Can You Coast In Neutral (Iq3)

[megacab]

Hi all, I am a newbie on here and have been reading a lot of info about the IQ's not getting good mpg as advertised, I am hoping those cars are in the minority :-) as I have pretty much decided that I would like to get a IQ3 but I was wondering about hypermiling in one. Can you coast in neutral with this Start/Stop technology. I noticed that the engine will only turn off on the IQ3 and not on the IQ2 which also has the Electric Start Button. If the engine turns off when in neutral would that not put you in a potentially very dangerous situation if you were to coast down hills in neutral. I am guessing it would be fine on the IQ2 because the engine doesn't turn off when idling and in neutral etc..

I like to practice safe hypermiling but prefer the engine size of the IQ3 to get me out of potentially bad situations quickly which the 1.0 l has more trouble doing.

Can anyone please advise..................Thanks

[Norfolk n Chance]

Coasting still uses fuel....

Coasting or gliding

The alternative to acceleration and braking is coasting. Coasting is an efficient means of slowing down, because kinetic energy is dissipated as aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance, which must always be overcome by the vehicle during travel.

When coasting with the engine running and manual transmission in neutral, or clutch depressed, there will still be some fuel consumption due to the engine needing to maintain idle engine speed.

While coasting with the engine running and the transmission in gear, most cars' engine control unit with fuel injection will cut off fuel supply, and the engine will continue running, being driven by the wheels.

Compared to coasting in neutral, this has an increased drag, but has the added safety benefit of being able to react in any sudden change in a potential dangerous traffic situation, and being in the right gear when acceleration is required.

[megacab]

Coasting still uses fuel....

Coasting or gliding

The alternative to acceleration and braking is coasting. Coasting is an efficient means of slowing down, because kinetic energy is dissipated as aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance, which must always be overcome by the vehicle during travel.

When coasting with the engine running and manual transmission in neutral, or clutch depressed, there will still be some fuel consumption due to the engine needing to maintain idle engine speed.

While coasting with the engine running and the transmission in gear, most cars' engine control unit with fuel injection will cut off fuel supply, and the engine will continue running, being driven by the wheels.

Compared to coasting in neutral, this has an increased drag, but has the added safety benefit of being able to react in any sudden change in a potential dangerous traffic situation, and being in the right gear when acceleration is required.

I know it uses fuel but it uses less than if you were accelerating and braking does it not? My question was whether you can coast in a IQ3 with Start/Stop Technology..............Thanks for the quick reply though.

[Mrs H]

I have an iQ3 and have found that the engine will only switch off into 'Eco Mode' when I have come to a complete stop, even if I put it into neutral earlier and coast to the red traffic lights. It will also turn itself back on automatically if it has gone into 'Eco Mode' and you take the handrake off and start rolling forward still in neutral. The key with this seems to be that the car has to be stationary for it to turn itself off.

So in asnwer to your question, you should have no problem when coasting as the engine will stay on.

I too also thought that coasting in neutral used more fuel than coasting in gear. Funnily enough, I think that I heard that on Top Gear when they took on the challenge of driving from Switerland to Blackpool on one tank of fuel.

[Norfolk n Chance]

I know it uses fuel but it uses less than if you were accelerating and braking does it not? My question was whether you can coast in a IQ3 with Start/Stop Technology..............Thanks for the quick reply though.

Confused...

Braking uses fuel??

Accelerating obviously does...

But the act of 'coasting' doesn't relate to either of those... instead it leaves you with the only option of brakes in the event of an emergency, if you need to accelerate suddenly you're wasting time having to select a gear first.... plus 'coasting' downhill for example still uses fuel whereas if you left your car in a low gear it doesn't...

It's worth noting that some Police forces would deem you 'not in complete control of a vehicle' if you are coasting....

So while it seems you can coast in neutral in your IQ3 it's certainly not something a number of motoring organisations would recommend...

[GIDDLEPIN]

Modern cars.............

Foot off accelerator in gear = Fuel shut off = no fuel used

Foot off accelerator in neutral (classed as not being in control of a vehicle) = Engine ticking over = Using fuel

[Cyker]

I don't think the start-stop will stop the engine if the car is in neutral; The wheels have to be stationary for it to kick in I believe...

However, Giddle is right - Coasting in neutral will still use fuel, and is really dangerous to boot. I really hope you aren't in the habit of rolling down hills in neutral as you're just asking to have a really bad accident; Either due to loss of control from overspeeding or loss of braking force when the brakes overheat and fail!!!

Hypermiling is all about consistent speed and low deltas; You can save the most fuel by rolling in the highest gear you can (Generally 4th gear for normal 30mph zones), and by minimizing unnecessary braking and accelerating (e.g. by leaving a decent-sized buffer-space in traffic).

Diesels are better for this tho' as they have lower engine losses so they can coast (in-gear!) for longer *

*Disclaimer: Opinion of a diesel obsessed Yaris driver