what's wrong with coasting in neutral?

[dean]

i average about 8k miles per year on motorcycles, and about once per year or less i'll not hit the gear shift hard enough and it sits there in nogearland. talk about screwing with your technique, in the heat of the action...

dean

cincinnati

 

[Bustanut joker]

In an automatic transmission you have what's called a "torque converter". It has lots-O-tranny fluid in it. It transitions power from the engine to the transmission. If your engine speed is near idle and your tranny is at 65mph coasting down a nice grade, not sure it'll get the proper fluid to all the right parts. On a continual basis it could be an issue. Ask a tranny or car guy. Also engine braking is good. coasting you could be a runaway vehicle so to speak, less control.
I know on dry sump motorcycles it's real bad. The engine oil pump circulates the oil. If the engine is idling, and the tranny is again at much higher speeds, you're starving your transmission for oil. Towing a dry sump bike with the motor off will get you in trouble even quicker as the oil isn't circulating at all.

Hey bub, Shut the hell up. This kinda logic has no place here.

Go find some tech forum an leave us ******* alone!

Damn wise guys anyway. ***!



:jester:

 

[odot]

Sooooooooo...........now we know why some of the pups on here have been grenading their trannys.

 

[Fred W]

In an automatic transmission you have what's called a "torque converter". It has lots-O-tranny fluid in it. It transitions power from the engine to the transmission. If your engine speed is near idle and your tranny is at 65mph coasting down a nice grade, not sure it'll get the proper fluid to all the right parts. On a continual basis it could be an issue. Ask a tranny or car guy. Also engine braking is good. coasting you could be a runaway vehicle so to speak, less control.

Correct. So don't do it on an automatic transmission car. Considering that most cars in the US are automatics, the oft spread general advice is actually aimed at automatic transmission cars.

I know on dry sump motorcycles it's real bad. The engine oil pump circulates the oil. If the engine is idling, and the tranny is again at much higher speeds, you're starving your transmission for oil. Towing a dry sump bike with the motor off will get you in trouble even quicker as the oil isn't circulating at all.

Not too many dry sump motorcycles these days, especially with unitized transmissions. But even on those that are, the oil pressure is adequate at idle to lubricate the bearings (regardless of road speed) especially considering there is no load on said bearings, They're just a- spinnin'. Don't try this with the engine off though...

BTW, to relieve any possible cornfusication, the FJR does not have a dry sump.

So to recap, it is perfectly OK (mechanically) to shift into neutral and coast if:

The engine is running and,

You are driving a manual transmission car, or

You are riding on a manual transmission bike, or

You are riding on an FJR.

But you won't save very much gas unless you are riding/driving down some really big hills. As an aside, when traveling from Albany, NY to Southern New Hampshire across VT Rte. 9 there are some spots where you can shift into neutral and drive (or ride) for a very long time without using the accelerator at all, if you have no traffic in front of you and no fear of "stretching" the speed limits.

But I've never done that, so I wouldn't know...