accord auto tranny shifting while moving

[DjHackStyle]

hey i got a 98 accord v6 with an auto tranny......

question 1
sometimes while im driving in D4 i let go of the gas and shift into NEUTRAL.....then the car keeps rolling normally until i apply brake and stop.....is this safe?? or should i not do it anymore?? and why ? lolz

question 2
lets say im on the highway doing 60mph and i shift it into NUETRAL from D4 the car keeps rolling....now lets say i shift it back into D4 from NEUTRAL while still going around 50mph without hitting the gas is that safe ?? why or why not ?? i see that the car does not jerk in anyway when i shift while moving like that.... any answers ?? thanx.

[mpumas]

Question 1-It is not safe to shift into Neutral whenever the car is moving. This practice is called free wheeling and in many states is illegal. Also you should always let the car's engine compression help you slow down to a stop. Your brakes will last longer.

question 2-Sometimes you may accidently shift into Neutral while the car is moving. It doesn't cause any major problems unless you leave it in Neutral for a period of time for the same reasons noted above.

[DjHackStyle]

ok interesting thoughts so my brake pads will last shorter i see......but will it mess up my engine or transmission or something other than brake pads ??

[Igovert500]

Originally Posted by mpumas

Question 1-It is not safe to shift into Neutral whenever the car is moving. This practice is called free wheeling and in many states is illegal.

I've never heard that this was illegal before...do you happen to know the reasoning behind this...I mean with my manual tranny, I shift into neutral over 100 times per day, and no danger arises, I can shift back into gear, or I can use my brakes...why would this be illegal to do in an automatic?

[whatsupzaflo]

because theyre automatic and arent meant to be shifted into neutral all the time? What purpose is neutral for an automatic if youre on the road? Why shift to it?