it is not. In a car if you are in gear and leave it in gear while you slam on the brakes, it may give you some extra deceleration but eventually the rpms drop below idle and the engine is fighting against the brakes. Then the engine stalls and you loose your power brakes. It makes more sense to outlaw engine braking than coasting.

Anyway this law is a pet peve of mine and shows how broken our laws can be sometimes.

 

Holy Schmidt people!!! I have never gone over 265 miles on a tank. I have an auto, 18s, and average about 20.75 mpg. Mine must have been made in Thailand like my Triumph that only gets 29 mpg.

 

Lol the most I was able to get out of my car was 360 miles at exactly 14 gallons...meaning I ran out of gas gas in the middle of the freeway while going up a ramp at 30 mph.....luckily I got to the peak of the ramp and was able to coast down towards the Spectrum exit in Irvine ( Orange County ) . My car stopped right before the traffic light. I called AAA and they took care of me.

 

Only thing about holding the clutch in to coast, is you're putting more wear on the throw out bearing. I believe it is advised to shift to neutral and let the clutch out if you're going to be idling for a while.

 

buickid - Actually yes, if you're going to be idling a while, neutral is best. (though if you're going to be idling a while, just shut off your engine). If you're going to be coasting to a red light, hold in the clutch. True, it does put wear on the throw out bearing however 1) That's what it's for and 2) I've never actually heard, even second hand, of a throw out bearing going out.

TX_WRX - If you don't believe acceleration can get you out of certain dangers then you should honestly re-evaluate your driving skills. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm quite serious. In a bad situation, you have to be ready to remember and use all your options for getting out of it. In driving you typically have 3 choice. Braking. maneuvering around or out of the way or accelerating.

Obviously accelerating isn't the only option but it is an option. Your skill isn't knowing your options, that should be a given, it's which option to use and to what degree.

 

"TX_WRX - If you don't believe acceleration can get you out of certain dangers then you should honestly re-evaluate your driving skills"

Accelerating is out of a bad situation is the worst of all options almost every time. Braking and maneuvering are always better than accelerating. I drive a WRX and it can accelerate quick but not nearly as quickly at it can decelerate with braking or avoid with steering. You are fooling yourself if you think you can accelerate out of danger. The only time that would be viable would be if you were stopped and someone is about to rear end you. Obviously if you are stopped you are not coasting and therefore you are in gear and can move out of the way just as fast as any other car.

What is your scenario where accelerating will keep you from getting in a wreck? I have excellent driving skills and a fast car but im smart enough to know that accelerating out of danger is always the worst option. It is an even worse option if you drive an auto. you will floor it and it will build tension only to downshift on you before you can really accelerate. I guarantee i can shift my car in to the proper gear and hit the gas faster than an auto can try to deduce what is going on.

Bottom line from my driving experience is that accelerating out of danger does not work especially if it needs to be a split second acceleration.

 

The acceleration of my WRX combined with the braking of other people saved my bacon a few times. If I had hit the brakes I would have been hit and if my car was slower at all I would have been hit.

 

i drive too fast to get anywhere near those numbers

 

If this thread is still about getting over 400. Let me say I got to 399 once. I did 66/33 hwy/city. My fuel computer avg mpg readout is 30.5 (which translates to 30 mpg actual)

Like someone previously mentioned, my driving technique is accelerate as quick as I like just as long as I won't have to brake and waste all that energy (gas) that was put into that acceleration. I take that foot immediately off the gas if I see stopped traffic/red light a half mile ahead. I cruise at 62 mph max.

As an engineer it infuriates me when I see people accelerating slowly and hitting the brakes every 10 seconds, in the false belief that "slowly accelerating" and "slowing down" (i.e. braking) means they are getting better mpg.

All those slogans don't help either "Improve you mileage, Slow Down" Almost like it implies use your brakes more often.

To put it another way, using your brakes to slow down at a moderate rate is like burning off 50,000 watts of mechanical energy for the duration of the slowdown which cannot be recovered. As gasoline engine is maximum 33% efficient, about 150,000 watts of gasoline energy is used for a period of about 10 seconds average.

To sum up drive as if you have no brake, (coast to stops [or to lower speeds]), cruise at between 55 and 60mph, accelerate quickly up to the speed of traffic or 60mph whichever is less.

I think sometimes only <1% of drivers understand these techniques. When I am slowing down to a stop, the driver following thinks I am some old slow driver and they change to another lane and accelerate to the stop light. They always get a surprise when they see me reaching the light (which is now green) at say 25 mph and accelerating much more quickly than the average driver. For that minute, I have consumed half of the gas, and have got from A to B much faster which much more satisfying (faster acceleration)

Why is there this peer pressure amongst almost every driver to maintain one's speed right up until the last 100 yards before a traffic light??

I think in all my years of driving I have only come across 3 or 4 car drivers that practice these techniques. In contrast about 50% of semi truck drivers seem to know these techniques.

The only exception here are most hybrid cars which recovers nearly all of the braking energy. So a Prius owner can be a fool and not pay for his foolishness

 

Oh My God.


How do you guys get 400 miles, 399 miles, and etc.
The most I've gotten was around 250.
And 80% of the time, I drive highway.

After reading the thread, it does seem like the low-fuel warning light comes on when there's still like 3 gallons of fuel left but I usually fill up as soon as the light comes on.

 

i uaslly fill up when the range hits 0.... still have a little over 2 gallons left... i get around 280 miles per fill up... 80% city driving...

 

accelerating slower does have an impact on gas mileage. Im surprised you refute that. Im not sure who is hitting their brakes thinking they will get better mileage but slowing down (meaning dont speed) does improve mileage. You drive 62 and get better mileage than if you drive 70-90.

Slowly accelerating makes a big difference in gas mileage. Take newtons equation
F=MA
The larger the acceleration the more force required. The more force = more energy = less gas mileage. Just use your little xB trip computer to verify. Accelerate to 60 over the course of 1 minute and do the same over the course of 10 seconds. you will see a big difference in gas consumption.

So accelerate slowly (not dangerously though) go the speed limit or under on the highway, and coast as much as possible for the best mileage.