Anyone else notice how easy it is to slip into neutral?

[jpleong]

I keep forgetting to ask about this...
A couple months ago, my wife accidentally bumped the car into neutral with her knee while I was driving. When we parked, I played with the shifter and realized you don't need to push the solenoid button to slip it from drive to neutral -but you still do from reverse or S-mode. This leads me to believe it's a deliberate hypermiling feature. Has anyone else noticed this?

JP

[buglermcd]

I'm pretty sure this is common on almost all automatic trannys.

It's definitely a safety feature to shift from N to R with the button pressed, but from D to N, I've always had cars that don't require the button to be pressed.

[Elucidus]

Originally Posted by buglermcd

I'm pretty sure this is common on almost all automatic trannys.

It's definitely a safety feature to shift from N to R with the button pressed, but from D to N, I've always had cars that don't require the button to be pressed.

I agree. Every auto transmission car I've had does this.

Even the manuals, you can go from in gear to neutral without depressing the clutch... the opposite not true, unless you're really good at matching Rs.

[jpleong]

Thanks for clearing that up. I guess I never purposely or accidentally tried to shift to neutral in any of my previous automatics (nor has my wife, who immediately thought *I* broke the car ).

JP

[CobaltDragon]

It can be really scary if it happens and catches you unaware - I remember having accidentally hit it to neutral just as I was literally flooring it in my first G trying to get onto the highway that flowing at about 75 - and hearing the engine roar and the rpms fly up and nothing happen while everyone else around you is flying - luckily I was already going about 50 and so popped it back and off I went - but, that first 1/2 second or so where I was wondering what the hell happened was unpleasant, shall we say.

[OutoftheBlue]

It happened to me one time while climbing a steep hill in "S" - I pushed the shift lever smartly (actually stupidly) forward with the heel of my hand through "D" and into neutral and probably wound the engine to 5500 rpm. Now I'm very conscious of this pitfall and move the shifter with care.

[GoMetricToday]

On small declines I will put my transmission in neutral deliberately. I have found that it helps with getting a better km/100 L. To my knowledge it shouldn't hurt the car to do that as long as you don't try to put it back in Drive whilst you are still moving. I will usually put it back in Drive when I come to a complete stop and the "Auto Stop" engages.

[CobaltDragon]

FYI, You can safely shift back from N to D without stopping. But, I'm not sure why you'd want to shift into N, while in N you lose the ability to recharge the battery as you coast.

[jpleong]

Originally Posted by CobaltDragon

while in N you lose the ability to recharge the battery as you coast.

Yeah, that's exactly why you'd put it into neutral. Without regenerative braking slowing you down, you can coast downhill quite freely. The next advanced Hypermiler step is to turn the car off while in neutral going downhill I suppose a good compromise on a long downhill grade is to keep it in drive and use regen until, "I canna regen no more, cap'n!" and then pop it into neutral.

Makes me wish Autostop would engage in neutral, too.

JP

[CobaltDragon]

Originally Posted by jpleong

Yeah, that's exactly why you'd put it into neutral. Without regenerative braking slowing you down, you can coast downhill quite freely. The next advanced Hypermiler step is to turn the car off while in neutral going downhill I suppose a good compromise on a long downhill grade is to keep it in drive and use regen until, "I canna regen no more, cap'n!" and then pop it into neutral.

Makes me wish Autostop would engage in neutral, too.

JP

I still gain speed while going down hill. I'd rather have more charge on the battery than a small increase in mpg - not to mention that it just makes driving a car a pain in the butt to constantly have to shift, etc just to gain a small mpg advantage here and there.