Stick shift at 'N' at stop lights(Auto trans)

[curtqn]

I'm driving a 2009 Yaris auto trans. At stop lights I usually shift the stick up to 'Neutral'.
Is this a good idea? . Can I save gas, brake pads, engine wear by doing this.
Does it cause any damage?

Thanks.

[Yaris Hilton]

Probably saves a miniscule amount of gas, by unloading the idling engine.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by curtqn

I'm driving a 2009 Yaris auto trans. At stop lights I usually shift the stick up to 'Neutral'.
Is this a good idea? . Can I save gas, brake pads, engine wear by doing this.
Does it cause any damage?

Thanks.

It won't save brake pads.

[djct_watt]

Actually, if you've been heavy on your brakes and hit a stop light, you may in fact WANT to shift to neutral. If you've cooked your pads to the point of fading, leaving the brakes depressed while stopped keeps the pads in contact with the rotor, possibly causing the rotors to warp. Even if it does not warp, you are not allowing air to enter/escape between the rotor/pads to help radiate away the heat.

Keep in mind, under normal driving, this doesn't really apply. But if you've been driving aggressively, it's a good idea to help those brakes cool off as much as possible.

[yaris-me]

It's an automatic transmission. Since it's automatic, why not let the transmission do its job. It's not semi-automatic.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Actually, if you've been heavy on your brakes and hit a stop light, you may in fact WANT to shift to neutral. If you've cooked your pads to the point of fading, leaving the brakes depressed while stopped keeps the pads in contact with the rotor, possibly causing the rotors to warp. Even if it does not warp, you are not allowing air to enter/escape between the rotor/pads to help radiate away the heat.

Keep in mind, under normal driving, this doesn't really apply. But if you've been driving aggressively, it's a good idea to help those brakes cool off as much as possible.

Only if you are on a completely flat surface. Otherwise you would start to roll forward or backwards.

[djct_watt]

Well, yeah... I'd hope people had enough sense to not do that if the car rolls. And if the brakes are cooked and the car does roll, the parking brake can also be used to hold the car at a stop light. Rear brakes aren't as loaded as the front, thus they do not heat up as much.

[marcus]

also you should be able to switch to neutral from drive just by flicking the shifter anytime i use to do this on my previous automatic cars..

[curtqn]

If "shift the stick to neutral" to much will this shorten the life of the neutral switch( at the transmission box)?

[kazama82]

should not be a problem..i do both on manual and auto transmission all the time..

[Astroman]

According to my scangauge II putting the auto trans in neutral while stopped with the brakes on my car uses .04 to .15gph less. I do 70-80% city driving and it helps with saving gas. I now have over 77,500 miles and my transmission is fine. I'm also less likely to roll forward if my foot slips off the brake.

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Probably saves a miniscule amount of gas, by unloading the idling engine.

it can save between 0.015 and 0.075 gph depending on engine conditions and tranny temp

astromans numbers are correct as well. things vary with conditions, temp,

sometimes more and less too...

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by 127.0.0.1

it can save between 0.015 and 0.075 gph depending on engine conditions and tranny temp

sometimes more and less too...

just for kicks... whats the engine load (LOD) at when in gear, but stopped and foot on the brake? Whats the load when in neutral?

[sailbob]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

Only if you are on a completely flat surface. Otherwise you would start to roll forward or backwards.

I used to have problems with warped rotors, until I started letting the car creep slowly forward in gear but using the brakes. This spreads the heat from the hot pads slowly around the rotor and prevents heat distortion in only one area. Of course you have to allow room when stopping for this sort of thing.

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

just for kicks... whats the engine load (LOD) at when in gear, but stopped and foot on the brake? Whats the load when in neutral?

cold n around 41 --- in-gear around 56-58 ac adds 5 or 6
warm n around 31 --- in-gear around 38-39 ac adds 3 or 4

decel lod n is higher than in-gear decel