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Great if the car can do that. Wonder how as have not heard it is looking at your eyes as do a few cars! Have my iPhone set for "Don't Disturb While Driving! Did not even set up Blue Tooth-no need all can wait until I stop the car!
Distracted driving is my biggest concern in keeping my 55+ year driving record of never having had an accident with another vehicle. That takes all my attention too all cars around me all the time (and continued luck!)
When I watch daughter react to a beeping phone while driving, makes me nervous. Worse is a buddy who is as old as I and talks on his phone when he drives. Phone in hand, which is allowed in SC. Either way, I avoid driving with him!
It's a "conditioned response," especially for younger folks! They have to look down to see who sent them the "probably useless message" even if they don't plan to respond! Long enough to be in my rear! I take a long section of twisty two lane road into town and often see cars crossing the centerline because they are not paying attention. When I see a car coming I'm looking for where I can swerve out of the way, if needed! Much like Pavlov's dogs!
It's a conditioned response. Unfortunately some can't control it!
OMG! That is the dumbest explanation I think I could have read. Save the transmission? Really? UGH!
I rode with a friend who wanted to see the Blue Ridge Parkway in a car... WTF!
35-45MPH in a cage through the mountains.
Well, every down hill the car went into N, every red light.
Somehow it annoyed me.
Needless to say, the very last time I rode in his car.
The mountains were put here to be enjoyed on a motorcycle. Now when people come up and want to be tourons in a car throughout the mountains, I just tell them to go, we will see them when they get back.
There are already enough people in cars here with out of state tags who have no clue how to drive, which means NO WAY are they going to attempt to drive even close to the speed limit.
And Crap - Put a river or stream next to a mountain road and those idiots from Florida act like they have never seen water.
There are already enough people in cars here with out of state tags who have no clue how to drive, which means NO WAY are they going to attempt to drive even close to the speed limit.
Since you ride a bike, I am going to give the benefit of doubt to you in that I assume you think they are going too slow - which they probably are. If you really meant they are going too fast, well no comment.
"Tourons" now that's one I never heard of!! Kinda like it! But while tourists may be an annoyance at times, they do contribute $20 billion/year to your state's income - something I'm sure you'd rather not make up in property tax..
Requires less foot pressure on the brake to hold the car in place?
Perhaps that may be OP's thinking, however I feel what little additional foot pressure(if any) that may be required takes a lot less effort than shifting into neutral then back to drive when light changes.
Last edited by Kevin A Jones; 01-20-2018 at 09:17 AM.
Shifting into neutral at a light will increase the idle speed slightly and this can improve cooling a small amount by decreasing engine load (and heat), increasing water pump flow, and on older vehicles with engine driven fans it would increase airflow. It may very marginally improve air conditioning effectiveness since the compressor will also speed up slightly with the increase in idle but you would need a precise thermometer to measure the small increase from a 100 RPM change in engine speed.
The torque converter is the number one heat generator in an automatic transmission and shifting into neutral at a stop will greatly reduce this heat source.
The C7 auto has a separate heat exchanger and does not use a transmission oil to engine coolant exchanger like most vehicles so the transmission heat won't transfer directly to coolant heat and shifting to neutral has a lesser impact with the C7.
HOWEVER, this stopped shift to neutral should only be needed in a well designed car under the most extreme conditions (very high heat coupled with heavy traffic and stop and go driving). I have done this a few time years ago when pulling a heavy trailer but it is very rarely needed.
And as far as wearing the clutch packs out on an automatic transmission that isn't going to happen shifting between drive and neutral at stops because those clutch pack lock/unlock transitions due to this are a minute percentage of the total clutch pack activations that occur during the normal driving cycle and they are occurring under almost zero load. Shifting to neutral at every light isn't needed but the only thing you might wear out due to this behavior is your arm and the shift lever
Some of you guys are really tough, others, creative and still others, downright insulting!
NSC5: thanks for the input! Kevin A Jones: thanks for the consideration! golden2husky: thanks for the support! MikeERWNC: obviously... too much inbreeding! JerryU: excellent driving record! UserNameProtected: ...cute! 2016c7fl: downright funny! joemessman: thanks, Joe, but my experience tells me otherwise.
To anyone who feels they have to take a shot at me because I shift into neutral when stopped... I specifically DID NOT ADVOCATE! I merely suggested that if it makes sense to you, try it and, if not, don't.
Some of you guys are really tough, others, creative and still others, downright insulting!
NSC5: thanks for the input! Kevin A Jones: thanks for the consideration! golden2husky: thanks for the support! MikeERWNC: obviously... too much inbreeding! JerryU: excellent driving record! UserNameProtected: ...cute! 2016c7fl: downright funny! joemessman: thanks, Joe, but my experience tells me otherwise.
To anyone who feels they have to take a shot at me because I shift into neutral when stopped... I specifically DID NOT ADVOCATE! I merely suggested that if it makes sense to you, try it and, if not, don't.
Exactly the guy I am talking about...
You are why I moved away from Florida. So if I am inbred being born and raised in FL, I guess you are my cousin/uncle?
Please move your slowazz out of the left lane so the rest of us can use the highway.
Exactly the guy I am talking about...
You are why I moved away from Florida. So if I am inbred being born and raised in FL, I guess you are my cousin/uncle?
Please move your slowazz out of the left lane so the rest of us can use the highway.
Mike, you're too easy!
The most telling thing about you is not the drivel you post... it's the fact that you've been a forum member for almost five years and you've thanked exactly... No one!
My only thought on how the "nav" could figure out (or seemingly figure out) how you were looking at your phone was that your phone is hooked into the system via wifi. Car at stop, trans in neutral, it still sensed you were physically checking for a number and the system "guessed" you were operating your phone while driving. Apparently, it didn't see a difference betw. moving and stopped, neutral and in gear. A couple more lines of code (probably more than a few) and it would have known you're stopped. It probably would've known a) you're in FL and b) it's legal there as of ____ date.
In 1977 I was the Center Manager at a large AAMCO transmission center. One of their best rebuilders shared with me that if folks would bother to shift into neutral when stopped, their transmissions would last twice as long. His reply to my "why is that?" was... it keeps the transmission, brakes and engine from building up as much heat.
So, I got into the habit and, from that day to do this, I've never needed a transmission or a u-joint (and, very few brake jobs).
He might have been a great transmission rebuilder, but I think his answer is nonsense. I will go along with the idea that the transmission may be a little cooler for the minute or so when you are stopped, but the engine is idling whether or not the transmission is engaged, so what difference would there be in engine heat? And there should be absolutely no difference with the brakes, which should be applied in either case.
I have never put my automatic transmission in neutral when stopped at a light, and have never needed a new transmission (or even a repair) or u-joints. If your rebuilder's recommendation had merit, it would be common knowledge and would be recommended widely.
My only thought on how the "nav" could figure out (or seemingly figure out) how you were looking at your phone was that your phone is hooked into the system via wifi. Car at stop, trans in neutral, it still sensed you were physically checking for a number and the system "guessed" you were operating your phone while driving. Apparently, it didn't see a difference betw. moving and stopped, neutral and in gear. A couple more lines of code (probably more than a few) and it would have known you're stopped. It probably would've known a) you're in FL and b) it's legal there as of ____ date.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your input. At least one person is attempting to answer my original question rather than beat me up for shifting into Neutral when stopped.
In response to your suggestion I can only share that my wife has often used my phone for calls, texts and look-ups while a passenger in the Corvette and we've never seen that message before.
In response to those of you who would rather argue for my ignorance concerning my choice of Neutral while stopped... I never argued it should be done or you should do it. It has worked for me over the years and I'm perfectly content with the rest of the C7 world leaving their automatics in Drive.
You have full control of the nav system in park whether or not a passenger is present and it is probably the same with the automatic set to neutral. When you go from neutral back to drive you trigger the "GM liability protection nag message". Normally you would get this when activating the nav system while already driving but since you were in nav and went from drive to neutral and back to drive it likely activated it again as part of the safety/anti-lawsuit protocol.
01-20-2018, 08:49 AM
