"It's illegal to have your car in neutral while operating it in traffic; at a stop light, rolling down a hill, whatever

Where do you come up with such nonsense? Let's see some proof. Considering there is no other way to come to a stop in a manual transmission car, this statement is way off base, and completely false.

Let's see, according to this statement, every time I stop I need to downshift into 1st, unge forward and stall my car OR turn it off and put it in gear, but wait ... it's illegal to put it in neutral. I think NOT. Some people!

 

for towing I know he's right. You're supposed to have the "powered" wheels stationary, even if not in gear. For AWD cars, it is highly recommended that you not exceed 50 miles or so without putting the thing onto a flatbed.

Twlight blue/Willow 6mt on order. Options: Sunroof.

 

I'm surprised no-one has said this yet...but keeping a manual car in neutral while going down a hill to save gas (ultimately money) is illogical because you are senselessly hurting your brakes. When you are going down a hill you downshift (rev-match to protect your clutch) and "engine brake" which means you let the resistance of the engine keep you from going fast without having to ride (and wear) your brakes. The right gear should keep you at the right speed. I don't know how much gas this uses but since you are not hitting the gas I don't imagine it is much.

I've always heard you go into neutral at a stoplight to save your throw-out bearing since the only was to keep the car in first would be to hold up the clutch the entire time you are at the light.

 

I don't think people are talking about coasting down a 60-degree grade, where you have to constantly be riding the brake or you'll blow the speed limit away. I coast on the street all the time, whether it's a hill or a flat road. If I'm coming up to a light ahead, and it's red, I'll throw it in neutral and let it coast to the light.

Also, I don't think that engine braking is really gonna save you money. Even though you are rev matching, there is unarguably still some stress on the clutch every time you downshift. Not to mention stress on the moving parts in the engine. The way I think about it is, would I rather 1) replace the brake pads, or 2) replace the clutch and/or start having engine problems earlier in the car's life? Obvious choice for me...

2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering -

 

This is a good thread.

So what some people are saying is, at a stop light I should have my car in 1st gear while depressing the clutch the whole time? What if I'm in Neutral and have my foot on the brake? Will that protect me in the case of a rear-end collision?

Here's another term I'm not clear on: Riding the Clutch. What does that mean?


2003.5 G35 Sedan 6MT Brilliant Silver on Graphite
Premium/Aero/Sport/Tints/Factory Chrome Rims

 

"gdupg35 (Addict)
12/16/03 01:30 AM

"It's illegal to have your car in neutral while operating it in traffic; at a stop light, rolling down a hill, whatever

Where do you come up with such nonsense? Let's see some proof. Considering there is no other way to come to a stop in a manual transmission car, this statement is way off base, and completely false.

Let's see, according to this statement, every time I stop I need to downshift into 1st, unge forward and stall my car OR turn it off and put it in gear, but wait ... it's illegal to put it in neutral. I think NOT. Some people!
"

...putting your car in neutral at a stop light (no clutch, no gear selected) and having your car in gear with the clutch applied are two seperate things.

When I took my driving test as a wee tot I was scolded by my driving instructor for putting my vehicle in neutral at a stop light. He informed me that in the province of British Columbia, it's against traffic regulations to leave your car in neutral while operating in traffic.

Even in you were sitting in neutral with your foot firmly on the brake and you were hit at high speed from another vehicle, the force would most likely cause you to take your foot off the brake and shoot you into traffic. If your vehicle was in gear, the engine would stall and prevent you from travelling just like when you leave your car in gear on a hill.

I - like most everyone here - put my car in neutral at some long stops to give my clutch foot a rest, plus it's easier on your clutch plate and spring wear but I'm just explaining some potential hazards about doing this that I thought people would want to be made aware of.

...and please gdupg35, don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. I've got 20 years of driving experience plus I'm not being condescending to you or anyone else in this forum.

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Here's another term I'm not clear on: Riding the Clutch. What does that mean?

<hr></blockquote>
Short answer: You're letting the clutch out too slowly.

Long answer: This refers to when you're switching gears (namely, taking off out of 1st gear), and instead of making a quick transition from clutch-in/no-gas to clutch-out/full-gas, you hold the engine revs (usu. too high) and slowly let the clutch out. This means that the clutch plate and the flywheel are rubbing against each other for an extended period of time instead of making a quick transition to zero slippage. This is kind of hard to understand if you don't know how a basic manual transmission and clutch work. I would suggest reading this page if you really are interested: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ --> click on "more" under the "Under the Hood" category

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

When I took my driving test as a wee tot I was scolded by my driving instructor for putting my vehicle in neutral at a stop light. He informed me that in the province of British Columbia, it's against traffic regulations to leave your car in neutral while operating in traffic.

<hr></blockquote>
Tattoodles - Maybe I missed something in your post, but I think most people were talking about laws here in the U.S., not in Canada. I'm not trying to be a smart a** either, just trying to understand what you're saying.

2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering -

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Here's another term I'm not clear on: Riding the Clutch. What does that mean?

<hr></blockquote>Short answer: You're letting the clutch out too slowly.

<hr></blockquote>If that's riding the clutch, what is slipping the clutch?

---------------------------------
http://www.anythingbox.net

 

Riding the clutch is a bad driving habit that some people have of resting their foot on the clutch pedal, thereby causing some undue slippage and clutch plate wear. Sort of like the people who "ride the breaks" -- they rest their foot on the brakes, causing their brake lights to illuminate, and causing undue wear.
I've seen studies that say keeping the car in a gear that's matched to the descent (not engine breaking) uses less gas than putting the car in neutral. So, on long shallow descents it's actually better to keep the car in gear, just not a low one.



168733-G35driver.JPG

 

. . . sorry for the huge picture . . . my bad

 

slipping the clutch I *think* is if you push the gas pedal down too much before the clutch locks.

In other words, if you start letting go of the clutch, so the clutch begins to lock up as it should, you apply WAY too much gas before it's completely locked up. The engine puts out too much torque, the clutch can't handle it, and it slips.

Twlight blue/Willow 6mt.
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