# Coasting in neutral

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** transmissions, gasoline\
**Created:** [August 30, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876 "2008-08-30T16:33:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![roobiblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@roobiblue](https://community.cartalk.com/u/roobiblue)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/1 "2008-08-30T16:33:20Z")

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does it hurt the transmission of an automatic car to coast in neutral downhill to save gas?

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/2 "2008-08-30T16:42:02Z")

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Please do a search on ‘neutral’, this has been disscussed repeatedly. Missing neutral and hitting reverse, OOPS! Won’t save much, if any gas.

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**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/3 "2008-08-30T17:01:16Z")

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I 2nd and 3rd that comment.

Plus you’re SOL when in neutral trying to get out of someones way.

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**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/4 "2008-08-30T17:18:51Z")

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Please do the search. You’ll most likely use more gas in neutral than in gear. Most modern EFI cars will cut the fuel when the throttle is closed, and RPMs are above idle. You will use gas to maintain idle with in neutral. This has been hashed out in numerous posts, and a search can give you lots of information that I’d rather not re-type.

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/5 "2008-08-30T20:02:59Z")

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It depends, maybe yes or maybe no, but you need to do a search as there are plenty of answers out there.

We don’t mean any offence, it is just that we see this question so often…

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**Author:** ![Joe-Guy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joe-guy/32/124_2.png) [@Joe-Guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joe-Guy)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/6 "2008-08-30T20:44:11Z")

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Then I suppose asking how often I should change my oil is not a good idea…

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coasting-in-neutral/18876/7 "2008-08-30T22:11:19Z")

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That depends on how many times you want to be told to check the owner’s manual? 🙂