will this kill gearbox?

[GTS4dood]

morning all,

my little bro has recently got his licence in a manual and when i was drivin with him the other day he informed me that i shouldnt be rolling or "coasting" as he said in neutral down hills. Apparently his driving instructor has told him that it isnt just bad when gettin tested but also it is just plain bad for the gearbox..... is this just something to make him not do it or can it actually do something to the gearbox.... i cant see how it could. ???????

.....Cheers.....

[illusiVe]

no damage...at all..his driver says that because if u break (eg dumb ass running infront of ur car), u cant break under the engine's power aswell as ur foot power..

[ferni]

why do you roll in neutral down hills? only time i can think that you'd do that is to come to a stop, which some people say is bad, but brake pads are cheaper than a clutch

It definatly won't harm your gearbox coasting - how can it? there is just no gear engaged.

[GunMetalR33]

I think the instructor is getting confused, it is bad for auto boxes becuase they overheat. There is no such problem for manuals.

[predator]

I wouldn't be doing it in an auto either!

[GunMetalR33]

I wouldn't be doing it in an auto either!

what i said...

[someonestolecc]

It's a bad habit at best stupid thing at worst. This is because if you need to move you're not in gear, also if someone pulls out on you or something it's one more thing you have to think about.

I even think coasting to lights is a bad idea but I've done it when lazy but I would recommend learners/those unfamiliar with driving not to do it... as ferni said though those who know what they're doing and wish to be changing pads instead of clutches go for your life

And no it won't hurt the gearbox as others have already said.

[tikki169]

The only problem I guess would be when you're doing 1000 RPM idling down the hill then slaming it into gear and jumping it up suddenly to a few thousand RPM's, but then it's still not going to cause too much wear and tear.

[PHATR32]

coasting in netural isnt bad, and if you are too dumb/slow to put it back into gear and slow down when i car pulls out in front of you, you shouldnt be driving in the first place.....

steve

[GTRgeoff]

Actually, all good points above but when I was instructing new drivers in Cars, 4WD's and Trucks the primary issue is if the engine stalls.

First, the power steering will continue to run even if the engine is not fuelled or sparked. Ever try to turn the wheel in a modern car without power steer? It can literally drag you off the road.

Second, the brake booster is vacuum assisted so likewise your brakes will work much less powerfully, but will still be powerful if the throttle is closed and the engine turning.

Finally on a truck the engine brake can still operate even is something else has failed and clutching would cause stalling.

Bottom line, keep it in gear and the clutch out.

[Astroboy]

its not about being bad for the gearbox

they think its a safety issue that you should be in gear all the time for engine breaking.

[ferni]

Yeah i agree with all thats said here, its not bad for the car...

Geoff: how does putting it in neutral cause the car to stall? I understand if it did stall that would be very dangerous - but i've never had a car stall in neutral as far as i can remember.

[GTRgeoff]

Andrew, it's a just in case issue, and Skylines can have that stalling saga.

I've had a few vehicles with stalling problems so I see the merit. 2 were trucks that weren't my regular drives and it scared the crap outta me.

[(B1) MR_fanny]

coasting in netural isnt bad, and if you are too dumb/slow to put it back into gear and slow down when i car pulls out in front of you, you shouldnt be driving in the first place.....

steve

there are other things to consider than just cars like kids and pets runnin across the road and as fast as you think you can whack it in gear sometimes its not fast enough.

i was always taught to leave the car in gear simply for that reason.

[GTS4dood]

why do you roll in neutral down hills? only time i can think that you'd do that is to come to a stop, which some people say is bad, but brake pads are cheaper than a clutch

It definatly won't harm your gearbox coasting - how can it? there is just no gear engaged.

that is basically what i was talking about. coming to a stop at lights and intersections. Where im from, there are a few hills leading to intersections and i usually throw it into neutral. i knew it was bad for autos...thats why i was wondering. But point taken about the safety issues. cheers.

[Dee 33]

If you're out in the sticks and you're going down a huge hill then there's no reason to keep the car in gear. I coast in neutral all the time as what's the point of accelerating down a hill when you're braking at the same time? You're speeding and slowing the car at the same time and I see that as inefficient.

But tha's jus me

[PHATR32]

you car doesnt have to be gear for you to swerve to avoid a kid.

[Barramundi]

I don't know if this is true or not but I heard a long time ago it is illegal to travel in neutral. I can't see how it could damage your gearbox though

[xRHETTx]

you car doesnt have to be gear for you to swerve to avoid a kid.

Yeah but it helps you brake faster. You cant always avoid an accident by swerving.

[Cubes]

Rolling down a hill in neutral will actually increase your fuel bill.

The skylines and all new cars have a fuel cut when you are off the throttle and decelerating. This saves fuel.

Idling down a hill will only use more fuel.

Try this for an experimentation.

Use your gears to slow you down always, only use your brakes when your doing around 20km/h.

This means you will have to read traffic and drive a little cruiser than normal.

Watch how many kays you get out of a tank, I think it will suprise you.

I think this is one reason why some only get under 400km's to a tank where others get mid to high 400's.