Shifting into Neutral

[Gerry]

Hi,

I am new to driving an automatic.

If driving and slowing to stop is it ok to move into neutral and free wheel before applying the brakes? When I say is it ok I mean would this action not cause any harm to the gearbox. Equally could one go from neutral whilst free wheeling into drive?

I would be very grateful for advice.

Cheers,

Gerry.

[Steve]

i am not 100% on this but they say towing a automatic car can ruin the gearbox. Even if it is in nutruel

I thought freewheeling was not good on an auto box.

[Mr D]

i am not 100% on this but they say towing a automatic car can ruin the gearbox. Even if it is in nutruel

I thought freewheeling was not good on an auto box.

Hi Steve / Gerry,

According to the manual, the vehicle can be towed but it is recommended if recovered over a moderate (>0.5 miles) to high distance the best method is to use a flat bed transporter or towed with the rear of the car suspended.

From a driver’s perspective, it is not recommended to coast in neutral to a stop, in some circles this is perceived as not being in control of the car. As to whether any damage is caused as per your question Gerry, I would have thought not, but then I'm not a mechanic.

Hopefully someone on the forum with a mechanical understanding of the automatic gearbox could provide an answer.

Regards,

Dave

[ColinU]

Hi Gerry

Why would you want to shift into neutral and free wheel?

The idea of an auto shift is to shove it drive and only shift into reverse for going backwards or into park at the end of the journey to lock the drive & stop the car rolling away.

Neutral to me is that space between R & D, not to loiter in!

Colin

[Alastair]

Go into "Park" if you're going to do anything at all. If you're just at traffic lights then you can stay in drive and just put your foot brake on

Freewheeling in neutral is a definite no-no, automatic gearboxes work on a fluid flywheel principle and you're just going to ruin the whole thing. If you're not careful.

[Alastair]

Go into "Park" if you're going to do anything at all. If you're just at traffic lights then you can stay in drive and just put your foot brake on

Freewheeling in neutral is a definite no-no, automatic gearboxes work on a fluid flywheel principle and you're just going to ruin the whole thing. If you're not careful.

Alastair

[Mr D]

Go into "Park" if you're going to do anything at all. If you're just at traffic lights then you can stay in drive and just put your foot brake on

Freewheeling in neutral is a definite no-no, automatic gearboxes work on a fluid flywheel principle and you're just going to ruin the whole thing. If you're not careful.

Alastair

Hi Gerry,

You have your answer,

I must admit I use neutral for when I'm at a junction, foot on brake, if it looks like I'm going to be there for a minute or two I put her into neutral. Even with my foot on the brake, in drive, it seems like the car is pulling ever so slightly. Obviously as the lights begin to change or it's my turn to move forward, she's in to D and foot off brake on to accelerate.

Best regards,

Dave

[George]

Gerry

I'm also new to auto driving, but I just use the same dicipline as gear driving. When I stop at lights I apply the handbrake and place in neutral, allowing me to remove my foot from the brake. (stops blinding any one behind you). Never go into neutral withou the use of a brake because the car will roll

Happy Driving

George

[BigAl]

Hi Gerry, you have the answers above, not sure why you would want to, freewheeling would mean not having control of your cat, automatic driving is to make things easier for you to drive, so when stopping you will have engine braking to help slow the car down, enjoy the easy life of driving with an auto box