Does Oklahoma actually have hills long and steep enough to be dangerous to coast down?
My wifes aunt uses that method. And one day while visiting my wifes Mom she did it and got in a accident. She didn’t understand why it didn’t work the way it does at home in Central Florida. Well considering that Space Mountain at Disney World is the Second highest mountain in Florida…it can’t be too dangerous…
I remember that movie…Spielbergs FIRST movie…BEFORE Jaws. It was a big cult hit.
“There ya go”.
I believe it is a term into which you can insert your favorite group to deride. That said, the preponderance of country-western truck drivin’ songs uses “Georgia overdrive” most notably the Dave Dudley classic “Six Days on the Road”.
Well, now, I think the main issue is that they don’t understand how a modern automatic transmission works, which is hardly something we can hold against someone.
The OP is probably thinking that if you leave it in gear, the momentum of the car will keep turning the transmission and engine, which would keep turning the power steering pump and generate vacuum for the power brakes. This would be the case in a manual transmission car or some of the old automatics with the extra pump, although this practice on a carbureted car could lead to one’s muffler exploding. But on a modern automatic, the pump that generates the pressure is run on the engine and so it doesn’t work the other direction, which is also why you can’t push-start an automatic and why it’s a bad idea to tow with the drive wheels on the ground.
Don’t do that—period. Is your safety, health, well-being and LIFE worth the (maybe) cost savings? ??
I say this is an excellent idea if you are comfortable with careening out of control off the side of a canyon. On a serious note, the amount of gas you would save is probably going to be a null factor…
Here’s the thing, people: any modern (and that means, in the last 20 years) fuel injection system pretty much completely shuts down the flow of fuel when the engine RPM is above a certain point and the throttle is not being pressed (coasting in gear).
You couldn’t fill your coffee cup with the amount of fuel that your 4-cylinder car uses in going down that hill.
My goodness, such vitriol! Before I posted the question I turned the engine off, turned the key all the way to the on position, and coasted for a few feet. I had control of the power steering, and certainly didn’t slam on the brakes, but stopped the car easily. But not knowing more is the reason that I posted the question. I won’t make that mistake again! Thanks for everyone’s input…
While your moving at a decent clip with the engine off, steering will be relatively easy but it is still not power assisted. The power brake booster will have enough vacuum in reserve for a couple of stops, but after that, the brake pedal pressure to stop increases tremendously. Add in the inability to speed up if needed, and you have a recipe for disaster.
You got a lot of flak because we tend to like posters to stay alive to post another day. Don’t be offended.
I have a Rav 4…nothing good happens when you turn the motor off,you need arms and legs like Arno…from Kalefornia…Like I said. Dennis Weaver in “Duel” was the only one I’ve seen get away with it.
Bad idea! Imagine if the steering locks and you try to unjam it in a panic mode! No power steering? No power brakes? Holy Crap! No way I’d drive like that. So you coast down the mountain for 5 or 6 minutes . . . and save how much gas? That little RAV engine at idle might burn half a pint, but you’ll probably burn that much warming it back up upon re-start at the bottom anyway. The safety concerns really outweigh any cost benefits. BTW . . . when you are driving down the mountain with the engine ON and in gear, the engine management system meters out only the most meager amount of gas in this situation anyway . . don’t do it. Rocketman
Absolutely not, Not dangerous at all, That is if you are preparing to commit suicide with your own personal motor vehicle. I would like to add, That would probably be the most thrilling and exciting way to do it concidering if I was that person traveling up that same grade with my ‘07’[1500 Silverado Crew Cab LT2, GVW 6,900lbs with my engine on and running…
Not only should you not turn the engine off, or put the car in neutral, if the hill is steep you should downshift to a lower gear to use engine braking; that works to some extent even with an automatic (if the tranny won’t go over second gear, you’ll get some help keeping the car under control).
That said, I remember on a visit to Darjeeling, which is way up a mountain, that the taxi drivers in old Land Rovers would cost down in neutral with the engine off, to save gas. They had manual brakes and steering, though; you don’t. And you run a serious risk of brake fade, if the brake shoes get too hot.
/Mr Lynn
When this was mentioned on one of the shows, I remembered that my grandfather did this during WWII to save precious gas. So I tried it here in Fla. [not on Space Mt. but on a bridge over the intracoastal]. Guess what, new cars don’t start in neutral. Yes, you all probably knew that. I didn’t. So as I was coasting toward a RED light, it turned green, but I had to stop to re-start. Not safe, not good. Just one more vote against. I do stop the engine at very long lights, but that’s it.
E-gad!
Another bad point to consider. If you shut the ignition off while you are driving you will cause an early demise of your catalytic converter by plugging it up with unburned gasoline.
I don’t think anyone has pointed out that the engine may not restart upon reaching the base of the said hill. Are the odds of that pretty slim? Yes, but why bother shutting it off in the first place? Don’t do it. Just keep your foot off the brakes and gas and let the engine and transmission do that they were designed to do.
Oh, by all means, please do - then we can submit you for a Darwin Award…
No problem with my car. I just put it in fifth gear and let out the clutch and the engine is running again. Ruin your catalytic converter? only if don’t disengage the clutch before you shut it off. We shut off running engines all the time without ruining catalytic converters when we park cars.
Dangerous? Compared to what. Skydiving? Riding horses? Driving drunk?
I have done it and to the amazement of many of you, the sky did not fall, the car still steered, and yes the car could still be stopped.
I don’t do it much anymore because it really doesn’t seem to save that much gas and besides, every time I switch off the engine and restart, the CD player pauses a while to re-boot, very annoying.
Oklahoma has plenty of hills.
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/preserves/blackmesa.html
http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/communities_talihina.html
I don’t know how you missed hills from OKC to MO on I-44. The entire eastern half of the state is prety much rolling hills, mountains, and forests. KS and NE are much flatter than OK.