Anyone else out there make regular use of N?

[Mavster Mechanic]

(A)
Coasting downhill is a bad idea for several reasons. Coasting is also illegal in CT as well as many other states.

(B)
Automatic transmission equipped vehicles are not designed to coast, and besides potential damage, you are also likely to reduce your mpgs, so there is no point in doing it anyway.
If you set the cruise, it will handle the downhill for you.

(C)
The hybrid can be flat towed, which is essentially a free wheeling exercise, but it requires that the vehicle be set up for that purpose to prevent damage. Shifting into neutral is not the same.

(A)
Coasting in N is illegal for COMMERCIAL VEHICLES over 10,000 lbs. Most states do not mention light weight cars and personal trucks. Some states the codes are purposefully vague so each case can be judged on its own merits and give officers and courts some discretion to cite here and not there.

(B)
The hybrid Maverick (Escapes, Prius, et al.) do not have automatic transmissions. Zero chance of "damage" from "pretend" shifting. You are kind of new to this club but there is no shifting. You should know this by now. N is a simulation and nothing mechanical happens. Only power flow is eliminated.

I have 20 years of specifically driving Ford Hybrids. Neutral coasting does no damage and can boost MPG by 20%. Let me know how many pages of data you want. For you, special deal: $10 a page.

C) Shifting into N while behind the wheel and in Neutral tow mode IS essentially the same in respect of this thread. The difference is while driving, all your accessories are on too such as power brakes, power steering, climate control, etc.

This is not like your past experiences.
You need a paradigm shift.

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[Mavster Mechanic]

P.S.

Every hybrid Maverick (and vehicles with similar design) neutral coast automatically, by computer, when appropriate when you are in "D".

The truck just does it without you knowing it.

Use "EV" coach. Shows a white bar (hybrid drive) blue bar (electric drive) or green bar (regen braking).

There is a fourth display: no bar at all.
Any time you see no bar at all you are "neutral coasting" and it can happen 100 times per hour for short intervals.

You or Me putting the selector to "N" just holds it in this completely harmless state for a longer interval.

The truck will do it without your permission. Taking manual control is no different than switching cruise control on or off.

 

[MaverickDragon]

(A)
Coasting in N is illegal for COMMERCIAL VEHICLES over 10,000 lbs. Most states do not mention light weight cars and personal trucks. Some states the codes are purposefully vague so each case can be judged on its own merits and give officers and courts some discretion to cite here and not there.

This may come as a surprise but you are not right about everything.
In California CVC 21710 states that “the driver of a motor vehicle when traveling on down grade upon any highway shall not coast with the gears of such vehicle in neutral.”
Examples of illegal act : driving a car down a Los Angeles hill and putting the gear in neutral.

I won't even charge you $10.
There may be some states that limit the statute to commercial vehicles, but I've yet to see one.
Maybe you can find one, but don't expect to get paid.
There are states without any neutral coast provisions.

(B)
The hybrid Maverick (Escapes, Prius, et al.) do not have automatic transmissions. Zero chance of "damage" from "pretend" shifting. You are kind of new to this club but there is no shifting. You should know this by now. N is a simulation and nothing mechanical happens. Only power flow is eliminated.

This depends on the definition of what an automatic transmission is.
The eCVT is different, but it changes ratios and power sources automatically, so that IMHO opinion makes it an automatic. If you want to make a requirement that an automatic has a torque converter, and the eCVT doesn't, I'd agree with that.

As far as damage, that may be true but there are conflicting reports.
One item that comes up is that rolling downhill in neutral actually uses more fuel, so that's harm to your wallet, As far as damage to the transmission, you may we be right, but I see no advantage in doing it.

C) Shifting into N while behind the wheel and in Neutral tow mode IS essentially the same in respect of this thread. The difference is while driving, all your accessories are on too such as power brakes, power steering, climate control, etc.

I think you are mistaken.
There would be no need to go through all of the flat tow steps if you could just put the car in neutral and get the same effect.

This is not like your past experiences.
You need a paradigm shift.

I disagree..

 

[Dad]

Yes.

Every single day. Every single drive.
I live in hill country.
I have a section I can coast for 8.3 miles.
Wind resistance holds the truck to posted speed limit +4 or -4 with the undulations.

No brake. No gas. No regen. 8.3 miles daily.

54 to 58 MPG daily too!

I say, "Flaunt it if you got it!"

 

[Pointyears]

Being one who likes to click into neutral for coasting,

Every state I've lived in it's illegal to disconnect motive power from a moving vehicle (obviously a clutch being depressed during shifting is a box to the side). Will you ever get a ticket for that, no? But if you get in an accident, your black box is going to squeal on you....

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

This may come as a surprise but you are not right about everything.
In California CVC 21710 states that “the driver of a motor vehicle when traveling on down grade upon any highway shall not coast with the gears of such vehicle in neutral.”
Examples of illegal act : driving a car down a Los Angeles hill and putting the gear in neutral.

I won't even charge you $10.
There may be some states that limit the statute to commercial vehicles, but I've yet to see one.
Maybe you can find one, but don't expect to get paid.
There are states without any neutral coast provisions.


This depends on the definition of what an automatic transmission is.
The eCVT is different, but it changes ratios and power sources automatically, so that IMHO opinion makes it an automatic. If you want to make a requirement that an automatic has a torque converter, and the eCVT doesn't, I'd agree with that.

As far as damage, that may be true but there are conflicting reports.
One item that comes up is that rolling downhill in neutral actually uses more fuel, so that's harm to your wallet, As far as damage to the transmission, you may we be right, but I see no advantage in doing it.


I think you are mistaken.
There would be no need to go through all of the flat tow steps if you could just put the car in neutral and get the same effect.

I disagree..

Didn't you learn anything from
MTC?

It is IMPOSSIBLE to take a HYBRID out of gear. Well. You might be able to do it once. Ever. So don't try it.

SHIFT YOUR PARADIGM. Since you can't shift your Hybrid.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

Every state I've lived in it's illegal to disconnect motive power from a moving vehicle (obviously a clutch being depressed during shifting is a box to the side). Will you ever get a ticket for that, no? But if you get in an accident, your black box is going to squeal on you....

Impossible to take a Ford hybrid out of gear.

You should have read by now it is only a "simulated" neutral. The gears are in mesh always. In every dial position. Even while being towed 4 wheels down.

Ya really. I'll bet pink slips on it. Because I've seen it with my own eyes.

 

[dochawk]

All trannies for over a century have had shift levers because you needed to physically move mechanical parts inside.

Actually, no.

Fords didn't have shift levers until the 1928 Model A.

On the Model T (and I believe it's predecessors), the left pedal was the clutch (but not as we think of it today!).

Up (no foot) was high, half down was neutral, and down was low (it was a two speed).

Reverse was engaged with the middle pedal.

The right pedal was a brake, but by clamping a band around the middle. Pulling back on the handbrake engaged an actual brake. The transmission had already been disengaged in the middle position; you pushed forward all the way to engage it.

That is, no shift lever at all, although you completely disengaged the transmission with the brake lever.

I rather suspect that some other manufacturers kept with similar schemes for another few years, but ford went to a shift lever and what we think of as a clutch with the Model A.

 

[Lone Ridr]

I hated it at first but now I love it. While sitting in drive-troughs, my forearm is resting on the console compartment and fingers are resting on the dial. I use neutral to prevent brake creep. When the line moves up, click into gear. Click-Click. Shift handles are clunky IMO.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

I like it. One press of the start/stop button does all these things: shuts off the engine, puts the truck in park, decides if it should also use the parking brake, and turns off the headlights.

 

[sprubs]

Try Slippery Mode
You can damn near Coast forever with very little Regen.
and you won't be fiddling around with your knob while driving.
Using slippery mode will not harm your transmission

I've never used this but is it the same button for eco/sport/etc? if yes, going in and out of N seems easier. I wouldn't want to be in slippery mode all the time.

 

[MaverickDragon]

Didn't you learn anything from
MTC?

It is IMPOSSIBLE to take a HYBRID out of gear. Well. You might be able to do it once. Ever. So don't try it.

SHIFT YOUR PARADIGM. Since you can't shift your Hybrid.

Actually, I've learned a lot, and not much thanks to you.
As far as your other comment, so what?
Shifting into neutral does not supply power to the wheels.
If you like to coast, go for it.
Apparently many sources disagree with you as far as that being a good idea.

An obsessive need to be right about everything is a personality defect.
I suggest you get over your need of being a condescending commenter.
Feel free to shift your paradigm somewhere else.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I've never used this but is it the same button for eco/sport/etc? if yes, going in and out of N seems easier. I wouldn't want to be in slippery mode all the time.

Why not?

 

[FordPrefect]

I fi d whe I do ot use “ “ people do ’t u dersta d me.

 

[sprubs]

Why not?

accel and braking are "dulled".

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