Hello, I live a hilly location near Blue Ridge Mtns and there are times when I knock my 2015 Highlander into neutral and drift down the hill and over the next upgrade. Without drifting the "transmission braking" causes me to use the accerator to make it over the upgrade. This saves gas but does it harm the transmission to put it back in drive (with my foot off the gas) while I'm still moving at speed?
Thanks
PS my '09 Camry with 224k miles is a stick and still on the original clutch. What a clutch!
No, re-engaging drive won’t do damage. Just normal clutch wear. But it’s too dangerous to coast in neutral. It’s not worth the few pennies in gas. Always maintain maximum control of your vehicle.
You can only do that in a manual transmission because you manually engage the clutch. Automatics are best kept in drive under most driving conditions.
You're not saving really any gas by going down hills in neutral with the engine running.
I'm pretty sure it's illegal in most places to go down a hill in a vehicle that's in neutral. You have no control of the vehicle's speed, other than by braking. You're also taking away the natural engine braking effect that the engine provides, thus wearing down brake pads prematurely. You're also throwing away your ability to quickly accelerate away from a potential safety hazard.
The computer won't let you do something that will break the transmission right away. Still, engaging a moving drivetrain will still cause wear over the long term.
