Help calm my nerves with this issue

This is my view, yes - but then clearly that's how I've been taught... always be in gear.

 

In case of a crash that fires the airbags, the 'black box' or event data recorder will show it.

One of DW's friends, stopped for speeding at the bottom of a hill, told the officer she was neutral coasting. That's when she learned not only wasn't it a good excuse for speeding, it was also illegal.

This isn't really an instinct. It is a trained reflex, so it will vary according to training and experience. Those of us who drove only manual transmissions for decades prior to acquiring a Prius, and still have MTs in the household, will respond different than others who have driven only traditional automatics.

That said, I don't use N as a driving technique in the Prius, because a light touch on the gas pedal achieves the same thing. (I do use it for hypermiling in our old MTs.) But after having first hand experience with the semimythical 'sudden unintended acceleration' in a previous car, I feel a need to occasionally practice shifting the Prius to N at highway speed just to keep it in muscle memory.

 

Yes, good points on both the terminology and on varying reactions depending on what you're used to.

Before I got the C in May this year I had owned only manual transmission cars (since the 1970s), and when slowing down I would downshift as needed so that the engine speed always matched the road speed, which ensured good acceleration in an emergency without having to find the right gear first. I would usually slip the car into Neutral only when coasting the last short distance before stopping for a light or stop sign.

 

I also drove a manual previously and did the same thing as ftl. I used to be an "active" auto driver too... forcing downshifts with the selector and encouraging up shifts with a similar foot technique that encourages the c to slip into EV. The auto on my mother's 2007 Corolla is noticeably better than autos of old though, so I rarely push it around like I did with earlier autos I drove.

 

Since I only use the neutral coast when the road in front of me is clear of cars for at least a mile, I don't think the emergency need to accelerate applies in my situation. I am usually going 40-42 MPH when I start, and don't let it go higher than 46 MPH. My hand remains on the shift knob, and "remembering" to shift back into drive isn't an issue.

I don't see any terribly compelling reason for me to stop doing what I have been doing as long as I am safe about it. Not talking about huge hills or long distances, so it doesn't sound like I'm doing any damage to my engine.

 

I watch the "Score" page and put the accelerator where there is no braking or accelerating, on the line. I can not tell any difference in this and shifting to neutral, I have tried it. Once you practice the accelerator placement a few times you can hit it every time. Let up, you have brake, push down and you accelerate.
Just how I do it.
Dan

 

I've always had a bit of difficulty getting that bottom line to be neither green nor grey. Once in a while, it happens on its own. Usually, by the time I can ease off the gas enough to reach the bottom of the meter, I've slowed down too much and need to accelerate again.

 

The laws prohibiting coasting in neutral date from the days of unsynchronized manual transmissions, where once out of gear it would be difficult to get back into gear. With those older cars the brakes were weak, unlike modern brakes that can easily stop a coasting car.

There is no risk to coasting in a Prius assuming you keep MG1 from over-speeding. While not likely, it is possible to shift into N at low speed and then coast down a really steep hill, causing MG1 to go too fast.

Tom

 

I think the simplest answer is: "Because there is no true 'neutral' on a Prius C."

Shifting to N does not disconnect the wheels from the engine like it does no a "normal" car. No gears are disconnected in N. So there are still spinning parts, just as many spinning parts in N or D. I think all N really does in disconnect the power to the two electric motors so they can spin freely. The problem with costing down hill in N is that you can over speed the transmission.

Also there is nothing at all to be gained from coasting down hill in N. Going 35mpg down hill uses zero fuel if in N or D or B.

 

Can a C be towed flat? How is the tranny cooled?

 

No. All Prius need wheels-up towing as there is no way to disconnect the PSD from the drive wheels.

Tom

 

I checked Remco and they have no pump for the C either. Be nice if they come out with one. I would then tow our's

 

Should a car that cannot be towed flat be coasted in neutral?

 

The two are not equivalent, if that is what you are driving at. When coasting in N, the Prius is powered up and Ready. During towing it is powered off, which locks the drive wheels.

Tom

 

So, with the Prius C, the tranny fluid circulates (cools) while coasting in N? ((not driving at anything - just want to 'do no harm'))

 

As far as the transmission is concerned, coasting is the same as gliding in D with the ICE shut down, which often happens of its own accord. The only difference is the previously mentioned special case where you shift into N at low speed with the ICE off, then coast to a high speed. In this case the ICE cannot start to protect MG1 from over speed.

Tom

 

Good information on this topic. Thanks for the contributions.
Dan

 

But you can "glide" at any speed with, or without the ICE shut down.

 

^ I'd say this is the OP's best solution. Any hybrid is going to take advantage of a downhill coast to do some regen. If it's too much for your taste, say slowing you on a moderate grade, the simplest fix is a light touch on the gas. It'll reduce the regen, you'll still get some. If your speed is moderate the engine will be off, and won't kick in, as long as the touch is light.

 

I noticed that our Prius in "D" mode rolls better than any other car we have
owned. Our 2003 Jetta TDI, 5-speed manual, wagon does not roll down hills
in 5 th gear anywhere near as fast as the Prius.