Lol, I know. Sorry, not all people drive the same way I do. That's my style and it works for me. I shouldn't believe that it does for everyone.

Coasting in neutral to a stop...I don't know. Why wouldn't it be safe? Don't tell me you're gonna accelerate if a squirel comes in front of you and you're trying to not hit it all while coming to a stop...

 

HAHAHAHAHA. We're working to hard on this. Maybe he missed it. It is a dangerous thing to do. If there's someone behind you and you're doing a hard engine brake, it's the same as you wailing on the brake hard and forcing them to do the same thing. Gradually slow down using the brake pedal...I'm sure that your engine will be happier too if you don't engine brake.

 

What would you have to do if your brakes failed just then...wouldn't you rather have it in gear.......then you could use the engine to slow it down.....without trying to put it back in gear first.......

I know that I am taking the extreme safety viewpoint here.......

It's kinda like street racing...usuallty there is no problem...but does that make it safe??

 

I guess I would hope that no one else has to have the "improbable" happen to them before you see the logic in driving safely. Emotional...hell yes. If something almost killed your family you'd be emotional too.

As for your LOGIC...

 

Street racing's out of the question. It's stupid, idiotic, moronic, flameski, retarded, etc. You're asking to lose a life when street racing.

Would you not already be applying the brakes? If they did fail you would still have distance to slam it into a lower gear and engine break. Most people would panic and not know what to do any way. You sir are taking EXTREME safety viewpoints here, haha. It's good, but then it's bad. You have an E-brake for a reason...EMERGENCY brake...key word being EMERGENCY...use that to slow it down.

 

G*D...where did i ever say that you should engine brake at all......read the post about the brake pads vs clutch that is right after the other post

 

I'm not saying that you did say that....

 

At what point does Russian Roulette become "safe" in a 6 shooter.....5 empties/1 bullet

500:1......5k:1

If it has any extra risk...why would you do something that could potentially hurt you...or someone you love

 

Okay, I'm done whoring this thread. It's completely off topic now.

 

Sorry..arguing with KimiFelipe...has my netiquite lapsing.

Nothing meant towards you...

 

Shouldn't argue about this anyway. Everyone has their own way of doing things. It's pointless to argue about this. Appology accepted.

 

Believe it or not, when I was broke these were my strategies:
a) Shift at 3.5k
b) Avoid hills
c) Run red lights/stop signs (rolling stops are okay, too)
d) Drive once a week
e) Don't warm the engine
f) Do the Speed Limit

 

^^^ wow, how about try not driving at all. Should you really own this car if you are broke anyway?

 

You talking to me or scsubulldog99? Cause:
1) He never said he was broke
2) I said when I USED to be broke
3) Nothing wrong with being ghetto fabulous (financially overstreched)--broke people like nice cars too!

 

OK - to all those people that think coasting in neutral is a safe way to drive - do yourself a huge favour and spend some time at a race track with a driving instructor.
Once you realize how much more in control you are with your car in gear at all times - I doubt you will continue the practice.
However :
If you drive like a granny - it probably won't make a difference .

 

That's not always true. Get up to 45, keep it in 6th, and you'll get pretty far. And you'll only be using gas while accelerating. Your car is always engine braking when you're not on the gas and not in neutral.
and 5 miles on a mountain road in neutral really does sound dangerous. I hope you AT LEAST keep it in gear going downhill...

That 1-2 mpg could be anything. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with you coasting though.

So be it, but depending on where you live, it's illegal.

I don't believe in engine braking to slow down the car to a stop. That's what the brakes are for. But when braking, you should be in gear (give or take the last couple seconds before stopping).
If you need proof, get a wideband. If you believe in technology, read up on DFCO

See last comment. Maybe i missed some posts, but engine braking to a stop is not what anyone is presenting as safe. Leaving the engine in gear while braking is what I'm pretty sure most people are arguing for. That way, you have instant control over "your rate of deceleration (ie your brakes)" and acceleration (being able to accelerate since you're in gear.

again, read last comment
Instant control over acceleration AND deceleration is safer, agreed?

I think you're misunderstanding most of the people here.
Of course you won't slow down as fast in neutral. But shifting to neutral and rolling will use gas while you're rolling.
If you're going 45 and you downshift to second, of course you'll slow down pretty fast. But leave it in 6th and you won't. You'll also use no gas.
That's all I can say, if you're still not convinced, then whatever

 

cjkim is right, letting the car use its decel fuel cut will be more fuel efficient generally than putting the car in neutral, where it cannot run lean.

 

Looks like the best bet, is to get an economy car for work, and use the 8 for fun.

 

I would also say my engine runs strong it is a 8/05 build date 5spd. But my city driving is all city outer Chicago, no stop and go but stop lights every few blocks. I can get up to 45mph at parts but 30 is more the average. Doing this I get 12 to 12.5 mpg in the summer and 11.5 in the winter. I drive moderately aggressively maybe 2 to 4 red lines a day. Most the time the revs are below 6K.

On the highway I get between 18 to 22mpg. Dose this sound like your car.

 

I know other people are busy arguing about engine braking but I'll respond anyway. I stand by my "unacceptable" statement. I've had my 8 for over 3 years and I know the benefits of the rotary engine. I wouldn't care so much if the car actually got the 18-24 that the EPA has somehow estimated, which is bad to begin with. I'd like to see them change the window sticker to read more like 12-18 mpg and see how many people buy the car. I do love my 8, but frankly the fuel consumption is nothing short of embarrassing. I personally find 14 mpg combined city/highway to be a pretty serious sacrifice, especially when gas is 3$ a gallon.

 

I think you two make a nice couple, all bickering and ****. You should hook up and get a room.....


Oh by the way, all city hard driving 8-14 mpg, mixed city and freeway 16-19 mpg even aggressive freeway driving 4th gear 80-90 mph passing, upshifts/downshifts etc., freeway 20-22 mph. w/cruise control. If you drive it hard you will burn the gas, but it is fun! I think its improved a little since I took it in for the recall and they flashed it. Over all with my driving habits I would say I get 18 mpg avereage.

And I agree you should never coast out of gear, thats why I coast with the clutch in and the tranny in reverse, just in case I have to stop quick or back up on the freeway.

 

[QUOTE=KimiFelipe]I'd never heard that injectors are cut/off or cut down during engine braking, so fair enough. However if you engine brake you lose speed a lot quicker than if you drift. In fact, I have driven for up to 5 miles or so in the mountains of Tennesee. >>

Computerized fuel systems will "lean down" mixture the moment you take your foot off the gas.

<<However, I strongly disbelieve that using only the engine to slow your car is (a) going to give you better gas mileage or (b) safer - in fact my opinion (that I'm not shoving down anyone else's throat, btw) is that this is really unsafe behavior, because when using the brake pedal, you have instant control over your rate of deceleration.

Why would having instant control over _acceleration_ be more safe than instant control over _deceleration_ I call this >>


You just answered your own question. I have read many books about driving, and I do not think a single accomplished driver- street or track- would ever advocate deliberately surrendering control over the motor under ANY circumstance, and if you do want to get off the motor, this is done only through the clutch. There is an old expression racers use that Jackie Stewart wrote about: "When in doubt, both feet out," meaning stepping on the brake and the clutch at the same time in a situation where things get out of control.

Secondly, power itself is a control factor. Power can be used to quickly alter a car's
direction, and sticking it in neutral effectively robs a driver of this option.

I wouldn't even call it a matter of "opinion." Coasting is dangerous. Period.

 

[QUOTE=MP3Guy]This is exactly what I do. Even when in gear I always depress both clutch and brake at the same time.

LOL another preacher. Everyone in my circle of friends who drives a manual coasts in neutral and thinks you guys on this thread are, to put it nicely, FOS.

I still dont know why its "dangerous" - you guys make it sound just as bad as driving with a tire or two having 5 psi of pressure in them, or driving with your eyes closed. _Exactly_ what is dangerous???

Especially in light of your Stewart quote - you always want to be able to slow down. In situations where I think I might have to suddenly speed up, I am in gear. It's not like I cruise out of gear every millisecond I'm not flooring the accelerator.

You guys are ***** about this ****. It's impossible to have a conversation about stuff on this board.


meh/.

 

Let me put it to you as politely as I can- and Stewart's quote was not advocating what you do- coasting for extended periods of time is NOT "driving." Torque and power are important control factors, and besides, you are NOT saving any gasoline by doing so. I have 35 years experience with automobiles of every kind. Your "circle of friends" are just as ignorant as you are.


http://www.autoanything.com/savegas/

Some wacky ideas for saving gas with dubious results

Using neutral while coasting downhill:

This urban legend is a popular gas saver myth for foothill dwellers and weekend ski trippers. Not only is this ineffective at saving gas, but it is extremely dangerous. There's no reason to cut-off your acceleration control - coasting with your foot off the gas uses the same amount of fuel. And, letting your vehicle drift downhill can generate triple-digit speeds - one reason why coasting downhill in neutral is illegal in many areas. And if you're thinking of the next crazy step - turning off your engine to coast downhill - the cops should cut-up your license.

 

Push the car