is it bad for your car if you change the gear on an automatic trans. from D to N to

[Eric H]

save gas??? during a 10 min drive on local i change from D to N about 6 time, each at the stop light and more if there is stop and go traffic.

can this damage the transsmitiion?? its not a stick shift, its an automatic

 

[wde3477]

IMO, making that shift to save gas would result in an incremental savings at best.

One rule of thumb is that if you're stopped for a minute or longer, it's better for fuel economy to shut down the engine, but then again, it's winter in many places and heat is a good thing

Suggest that over the long haul, the additional wear on the tranny caused by the increased tranny engaging and disengaging would more than offset any fuel savings. Can't say that it really 'damages' the tranny, just shortens the life a bit.

 

[Goatman]

Actually it may be worse to shift int N if you are trying to save fuel as the engine will be running at a higher speed than if the trans is engaged , plus the wear and tear on the shifter and cable wont help it either ..
the thing you need to do would be watch your acceleration and be aware of your stopping distances and make sure the engine is in a good state of tune ..
BTW shutting off the engine will use more fuel starting and stopping than leaving it running..