AT - Shift to Neutral While Stopped

[greige]

Is this bad, or wrong?

I developed a habit of this when I drove less capable cars. With the AC on, and the car in gear, the engine RPMs would drop when the compressor kicked in, not a big deal. I noticed that if I was in neutral, the engine struggled less when the compressor kicked in. I also learned after racing several laps, best to let the car coast to stop back at the parking area and don't set the parking brake to avoid warping the rotors. Now I often will slip into neutral at a red light with flat road, especially after a hard stop, and let my foot off the brake. Rotors cool more evenly, and engine has less load. I pay attention to vehicles approaching from behind and press the brake to make sure I am seen, and I rest my hand on the shifter so I can quickly shift back to drive if I didn't anticipate the light change very well.

I don't know if I am causing excessive wear on the tranny or what else I could be doing damage to.

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[vetygud]

When I tracked my corvette you would not use the emergency brake after a run to avoid rotor warpage. It was a manual. I do not do anything special while driving my 2022 JL 2dr other than turn off the ESS. My JL does not lug down when the AC compressor kicks on. I'm not too concerned with the Wrangler.

 

[Riotfunk]

There’s really no point in doing that for something that’s your DD

 

[AC77]

from what ive researched, shifting in and out of D to N and back, its may potentially hurt the clutch packs and the planetary hub in auto trans. , Also when in D and at a stop, the oil is circulating throughout the cooling system/Radiator with pressure, when in N at a stop light or what not, this process slows down the oil flow , automatics are designed to stay in D , not like manual trans where the gear oil spins with the movement of the gears, and does not depend on oil pressure , unless one has installed a oil cooler pump on manual transmission,

 

[Sean L]

Is this bad, or wrong?

Neither bad nor wrong. Just unnecessary and adds one more step to get the vehicle in motion.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Is this bad, or wrong?

I developed a habit of this when I drove less capable cars. With the AC on, and the car in gear, the engine RPMs would drop when the compressor kicked in, not a big deal. I noticed that if I was in neutral, the engine struggled less when the compressor kicked in. I also learned after racing several laps, best to let the car coast to stop back at the parking area and don't set the parking brake to avoid warping the rotors. Now I often will slip into neutral at a red light with flat road, especially after a hard stop, and let my foot off the brake. Rotors cool more evenly, and engine has less load. I pay attention to vehicles approaching from behind and press the brake to make sure I am seen, and I rest my hand on the shifter so I can quickly shift back to drive if I didn't anticipate the light change very well.

I don't know if I am causing excessive wear on the tranny or what else I could be doing damage to.

I do the same. I always do it after a hard stop for a yellow light to not sit with my foot on the brake on a hot rotor. These days people turn the key and turn it off when the get there and wonder why something breaks. I also won’t turn on the a/c at higher than 1500 rpm’s. I won’t leave the a/c on for the last couple miles to my house so it can dry out. I coast in my AT all the time here in the mountains, sometimes for 15 miles.

All of this is why I own 2 vehicles that are over 25 years old and look and drive like brand new. One with 350k miles on it…

 

[Shibadog]

Is this bad, or wrong?

I developed a habit of this when I drove less capable cars. With the AC on, and the car in gear, the engine RPMs would drop when the compressor kicked in, not a big deal. I noticed that if I was in neutral, the engine struggled less when the compressor kicked in. I also learned after racing several laps, best to let the car coast to stop back at the parking area and don't set the parking brake to avoid warping the rotors. Now I often will slip into neutral at a red light with flat road, especially after a hard stop, and let my foot off the brake. Rotors cool more evenly, and engine has less load. I pay attention to vehicles approaching from behind and press the brake to make sure I am seen, and I rest my hand on the shifter so I can quickly shift back to drive if I didn't anticipate the light change very well.

I don't know if I am causing excessive wear on the tranny or what else I could be doing damage to.

Having been rear ended at lights Four times over the last 4 decades I can tell you i always have a foot firmly on the brake when at a light. Being knocked into cross traffic is not a fun thing?. Being shoved into the vehicle in front of you’s not that great either?. You’re not (or shouldn’t) be exercising your brakes on the street as you do on a track. (If you Are you may need to review your driving habits?). In normal street use I’ve yet to EVER warp a rotor (done it on a motorcycle used on track but that’s a whole different animal). A second advantage to leaving the car in gear at a light-if your first at the light and suddenly you see some distracted clown bearing down at warp 1 there is a “chance” you can get away. If you’ve got to shift into gear, you’re losing time you may not have. Am I a tad paranoid about being rear ended? Yea, likely. Having a car totalled by being smacked at a light will do that…

 

[KCSgtMaj]

Over thinking it.

 

[greige]

Over thinking it.

It's a habit... Which part am I overthinking?

 

[NWJeepr]

The trans should be left in gear for safety reasons as well as letting fluid continue to circulate and cool. The safety reasons are being able to maneuver quickly, and it generally causes the driver to keep their foot on the brake as to illuminate the brake lights.

Avoid hard stops as a habit. But know that If you have to do so during regular driving, it isn't going to warp your rotors. Rotors warp from abuse, extremely hard use, and really bad driving habits like riding or feathering the brakes constantly down a mountain pass.

The ECU will control idle with the transmission in gear and any accessories running. The engine isn't "struggling" - it's either idling low under normal accessory and torque converter loads, or it's idling without load. It's designed to do both safely and without harm to the engine.

Track driving has its purpose; on road is a different ballgame although some concepts can be applied. The ones you are mentioning shouldn't apply.

My driving advice is free; However I've also driven on the track, I'm a professionally trained commercial driver, and have also been EVIP certified in public safety.

 

[Wbino]

Why are you having hard stops so frequently?
And it's best to always cover your brakes and apply them at stop.

 

[stumblinhorse]

The trans should be left in gear for safety reasons as well as letting fluid continue to circulate and cool. The safety reasons are being able to maneuver quickly, and it generally causes the driver to keep their foot on the brake as to illuminate the brake lights.

Avoid hard stops as a habit. But know that If you have to do so during regular driving, it isn't going to warp your rotors. Rotors warp from abuse, extremely hard use, and really bad driving habits like riding or feathering the brakes constantly down a mountain pass.

The ECU will control idle with the transmission in gear and any accessories running. The engine isn't "struggling" - it's either idling low under normal accessory and torque converter loads, or it's idling without load. It's designed to do both safely and without harm to the engine.

Track driving has its purpose; on road is a different ballgame although some concepts can be applied. The ones you are mentioning shouldn't apply.

My driving advice is free; However I've also driven on the track, I'm a professionally trained commercial driver, and have also been EVIP certified in public safety.

So I am not going to argue. I just want others to realize when you post things you should post from your experience and your own habit and your opinions. Everyone might be in a different situation different terrain, different rural or urban area.

With that said, I have owned more more manual transmissions than ATs in my life. I don’t sit at a light with the clutch depressed and in gear for safety reasons. I have driven more than 1 million miles non commercially in my lifetime. I have had to do panic stops many times. In fact it was a panic stop of a car cutting me off that destroyed 2 KO2s, ripped the treads off down to the belts of 3 week old tires. So if a panic stop is required, I will do it regardless of whether a forum tells me I shouldn’t need to.

Warped rotors happen a lot and if I can remember to reduce brake pressure after a hard stop I definitely will continue to do that. I will continue to shift into neutral when I think it will help. I regularly see glowing hot rotors where I drive. When I commuted before the pandemic, I passed at least 10 runaway truck ramps.

So everyone might have a different scenario they deal with and should do what they think is right for their situation. It is great there are forums to get other’s experiences and perspective on things. I just try to speak about my experiences and what has worked for me, not as facts but my opinions.

 

[NWJeepr]

So I am not going to argue. I just want others to realize when you post things you should post from your experience and your own habit and your opinions. Everyone might be in a different situation different terrain, different rural or urban area.

With that said, I have owned more more manual transmissions than ATs in my life. I don’t sit at a light with the clutch depressed and in gear for safety reasons. I have driven more than 1 million miles non commercially in my lifetime. I have had to do panic stops many times. In fact it was a panic stop of a car cutting me off that destroyed 2 KO2s, ripped the treads off down to the belts of 3 week old tires. So if a panic stop is required, I will do it regardless of whether a forum tells me I shouldn’t need to.

Warped rotors happen a lot and if I can remember to reduce brake pressure after a hard stop I definitely will continue to do that. I will continue to shift into neutral when I think it will help. I regularly see glowing hot rotors where I drive. When I commuted before the pandemic, I passed at least 10 runaway truck ramps.

So everyone might have a different scenario they deal with and should do what they think is right for their situation. It is great there are forums to get other’s experiences and perspective on things. I just try to speak about my experiences and what has worked for me, not as facts but my opinions.

Yep! My advice is purely opinion and I offer it freely. I can share one absolute fact, though. I've never warped a set of rotors nor have I had to replace brakes sooner than 100k - and I don't live in flat country.

 

[6.2Blazer]

It's a habit... Which part am I overthinking?

I was going to say you are overthinking it also. Why.......because you are asking the question as to if it's wrong or not and coming up with many reasons on the difference it makes. If you weren't overthinking it, you wouldn't have made the post to begin with.
To be be clear, I don't really care what you do. If it's a habit then no big deal. Definitely don't think it's going to hurt anything doing it, but on the same hand it's not helping anything either........

 

[stumblinhorse]

Yep! My advice is purely opinion and I offer it freely. I can share one absolute fact, though. I've never warped a set of rotors nor have I had to replace brakes sooner than 100k - and I don't live in flat country.

That is awesome. I have done rotors 5 times on my 350k mile 2500 truck, mostly from cracking. I have gone thru 16 sets of tires on that truck. But it still has the original clutch in it… I also don’t live where it is flat. On my daily commute before the pandemic, I could coast without pressing the accelerator for a 15 contiguous miles stretch of my 86 miles commute one way. But coming home was different, not uphill both ways.

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