Q: when shifting into neutral... clutch?

[yarisugi]

Throwing out this question to all of you. Let's say I'm in a gear (3rd,4th,5th, etc.) and I decide to shift into neutral to save some gas and coast. As a habit, I always press the clutch before I shift into neutral. Do I need to press in the clutch or can I just shift it out of the gear straight into neutral?

[BluYrs]

1) Yes, you should depress the clutch.

2) Coasting while in gear (not in neutral) will save you more gas. Check out this thread: http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4248

[djct_watt]

Originally Posted by BluYrs

1) Yes, you should depress the clutch.

2) Coasting while in gear (not in neutral) will save you more gas. Check out this thread: http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4248

Honestly, this answer was the BEST answer and should be the end of the thread.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Honestly, this answer was the BEST answer and should be the end of the thread.

Do you always do what Mama says?

[KCALB SIRAY]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Do you always do what Mama says?

"But Mama, that's where the fun is"

[bronsin]

Yes and no. Because there are synchros in the transmission you do not need the clutch to shift gears, much less shift into neutral.

But to do that you have to match the speed of the engine to the transmission, for the particular speed the vehicle is traveling.

Once you get the hang of it you can do it.

But that might take some time and do some dammage.

[djct_watt]

To add into it;this is something many truck drivers do (much different when you have 18 speeds as opposed to 5). . . what you NEED to do to do this properly is to take the load off the engine/flywheel/transmission. The optimal point to shift OUT of gear is some point between having your foot on the gas and releasing the pedal.

Now you can also do the reverse; shift INTO gear without the clutch too, but you have to either wait for the engine speed to drop (upshift) or rev-match to the appropriate RPM (downshift). Needless to say, there is no point in doing this. If you are too lazy to press the clutch pedal, you should have bought an automatic. And even if you perfect the practice, the margin for error is so small that one day you will eventually make a mistake and grind the gears; hardly worth it considering the Yaris' clutch (pedal effort) weighs about the same as a goldfish penis. And, if I misunderstood the OP's post and am talking about something completely different, my apologies.

*PS if you choose to do this anyway, there's is another note. You should never EVER have to force the shifter in/out of gear. If done correctly, the shift will be effortless (no different than normal shifting), but nonetheless shifts need to be done precisely and quickly (as the window to shift is very small). If you have to push the gear shift a bit harder than usual, it means you are exerting extra pressure on the gears/synchros which is bad. And obviously if you grind the gears, that means you're doing it wrong!

[DebbyM46227]

I depress the clutch. I also (at stoplights when I have the red light) shift into neutral rather than holding the clutch in for the duration of the red light. I read awhile back in CarTalk that this makes the clutch last longer. I've never had a clutch go bad and I've had plenty of manual's.

[djct_watt]

There's no fun in breaking your transmission; especially if it's to do something that adds zero performance or efficiency benefits. Some people would call taking a sledge-hammer to their engine fun. I'm perfectly fine calling them morons. To each their own. Have fun... Just don't complain that your car is a lemon if you have transmission problems 1-2 years down the line.

[bronsin]

Leaving your car in gear with the clutch in at a light WILL be detrimental to the clutch.

Shifting into neutral (or shifting gears) without using the clutch wont hurt a thing if done right.



Its also a nice skill to have because if your hydraulic clutch leaks leaving the clutch inoperative, you can still drive.

So get a manual transmission with your next company car and have at it!

[djct_watt]

It IS a nice skill to have, and it's not a bad idea to learn how to do it. It's a terrible idea to make it a habit to do it all the time for no reason (the OP's point insinuates that, which is why I am making such strong statements). I badly hurt my left leg in a motorcycle accident in the USA, and the skill proved invaluable.

[jpmck03]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

It IS a nice skill to have, and it's not a bad idea to learn how to do it. It's a terrible idea to make it a habit to do it all the time for no reason (the OP's point insinuates that, which is why I am making such strong statements). I badly hurt my left leg in a motorcycle accident in the USA, and the skill proved invaluable.

Had a bad sprain in the Army, and knowing how "clutchless" shifting worked was very valuable, as it would have been one hell of a drive back to the house. But I sure as heck don't do it on a regular basis.

[bronsin]

Sorry to hear about the accident. I ride also.

[djct_watt]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Sorry to hear about the accident. I ride also.

Thanks! And sorry for the snappy replies... Turns out we basically agree, hahaha.

[why?]

No idea how anyone got the idea of clutchless shifting out of the ops post. It is something that should never be done outside of a semi.

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Honestly, this answer was the BEST answer and should be the end of the thread.

not it wasn't, it was wrong. Neutral will get better gas mileage in most situations, leaving the car in gear can get better gas mileage in certain unusual situations, like going down a very steep hill, or when you want to stop anyways. Other than those two situations coasting in neutral will get better gas mileage.

Originally Posted by yarisugi

Throwing out this question to all of you. Let's say I'm in a gear (3rd,4th,5th, etc.) and I decide to shift into neutral to save some gas and coast. As a habit, I always press the clutch before I shift into neutral. Do I need to press in the clutch or can I just shift it out of the gear straight into neutral?

might as well use the clutch. It saves a tiny bit of wear and doing it often enough might add up.

[Kioshi]

Originally Posted by why?

No idea how anyone got the idea of clutchless shifting out of the ops post. It is something that should never be done outside of a semi.



not it wasn't, it was wrong. Neutral will get better gas mileage in most situations, leaving the car in gear can get better gas mileage in certain unusual situations, like going down a very steep hill, or when you want to stop anyways. Other than those two situations coasting in neutral will get better gas mileage.

Neutral does not get you better mileage going down a hill or just coasting....you still have to rev match to put into gear again...and that blimp of the throttle isn't saving you more gas then simply leaving it in gear and shifting higher w/o blimping the throttle.

3 of us were making our way back down lots of mountains this previous weekend....we gained more mpg being in gear then in neutral. Plus.....you're just wearing out your brakes being in neutral coasting down....

[Sparcoboy]

Originally Posted by why?

not it wasn't, it was wrong. Neutral will get better gas mileage in most situations, leaving the car in gear can get better gas mileage in certain unusual situations, like going down a very steep hill, or when you want to stop anyways. Other than those two situations coasting in neutral will get better gas mileage.

No you're wrong, when your in neutral, or depressed clutch, the car has to idle the engine, using fuel. When left in gear, clutch engaged, the car will drive the engine so no fuel is needed to keep the engine above idle.

[BluYrs]

Speaking of being able to do stuff and doing it on a regular basis just for the heck of it... there's a Bear Grylls reference in there somewhere.