Quote:
Originally Posted by snowboardjoe
I would say any reading while the car is in neutral would be unreliable. That's not driving. Neutral is only be used for special situations where you need the car to roll with the ignition on. Regardless, the engine is always burning fuel if it's running (drive, neutral, park, etc.).Just because you're going downhill does not mean that the fuel is cutoff. It's still burning fuel, but at a very, very low rate.
In my opinion, shifting into neutral while driving creates an unsafe condition. Brakes, power steering and other functions depend on the engine running at a speed above idle under normal driving conditions. Running the car in neutral while coming down a hill at speed puts the car (and you) at a disadvantage. I have a friend that does this and it drives me insane. No fuel is saved by this practice.
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http://www.popularmechanics.com/_mob...?click=main_sr
If you don't want to read the whole article,
"Almost all vehicles show a pulse width of zero when coasting while in gear. Zero, as in there is no fuel injected at all. Yes, the engine is turning over, the pistons are going up and down, the water pump, alternator and a/c compressor are working, so technically you can say the engine is running, sort of. But it's not consuming any fuel. And that goes for automatic or manuals. "
Regardless, It's always good practice to leave a car in gear. Having power instantaneously available is always safer.