Coasting up to Lights.

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George7941

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I do it all the time. If I see a light up ahead turn red and I know it is not turning green soon, I will shift my manual transmission into neutral and coast up to the light.

This annoys some drivers who think everybody should be accelerating up to the lights and then slamming on their brakes. I have noticed this especially with women SUV drivers.

In city driving, with two lanes each way and parked cars in the right lane, these annoyed drivers will often shift into the right lane at lights. I always move promptly when the lights turn green (I shift into first before the light turns green) and, as a result, these drivers end up being very frustrated at not being able to overtake me. Do I care? No!
 
I do the same thing. Especially for exit ramps too. Start coasting about .5 mile before exit ramp.
 
Yup me too.. If they are that much in a hurry, by all means go ahead and pass me to get to the light or stop sign about 10 seconds before I do.. lol
 
I usually leave it in gear until about 1500 RPM then take it out of gear. Heaven forbid I say it lest I be called an unknowledgable snob, but IMO ATs help to make these behaviors more common because it is so mindless to do it. With an MT, youre actually thinking about what gear you are in, thinking about how you MUST take it out of gear to prevent stalling, etc... No need to have any semblance of thought with the AT besides getting to your point and stopping before you hit what is there.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I usually leave it in gear until about 1500 RPM then take it out of gear. Heaven forbid I say it lest I be called an unknowledgable snob, but IMO ATs help to make these behaviors more common because it is so mindless to do it. With an MT, youre actually thinking about what gear you are in, thinking about how you MUST take it out of gear to prevent stalling, etc... No need to have any semblance of thought with the AT besides getting to your point and stopping before you hit what is there.


I agree. And I don't mind being called an MT snob
smile.gif
 
Some people equate thoughtful or considered actions with slowness, so they assume that if you are not caning your car then you are dim-witted and that they can easily overtake you at the lights. Of course they find out otherwise and learn that just because they thrash their cars more doesn't mean they they go to the front of the line.
 
I attempt to do this every day so I must be insane because before I reach the light I am overtaken by at least one car more often 2-3 cars and I am forced to use more brake and gas than I would prefer almost enough to make my attempt to coast up to a light useless.
 
Yes. In my car with a m/t I'll pull out of gear and coast to a red. Though, not to an extreme that I'm braking 10 feet from the light. I'd think that's too much like the effect dolts with all their tail lights burnt out would incur on following drivers. I also go into neutral on the downside of hills(larger ones). I look at it as a benefit of driving a m/t. Definately saves gas.
 
I do this when it is safe to do so and Im in one of my Dr. Jekyll moods.
*Hands over mouth* Wait a minute, I FORGOT I HAVE A AUTOMAGIC, IM NOT PERMITTED BY THE MANUAL OVERLORDS TO DO SO. NEVERMIND.
DISABLING TRAFFIC LIGHT PREDICTION SERVICES...
RESETTING SYSTEM...
 
It's best to leave it in gear and use the engine compression to naturally slow the vehicle using the brakes to finally stop and sliding the MT into neutral at the last moment.
But what I try to do is time the lights so that I don't have to stop at all at intersections. It's neat when you have some dufus pass you as you've started to ease off approaching an intersection only to sail past them already stopped as the light turns green.
 
I coast in gear because it uses less gas.

New(er) cars will use more gas idling than they do while coasting in gear.

I dont take it to extremes but If I can see a light go red 1-2 blocks away I'll coast down.
 
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You'll actually use more gas coasting out of gear...

Reason you say?? Above approx 1500RPM at closed throttle, the PCM cuts all fuel to the injectors... By coasting out of gear, engine idle speed must be maintained to prevent stalling... No you probably won't notice a difference in actual mileage but the most efficient method would be to leave it in gear until necessary to depress the clutch...
 
Agree that you will use more fuel coasting out of gear. The decision to do that is when there is a red light far off that makes it necessary to slow slightly in order to maintain momentum and get timing right. Doing so can save a lot of gas.

But it is only a very specific circumstance.


Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I do this when it is safe to do so and Im in one of my Dr. Jekyll moods.
*Hands over mouth* Wait a minute, I FORGOT I HAVE A AUTOMAGIC, IM NOT PERMITTED BY THE MANUAL OVERLORDS TO DO SO. NEVERMIND.
DISABLING TRAFFIC LIGHT PREDICTION SERVICES...
RESETTING SYSTEM...


I do too, and I am the owner of multiple original 200k+ mile ATs (yet I still dislike them as a whole). Yet some will say that it is bad to coast an AT when moving. Something about lube flow, IIRC. I personally prefer the feel of idling in neutral vs drive, but others likely have comments about that too.
 
Some engine management systems actually cut fuel to the injectors during engine braking. The Bosch ME.1.5.5 system in my Alfa Romeo does during engine braking over about 2200 rpm. So as coasting in neutral requires fuel to keep the engine idling, my car actually uses less fuel in gear. On a downhill run I will often change to a lower gear to keep the revs above 2200 rpm. Same applies for approaching lights.
 
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Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

But what I try to do is time the lights so that I don't have to stop at all at intersections. It's neat when you have some dufus pass you as you've started to ease off approaching an intersection only to sail past them already stopped as the light turns green.


I find it very satisfying too, sailing past them. What is annoying is when they come back into your lane and stop at the lights and hesitate for a few seconds after the lights turn green before they move again. This forces you to unnecessarily brake. Quite often the same drivers who are rushing from one light to the next are the same ones who take off the slowest from a light. Have you noticed that?
 
Originally Posted By: Kiwialfa
Some engine management systems actually cut fuel to the injectors during engine braking. The Bosch ME.1.5.5 system in my Alfa Romeo does during engine braking over about 2200 rpm. So as coasting in neutral requires fuel to keep the engine idling, my car actually uses less fuel in gear. On a downhill run I will often change to a lower gear to keep the revs above 2200 rpm. Same applies for approaching lights.


If my Scangauge is reporting accurately, fuel is seldom cut-off on my truck. The SG will occasionally display 0l/100km when I am overrunning the engine but it is very infrequent. It is probably because I seldom exceed 2500 rpm in city driving and my 3.23 rear has a lot to do with it. Most times I am under 2000rpm. If the fuel isn't being cut-off, I might as well take it out of gear.
 
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
It's best to leave it in gear and use the engine compression to naturally slow the vehicle using the brakes to finally stop and sliding the MT into neutral at the last moment.
But what I try to do is time the lights so that I don't have to stop at all at intersections. It's neat when you have some dufus pass you as you've started to ease off approaching an intersection only to sail past them already stopped as the light turns green.


This is what I do.
You can usually learn the pattern and time the lights on those routes you drive on a regular basis.
It is certainly easier with a stick than it is with an automatic, and I've often thought that traffic would flow more smoothly if everyone drove a stick.
This is driving gently, and you would be surprised how much gain in fuel ecnomy you can see by avoiding hard acceleration and hard braking between stop lights.
A 10% gain is easy, and this equates to a $.36 reduction in the price of fuel, based upon what I paid today.
Improved brake and tire life is another benefit.
 
yes, or the ones that were the slowest.. suddenly decide to tailgate you at 15mph+ over the speedlimit.
 
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