On Jul 31, 5:28*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"Roy" wrote in message

...
On Jul 31, 3:10 pm, "RBM" wrote:



"Roy" wrote in message

....
On Jul 30, 10:05 am, ransley wrote:

On Jul 30, 9:29 am, "HeyBub" wrote:

So says Popular Mechanics:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...ting-in-neutra...

'Course the author is assuming an internal combustion engine.
Presumably
with a hybrid, the coasting actually CHARGES the batteries, thereby
increasing gas mileage. I'm not even going to get into external
combustion
engines...

I dont buy it, it isnt a gasolene consumption issue, when coasting in
gear the engine is not moving at idle speed, the extra rpms are a drag
on the transmission and lower mpg, the trans also has more drag being
in gear. He is only thinking gasolene not drivetrain friction loss.

==
Coasting in neutral has to be one of the more stupid ideas
circulating. You are essentially losing control of your vehicle in a
sense and the transmission has no effect on braking and brakes will
have to be used more. For acceleration, one has to engage the clutch
and shift to the desired gear or in an automatic shift to the desired
"mode". Why complicate one's existence? The saving is insignificant at
best. I doubt that any great number of drivers would even contemplate
such a stupid maneuver.

It was a standard feature built into some older cars. You flipped a lever
and "freewheeled" Whenever you weren't accelerating, it just coasted
==

==
Massey-Ferguson made a few models of tractors that way. Our neighbor's
girl was killed when one of these tractors descended a hill in
"freewheel mode". Driving a heavy tractor with no engine breaking was
one of the more stupid ideas to come up with in a while. That feature
could be locked out but the girl forgot about it. Her husband had two
young kids to raise on his own.

I don't know any perceived advantage to having free wheeling on a tractor
would be, but sadly it was ignorance not free wheeling that killed her. I've
had tractors, skid steers, and all manner of engine driven equipment, all my
life. Unless you know everything about the operation of the equipment,
you've got no business touching it.
==

==
I agree with that...the girl's husband was very negligent in not going
over procedures with her. I once owned a MF 1100 myself and I forgot
once but was able to stop the tractor with the brakes before it got
enough momentum to be uncontrollable. Scary though...a lot of weight
going down a steep incline...almost like a suicide feature.
==