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Coasting in Neutral
- Thread starter Roy Wasson
- Start date
willow_hiller
Well-Known Member
Pull the right stalk up half-way between Drive and Reverse and hold it there for a second.
That being said, I imagine that having cruise control on during a downward slope (and gaining Regen) might be slightly more efficient than coasting in neutral!
That being said, I imagine that having cruise control on during a downward slope (and gaining Regen) might be slightly more efficient than coasting in neutral!
You push the accelerator pedal!
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
It is dangerous to shift into neutral when cruising the highway. You have no contol over your throttle in case something happens.
As ckoval7 says, simply lift your accelerator a bit, until you are neither accelerating of slowing down. Simple and easy. That is how the system is designed.
As ckoval7 says, simply lift your accelerator a bit, until you are neither accelerating of slowing down. Simple and easy. That is how the system is designed.
AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
Yes, as others have said, going to neutral is generally a bad idea. Just modulate the accelerator - it is the most efficient way to drive, as it will maximize the chance that you do not have to use the brake pedal (if you shift to neutral you very likely will).
I am not aware of any efficiency advantage to being in neutral vs. an accelerator pedal correctly modulated.
Keep an eye on the bar just below the speedometer and try to avoid any green (left) or black (daytime) (right). That will provide you visual feedback until you get a feel for coasting.
While I don't have a Tesla, I agree with others that modulating the throtttle is probably the best way.
However, one other point I wanted to check about (with anyone who knows): Tesla state you shouldn't flat-tow the M3 as it may cause damage to the drive systems.. Wouldn't coasting in neutral be equivalent to this? Or is coasting in neutral with the car running the equivalent of correctly modulating the throttle? Would this mean that, in an emergency, you could flat-tow with the car on and in neutral?
However, one other point I wanted to check about (with anyone who knows): Tesla state you shouldn't flat-tow the M3 as it may cause damage to the drive systems.. Wouldn't coasting in neutral be equivalent to this? Or is coasting in neutral with the car running the equivalent of correctly modulating the throttle? Would this mean that, in an emergency, you could flat-tow with the car on and in neutral?
Flat towing for a short while is fine, like if you just needed to move the car from one place to another and couldn't drive it for some reason. Hooking it to the back of your RV while you do a world tour will definitely cause some wear on your drive system. There is no physical disconnection of the drive components.
Don't do it! A car in neutral is a car out of control. Use your accelerator to regulate speed; it gives you the ultimate control... you just need to get used to feathering if you want a longer coast.
In some places it is illegal.
Title 29-A, §2064: No coasting on grade in neutral
These are not related topics
Title 29-A, §2064: No coasting on grade in neutral
One should use the brakes forcefully from speed about once a month or so to keeps the mechanicals working smoothly, especially if the car drives in salty winter.
These are not related topics
Hi all, I have asked Tesla this with no reply as yet. tomtom have a sat nav device to advise you of coasting opportunities, OptiDrive 360, although their take on coasting is with the car in gear and foot off the throttle. With petrol engines and coasting, I know most say you should coast in gear with your foot off the throttle so no fuel is used at all, but I'm not sure if there is a point when coasting in neutral is more advantageous? Are you better to coast in gear for 50m, 100m, or coast out of gear for half a mile or more? I see tomtom partially use some of a patent I have, the only difference is we were leaning more towards coasting in neutral, well my patent is for coasting so it's a case of how that is interpreted. I had the idea last millennium and have the patent granted in the UK, France and Germany. Right now I am looking at letting it lapse and say goodbye to it as I have had no interest from anyone for a device that would notify you of all coasting opportunities, and I will never have the funds to develop my own. The Shell competition for diesel vehicles where they can get 2000+ mpg is achieved by coasting in neutral wherever possible, although not sure if they fully cut the engine to achieve that. Some like Audi have a sailing feature 'The new cruise control includes an impressive efficiency function: When the driver lifts his or her foot from the accelerator pedal in mode D or E, the transmission shifts to freewheeling whenever that would result in fuel savings. This coasting mode is possible between 55 and 160 km/h (34.2-99.4 mph). The function can anticipate even more effectively when a car has the optional systems predictive efficiency assist and Stop&Go adaptive cruise control including traffic-jam assist.' Some HGV's will drop into neutral if the computer detects the lorry will maintain the same speed due to the gradient it is on if it was in neutral, and if so it automatically puts it into neutral. Then I thought about electric vehicles and how they would coast. I have read a lot say don't coast in neutral as it's dangerous, but I can't think of any situation where it would be and after coasting for many years no situation has arisen where I suddenly need to bang on the power, especially as you would be coasting towards something you are going to stop or slow at, but with electric vehicles is it better to coast a half a mile or a mile in neutral, or coast 100 metres or so using regen, which saves the most power? Your thoughts on a sat nav based device that would inform drivers of all coasting opportunites? I did it as satnav based as it would know where you are going and be able to advise you of all coasting opportunities, approaching traffic lights, a turn, a roundabout, junction, slip road, etc etc and then it's the drivers choice if to coast or not https://uk.support.telematics.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4289/~/coasting-advice https://us.support.telematics.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4289/~/coasting-advice
DopeGhoti
Active Member
In many states, coasting with the car out of gear (i. e. set to Neutral so that the accelerator pedal does not move the car) is actually not legal.
https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/a/17334 is a fairly comprehensive list of all U. S. states. I'm not sure about other countries' regulations on the matter.
https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/a/17334 is a fairly comprehensive list of all U. S. states. I'm not sure about other countries' regulations on the matter.
Modern cars utilize a technology called "Decel Fuel Shot-off," or DFSO for short. When you are in gear and coasting, the engine is motoring (via drivetrain to street), but no fuel is being burned. If you are in neutral, then fuel is being burned to keep the engine running since it is decoupled. So you will burn LESS fuel keeping it in gear than in neutral.
And you can't compare an ICE powered car to en electric when it comes to this. So if your tomtom is set up for that, then ignore it.
I have been an EV driver for 10 years and was a hyper-miler with the early Leaf, holding the record for several months for the most miles on a single charge (in regular driving conditions). As do ICE cars, EVs in neutral coast farther than they do in drive with the accelerator not depressed, and coast much farther in N than under regen. On a big hill or a long, high bridge you can coast hundreds of yards in neutral and get better mileage than otherwise achieved. I wish there wa a way to do it with the Model 3.
JasonR67
Member
I’m not sure you understood the replies. Having your foot off the accelerator isn’t coasting. Having the accelerator partially depressed will put the car in a place where it is neither regenning or using energy. These cars are pretty smart. If you set cruise it will maintain your speed while efficiently using / regenning energy. And be better for your car.
Try your adaptive speed control on long downhills. That way you don't have to modulate the accelerator so critically and it will give your foot a brief rest.
On downhills I notice that I generate more than I consume but in neutral the net should be zero or negative if you consider the energy required to get the car moving to a reasonable speed, A/C use, etc.. Coasting beyond the hill could be a different story.
The OP simply needs to learn how to drive the car which means unconventional practices such as using the accelerator even when going down hill.
I don't have a tomtom, tomtom have used my concept that I have the patent for in the UK, France and Germany, we had to give up with the USA as the patent office kept saying my idea was similar to others, which when you looked at them were totally different, but arguing cost about $12,000.
Yes you may burn more fuel idling than in gear, but is that the same for any distance, 100 metres or less maybe in gear, half a mile, a mile in neutral and idling?
It is illegal to coast in neutral in some states, but isn't in most countries in Europe.
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