Hypermiling in a 2011 Elantra? Hurting the Trans??

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

powayroger

Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
326
Location
california
Hypermiling in a 2011 Elantra?
Could some of the techniques hurt the transmission?

I am fan of hypermiling to save fuel (Links to 2 groups that deal with hypermiling are listed below). One of the steps is on downhill stretches or coasting up to a light that I know will be red, I’ll shift the vehicle from drive to neutral (and back to drive when I’m done with the downhill coasting). If I’m coasting up to a light that I know will be red for long, I will turn off the engine. I do this with my Honda Civic and Chevy Silverado. However, with my 2011 Elantra, there is a notice in the manual (5-17) to “Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D”. I’m aware that Hyundai has a new transmission in this vehicle.

So the question is: Can I still shift the Elantra into neutral from drive while the vehicle is moving and shift it back into drive from neutral while the vehicle is moving without damaging the transmission.

Thanks!
http://www.cleanmpg.com/
http://ecomodder.com/index.php
 
You can always shift into neutral from drive. It's a safety thing. From a MPG standpoint I would watch to see if you get a fuel cutoff coasting in "Drive" you don't get in Neutral-- may be counter productive.
 
I would follow Hyundai's recommendation. Also find out how long it takes to shift back into closed-loop operation after a warm re-start. Some cars spend 30 seconds or more in open-loop after a warm re-start. It's more efficient to leave those cars running at most stoplights.

Good luck, and enjoy the new car!
 
are you sure they aren't talking about coming to a stop before shifting into drive like when backing out of a driveway so the trans isnt shifted into drive going 5mph in reverse like all my friends love to do? i bet that's what they're meaning with that sentence
 
As stated, you will use more fuel by shifting into neutral instead of keeping the transmission in gear. The engine shuts off fuel when you let off the gas in gear but, not in neutral. Most startrs are not designed to last the life of the engine IF you instist on using it 5X times as offten but, restarting at every "long light" so you may lose big time when you need a new starter and or battery earler than usual.
 
I would say, you probably aren't damaging your transmission. How does it react to shifting back to D at 50mph? Smoothly? Harsh jerk?
You've got a ton of warranty so if nothing obviously bad is happening I'd do it.
I've been coasting in N maybe 10 to 20 times a day for a couple years now with the Neon, I would think a new electronic "smart" trans would be better for this than my dumb old 3 speed...
 
Most cars (all new ones?) shut off fuel when coasting in gear. None shut off fuel when coasting in neutral.

Something to consider.
 
Most transmissions "stay in gear" when you shift into N, so that when you ease it back into D, it's still spinning at road speed, so it's not a big deal. The "come to a complete stop before shifting into D" is likely addressing people backing up and slipping it into D before they stopped backing up.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Buy Scan-gauge II or Ultra-gauge to monitor your gas mileage, you'll find that coasting in gear saves more gas than in neutral.

Do you actually hypermile? In some situations you are correct, in some other situations you are not.

I'm not claiming to have hypermiling worked out to an exact science but I have whole tanks where my average mpg gets very close to my cars instantaneous fuel consumption at 55 mph on a flat section of road. About 40-42mpg in the summer
Think about that for a while. Average mileage including lights and hills and turning etc, equal to your cars best steady state mileage.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Buy Scan-gauge II or Ultra-gauge to monitor your gas mileage, you'll find that coasting in gear saves more gas than in neutral.

Do you actually hypermile? In some situations you are correct, in some other situations you are not.

No, I do not hypermile. What I tried to convey was coasting to a stop on a flat surface, the MPG is better with transmission in gear than neutral. It is confirmed with the Ultra-gauge on my '00 E430 and '04 S2000.
 
I too can verify that I get better gas mileage coasting in gear than coasting in neutral until the engine speed drops to about 1,500 rpm.
 
That fuel cut off is great but over rated.
It is not at all RPMS with your foot off of the gas.
And very imprtantly, you are slowing down much faster than in neutral.
A block ahead is the car who coasted in neutral, and you are sitting there having to accelerate.
 
Originally Posted By: powayroger
Hypermiling in a 2011 Elantra?
Could some of the techniques hurt the transmission?

I am fan of hypermiling to save fuel (Links to 2 groups that deal with hypermiling are listed below). One of the steps is on downhill stretches or coasting up to a light that I know will be red, I’ll shift the vehicle from drive to neutral (and back to drive when I’m done with the downhill coasting). If I’m coasting up to a light that I know will be red for long, I will turn off the engine. I do this with my Honda Civic and Chevy Silverado. However, with my 2011 Elantra, there is a notice in the manual (5-17) to “Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D”. I’m aware that Hyundai has a new transmission in this vehicle.

So the question is: Can I still shift the Elantra into neutral from drive while the vehicle is moving and shift it back into drive from neutral while the vehicle is moving without damaging the transmission.

Thanks!
http://www.cleanmpg.com/
http://ecomodder.com/index.php



All this sounds ludacris to me...Everytime you shift gears you are putting more wear and tear on the transmission even though it is only a drop.

As far as shutting down the engine for a long red light what you are doing is crazy...You are wearing out your starter...There are times I have to wait for a very long freight train to pass but I am not about to shut the a/c off in blazing Miami sunshine...Even if I was in a cooler climate shutting the engine off at a red light makes zero sense to me...I do not know of one person on earth that does that.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: powayroger
Hypermiling in a 2011 Elantra?
Could some of the techniques hurt the transmission?

I am fan of hypermiling to save fuel (Links to 2 groups that deal with hypermiling are listed below). One of the steps is on downhill stretches or coasting up to a light that I know will be red, I’ll shift the vehicle from drive to neutral (and back to drive when I’m done with the downhill coasting). If I’m coasting up to a light that I know will be red for long, I will turn off the engine. I do this with my Honda Civic and Chevy Silverado. However, with my 2011 Elantra, there is a notice in the manual (5-17) to “Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D”. I’m aware that Hyundai has a new transmission in this vehicle.

So the question is: Can I still shift the Elantra into neutral from drive while the vehicle is moving and shift it back into drive from neutral while the vehicle is moving without damaging the transmission.

Thanks!
http://www.cleanmpg.com/
http://ecomodder.com/index.php



All this sounds ludacris to me...Everytime you shift gears you are putting more wear and tear on the transmission even though it is only a drop.

As far as shutting down the engine for a long red light what you are doing is crazy...You are wearing out your starter...There are times I have to wait for a very long freight train to pass but I am not about to shut the a/c off in blazing Miami sunshine...Even if I was in a cooler climate shutting the engine off at a red light makes zero sense to me...I do not know of one person on earth that does that.



LOL! Hybrid cars do that and more automatically. And no wear and tear on transmission as they use planetary gears and electric motors to vary ratio.
 
Hypermile with confidence. I wouldn't worry about shifting it into gear while at speed. You can try rev-matching to help ease the strain on the engine and trans if you wish. Keep in mind that when most cars are coasting in D, the engine is actually not using any fuel.
 
doesn't this car already have a 40mpg hwy rating? I would suggest just doing the speed limit and gradual acceleration and see how well you do.
I think too many of these so-called 'hypermiling' techniques require too much extra attention taking off of the business of driving and paying attention to what is going on around you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
Towing and gear selection
Replies
12
Views
578
BrendanC
BISCUT
2014 X3 N20 2.0 Thoughts after 13k
2
Replies
28
Views
698
Marcozi
9
Single axle trailer loading weight distribution
Replies
10
Views
536
repairman54
T
taught badly at driving a manual
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
JTK
T
Should you wait until the bulb check is complete before starting?
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
javacontour
Back
Top Bottom