‘N’ or ‘Neutral’ is a gear in the cars with an automatic gearbox? Have you ever thought about the functions of this neutral gear? Most people have never had a reason to use it while some drivers don’t even know when and how to use it. Well, it has some unique functions and can even save your life too in critical conditions.
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Use of Neutral Gear in Automatic Transmission Car
Shifting to the neutral gear in an automatic transmission will cut off the connection between the engine and the wheels. So, no power will be transmitted to the wheels when you press the pedal. This allows the wheels to rotate freely without drawing much action from the engine, but you will still have some control over the car.
Shifting to the neutral does not do much harm except for putting a bit strain on the brakes when your intention is to stop the vehicle. However, dong it frequently for a long time could damage the torque converter.
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When to Use the Neutral Gear
There are several occasions when selecting this gear will come handy. Let’s take a look:
Stop a car with a stuck throttle
Think of cruising through the highway at a great speed and suddenly discovering that you have a stuck throttle! Scary, right? Pushing the brake might not be enough to stop the vehicle since the speed is high. In that case, the safe bet is to move the gear to Neutral and use the brake to park safely.
Switching off the engine is not the safest solution since it will cut the power to the steering, making it impossible to stop the car without any damage.
Safe parking during a brake failure
People mostly respond to a brake-fail by killing the engine. It’s a wrong choice since it will leave you with no control over the steering wheel. Besides, it can even lock the wheel mechanism, making the situation more dangerous. Shifting to the neutral gear will help you toggling between the lanes and park somewhere safe.
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During towing the car
Putting the vehicle in Neutral during towing is not the ideal way to do it. However, you don’t have any choice when the towing company does not have a tow dolly. The neutral gear will help in keeping the engine on and transmission damage minimal.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Neutral Gear
The gear actually does not have much use other than helping in stopping the car in some critical situations. Check out the FAQs to clear your confusion:
Is There Any Disadvantage of Using the Neutral Gear?
The only downside is that you will have less control over the car. To overcome it, you should practice running the car in that gear mode. It may save your life in some emergencies.
Does It Save Fuel?
Well, it’s just a myth. It has nothing to do with fuel efficiency since the engine is still running at Neutral. So, most vehicles will use the same amount of petrol in the idle state.
Is Driving in Neutral Dangerous?
Yes, it could be. You should not abruptly shift to that gear when you are driving on a highway at a great speed, except for emergencies. It drastically slows down the car and cuts down many wheel functions, which may cause accidents.
Here are bad habits auto drivers must avoid!
Quite an educative page.
That bit about neutral gear is very informative.
There is a believe especially here in Kenya that automatic gear vehicles are poor performers in slippery conditions especially in mud, how true is a this myth?
Thank u. For information
Nice piece
very informative.thanks!
Very informative.
Good
Very informative
thank you for the information but can u help with [ over drive]. when do I use over drive?
Nicely taken
very educative.but kindly expound on fuel efficiency and neutral gear.
Very helpful.
you are a good narrator.. very helpful… keep on posting
Very useful guidance.
Great guidance. Is there much difference between the Toyota v8 and a range rover .maintainace wise. Thnx
I always engage my harrier 2004 in automanual especially on highway..there by driving in 4 and may be gear 3…please does this. Have any effect
Brilliant and informative.
Thanks for the free info
Good advice. So no fuel saving in N Gear.
Educative
This is very educative more especially on Fuel. I believed that driving on Neutral will be saving fuel. This is nice one
Very informative. Thanks and keep up the good job.
Great piece.
Tjank for the informative piece.
Does frequently engaging the neutral gear in a manual car for a long time damage the torque converter?
Thanks for the information
Very educative, however most people believe that N gear has an impact on fuel efficiency, can you please clarify on this. Taking the background of manual transmission, this applies
Its so brilliant to hear
Fantastic information so educative. I have a van hiace 2rz engine it has only got five months, since I bought it has got a problem of when it’s in motion you approach a hamp or bothole you want to slow down usually stops,seems like it cutting fual, wht can b de problem. l can b more than grad to receive a reply
Thank you
Very educative, thank you
Can any one answer my query please. My automatic cars neutral gear N is working same as it is in gear D. What can be the fault?
i mistakenly put N instead of D and car accelerated when i push the gas pedal.
Hello sir, how do you drive an automatic transmission with Drive(+) gear which has 1,2,3 and a minus (-) and still be safe ?
How is it that front pullers should towed with the front tyres suspend, because even if you tow it whilst in neutral, you can cause damage to the gear box
Which gear use at signal point? D or P or N?
Thank for this great information
Can use neutral when waiting in the traffic light?
Very useful write up. Lots of thanks
[…] Neutral Gear in Automatic Cars […]
Refreshing the engine after a long acceleration. Advise.
Hi Naoki san, when I am stopped in a traffic jam for instance, I put my car on Neutral as I noticed there is less push from the engine on the wheels so I can brake more effectively and I assume I would save on the brake (ie engine not pushing anymore to move forward thus less brake in use).
It’s a habit that I got with the time.
Could you please confirm my assumption?
Arigato
Thanks for the advise..very useful especially when driving everyday..
The advice was useful, thanks.
[…] do it. However, you don’t have any choice when the towing company does not have a tow dolly. The neutral gear will help in keeping the engine on and transmission damage […]
I have a premio, model 2010. While driving on a rough road the leg brake light and abs light appears and disappears, at the dashboard, what might be the problem?
I always engage my harrier 2004 in automanual especially on highway..there by driving in 4 and may be gear 3…please does this. Have any effect
What gear should i use when stuck in traffic for 30 secs?
This is such important information. Someone said that I should put the car to neutral when the car is idling in the traffice jam. I always thought this is what it is for. I would therefore ask, what gear should I engage during our heavy traffic jams when the cars are at a standstill for long periods?