Should You Press the Brake or Shift to Neutral at a Red Light?
1 Answers
When waiting at a red light, if it's only for a few seconds, you can use the foot brake to control the vehicle for an immediate start. However, if the wait exceeds 20 seconds, it's best to shift directly into neutral. The specific reasons are as follows: 1. If the wait exceeds 20 seconds, prolonged use of the foot brake is highly impractical—the vehicle wants to move forward, but the brake forcibly prevents it. In this prolonged standoff, both the brake pads and the transmission will heat up and overheat, causing damage to both components. Therefore, neutral should be used instead of the foot brake. 2. When the vehicle is damaged and needs to be towed, shifting into neutral and lifting the drive wheels off the ground is essential to prevent damage to the transmission. For example, in front-wheel-drive vehicles, the two front wheels should be lifted off the ground, while the rear wheels can remain on the ground when in neutral. 3. Additionally, whether it's a manual or automatic transmission, coasting in neutral downhill is strictly prohibited. During neutral coasting, if an emergency requires sudden braking, the chassis drivetrain and engine are not adequately prepared, causing the vehicle to lose balance and potentially go out of control without the engine's assistance.
