Damionk
06-16-2008, 12:47 PM
We all agree that turning the car off uses no gas. But, I've been wondering if when sitting idle at a light or stopped for some other reason which uses less gas being in neutral or in drive. I don't have a Sg or tach but it does feel like the RPMs drop when the car is put into drive.
Right Lane Cruiser
06-16-2008, 12:51 PM
You'll actually use less fuel in N because you've removed the drag from spinning the transmission. The RPM drops in D because of this drag.
The difference in consumption isn't much, but every little bit helps!
Neutral. Drive forces the car to "push" against the brakes. Some (few) new cars are introducing "idle to neutral". The tranny will automagically shift to neutral when you stop to save gas.
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PaleMelanesian
06-16-2008, 12:52 PM
I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey V6. When it's warmed up:
.5 gph idling in D
.45 gph idling in N
Damionk
06-16-2008, 12:56 PM
I figured it would be a small amount but I thought that the load of the car "pushing" on the brakes would cause the RPMs to drop...I will have to stop shifting back into gear when at a light.