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Originally Posted by NEMESIS_2006
i always pop the gear in neutral on a downhill. does this have any benefit?
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NO. In neutral, the engine is at idle speed, meaning the throttle is OPEN. Leaving the tranny in the proper gear according to steepness of the grade means the throttle is CLOSED if your foot is completely off the gas pedal. That saves gas and is also a lot safer when the engine is doing some braking.
Going fast in neutral down a steep hill is bad news and UNSAFE
! There is lessened traction between your tire contact patches and the pavement, leaving everything up to you and your proper (hopefully) application of the brakes.
Another Tip: Don't use the Cruise Control in the rain, especially where there are likely to be puddles of water present. This can be dangerous when a wheel(s) under power hit a puddle and then a drier spot of pavement, resulting in an upset of the car's position, as in: from aquaplane to sudden braking, where Cruise Control becomes an enemy. The higher the speed, the greater the danger. (Will try to find this information on the Internet, where I first saw it, then post it here.)
