I always appreciate your straight talk ! So, Scotty, give this miserly ol' Viet Vet some straight talk.... when traveling with my '07 Toy Tacoma 4x4 Quad Cab (4.0L v6 / Automatic).... when faced with a long downhill run, I tend to throw the trans into Neutral and coast, knowing that I'll pick up speed but trying to let the engine loaf along and save a bit of gas... Is this a good practice? I've always thought that so long as the engine is running, the trans is getting fluids pumped around and no harm / no foul... and... maybe... squeeze a little gas savings. I do not do this when towing my boat, thinking that I may want to make sure that I have a little engine braking available. Looking forward to the response.
Blessings.
trying to let the engine loaf along and save a bit of gas.
it does the opposite. When you idle in neutral, the computer has to supply fuel to the engine to keep it running.
On modern vehicles, it knows when you're coasting in gear, and it knows that your momentum will keep the engine going, so it shuts off the fuel.
Even on older cars, the difference was insignificant whether you're idling or coasting. If your foot isn't on the accelerator, then fuel consumption is minimal. It's certainly not worth the wear on the transmission and loss of control over the vehicle.
Is this a good practice?
Nope. It's a dangerous practice. It's reduces your ability to react to an emergency situation.
. when traveling with my '07 Toy Tacoma 4x4 Quad Cab (4.0L v6 / Automatic).... when faced with a long downhill run, I tend to throw the trans into Neutral and coast, knowing that I'll pick up speed but trying to let the engine loaf along and save a bit of gas...
No, that's a pretty bad idea to do. If you're on a sustained downhill run, putting it into 2nd gear and giving it no gas means the engine will be doing the braking, not the actual brakes. This slows the car down, because the engine generates vacuum against a closed throttle plate. Recently, when we were driving near Chillicothe, Ohio, I taught my wife to engine brake instead of riding with her foot constantly on the brakes when we were going down long hills.
Congrats, newlyweds!
Thanks!