What are the dangers of coasting in neutral gear?
2 Answers
When coasting in neutral gear, the transmission is in a neutral working state, the driving wheels will lose driving force, and the connection between the engine and the driving wheels will be lost, resulting in the car relying solely on its own inertia to coast forward, which can easily lead to traffic accidents. The following is a detailed introduction about car gears: 1. Speed aspect: The speed corresponding to first gear is 0-5km/h. The speed corresponding to second gear is 5-20km/h, the speed corresponding to third gear is 20-40km/h, the speed corresponding to fourth gear is 40-60km/h, and the speed corresponding to fifth gear is 60-100km/h. 2. Gear shifting timing: The general gear shifting timing for cars is when the engine speed is 2000r/min, and it should not exceed 2500r/min. For some high-displacement and high-power engines, gear shifting can be done around 3000r/min.
Coasting in neutral is highly risky, and I've seen plenty of it on the road over the years. When a vehicle coasts in neutral, especially on downhill sections, the braking system bears the full burden of deceleration, causing the brake pads and discs to overheat, which may lead to loss of braking effectiveness and accidents. Moreover, without the assistance of engine braking, controlling the vehicle's speed becomes extremely difficult. In emergency situations, accelerating in time is nearly impossible, resulting in sudden loss of control. Once, I saw a truck coasting like this on the highway, and it ended up rear-ending another vehicle—the situation was too dangerous. Some people might think it saves fuel, but with modern vehicle computer controls, coasting in neutral doesn’t save fuel and may even increase consumption. In short, for driving safety, never coast in neutral.
