Shifting into neutral

Winged One wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

kaydeejay wrote:
I'm another one who is wondering why you would NOT want your engine to act as a brake when going downhill.:h

Umm.. Have you ever tried braking or stopping down hill on snow/slush/icy roads in the winter time?

I learned when I first started driving that on extremely bad winter roads the ONLY sure fire way to keep control and be able to stop safely was to simply slip the vehicle into neutral.

When you do that your brakes are no longer fighting the engine and transmission and you will not need as much pressure on the brake pedal to stop faster on slick roads.

Saved my bacon many times EVERY winter..

Funny you say that. Years ago my 1988 Ford F150 2wd had rear ONLY anti-lock brakes. In heavy road snow that meant, you step on the brakes, the front tires lock up preventing you from steering, while the rear tires kept driving you forward into oncoming traffic. Helluva design. Learned to put in neutral very quick.

Yep.

Even now days with anti-lock brakes this trick actually not only still works but also works even better. A lot less brake pressure means the chances of the anti-lock brakes having to step in is reduced but yet the anti-lock system can step in to prevent total lockup, without it being over aggressive.

I used to argue this point with my inlaws, and to this day they have not learned what a valuable tool this can be in bad weather.

For my DW, it only took ONE preventable accident on snow covered roads and was a believer after that. :B