[clevermax]

Originally Posted by amit73

1. In a manual car, as I would approach a red signal on an empty road from, say, 200 meters; I would put my car in neutral, take both my legs off the clutch/brake/accelerator and approach the signal in a relaxed way - cannot do that in an automatic - as I cannot (should not) put the car in neutral

Originally Posted by mjk24

Why should one not put an AT car in neutral while it is still running?

You should not coast in neutral irrespective of whether the car is MT or AT. Google can help with reasons on why one should not do that.

Originally Posted by condor

AT's have lesser engine braking - have you thought about letting go of the accelerator earlier than in a manual ? This could even give lesser work for your right leg than with manuals .. !

In my TC AT (Verna 1.6D), I get ample amount of engine braking as the car downshifts a bit enthusiastically and keep the clutch locked up while my right foot is off the accelerator pedal from speeds above ~45kmph. I may not even do such a downshift to have engine braking if it was an MT car.

[anb]

Originally Posted by amit73

Putting in neutral was not to save fuel but to relax and avoid unnecessary braking. Curious to know how it consumes more fuel though; it would be good if you could please provide a brief explanation or a link.

In neutral, engine runs at idle RPM and fuel is required run the engine at idle rpm. If you take foot from accelerator and vehicle is in gear, engine will continue to run due to inertia and will consume almost zero fuel. If you put vehicle in neutral, there is no engine braking available and you have to push the brake pedal harder. If you take foot from accelerator in a gear, engine will decelerate the car and you have to press the brake pedal a lot lesser.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by amit73

Putting in neutral was not to save fuel but to relax and avoid unnecessary braking. Curious to know how it consumes more fuel though; it would be good if you could please provide a brief explanation or a link.

Modern cars cut-off fueling as soon as one releases the accelerator pedal (provided the car is in gear). If one shifts to neutral and releases the accelerator pedal, fueling will continue to happen to keep the engine ticking hence will be a waste of fuel. Which is why coasting in neutral is harmful in terms of safety point of view as well as FE.

In AT cars, also just let go off the throttle a bit in advance if you want engine braking to happen. I do the same when I use the Ertiga ZXi AT (4-speed TC).

[ObsessedByFIAT]

As many have rightly suggested, coasting any vehicle, be it a car or bike, in neutral is not the best thing to do! You end up loosing engine breaking and also sip that wee bit more fuel.

I drive both, a diesel manual and an AMT petrol. Both the cars have seen fair amount of highway and regular city drives. I feel an AMT car (Nano in my case) down shifts sooner and sheds speed pretty uniformly and better than a manual where you are in control of all that happens within the engine and gear box. Thus, making both your feet work harder in case of a manual. On the other hand, in the AMT, I can just let go off the accelerator pedal and things are easier for my right foot too.

As for the seat and foot angle position, I try to have an obtuse angle at my knee while ensuring that my wrist touches the steering wheel at the top while it is stretched straight. I also try and keep my thighs as horizontal to the ground as possible. Having a slightly knee up position makes my lower back hurt after driving for some time.
The back of my seat is set to a few degrees more than 90 degrees. I find this position very relaxing without any pressure on my lower back, calf or feet.

In stop go traffic, on signals and toll gates, I usually switch to neutral and apply handbrake if the anticipated wait warrants one. Else just use the brake pedal while the car is in neutral.

Given a choice these days, I would rather pick the keys to an automatic over a manual. Reason being, I feel more relaxed.

[roy_libran]

Curious..... I have never coasted any car in Neutral (when I used to drive Manuals) whatsoever the condition, because I feel like I have lost a large part of my control and am solely dependant on brakes, apart from this being grossly inefficient.

[mjk24]

Originally Posted by clevermax

You should not coast in neutral irrespective of whether the car is MT or AT. Google can help with reasons on why one should not do that.

My question was for when the car is idling, say at a red light. Not while coasting.

[amit73]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Curious..... I have never coasted any car in Neutral (when I used to drive Manuals) whatsoever the condition, because I feel like I have lost a large part of my control and am solely dependant on brakes, apart from this being grossly inefficient.

I am surprised by a large number of comments suggesting that we should never coast in neutral, even in manual cars. To me, it is a simple fact that unlike an automatic, you cannot have a stationary manual car in a gear with clutch disengaged (it would stall). So, you have to bring the car in neutral before you stop it completely. You may do so 100 meters before stopping or just 1 meter before. It just happens that I prefer to do it a bit sooner.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by amit73

I am surprised by a large number of comments suggesting that we should never coast in neutral, even in manual cars. To me, it is a simple fact that unlike an automatic, you cannot have a stationary manual car in a gear with clutch disengaged (it would stall). So, you have to bring the car in neutral before you stop it completely. You may do so 100 meters before stopping or just 1 meter before. It just happens that I prefer to do it a bit sooner.

Why not bring the car to neutral after it has come to a complete stop? I press the clutch just in time so that I don't lug the engine, and shift to neutral only if it is going to be a lengthier stop than say, 30 seconds or so.

Coasting in neutral has to be avoided as a globally accepted 'good' driving practice.

[gkveda]

Nature has developed our body parts to do certain functions. If we allow our parts to perform those functions Nature expects us to do from our parts of the body (say legs - walk sufficiently), then, all other functions that we perform would also be performed effectively without categorising bad or good.

If we give discount on what is intended function of the body part and start doing something else, then the resultant is the analysis of what is good and bad for same parts.

I had this issue of left leg pain for using clutch heavily. I started walking 7 kms a day religiously since almost 4 years. Today, I found there is no other medicine or exercise required to keep my legs healthy. Even after driving 2-3 hours city driving in manual, I get no notice of any symptoms of pain on left leg or right leg.

So, suggest to start walking daily for 1 hour to eliminate all ailments

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by amit73

I am surprised by a large number of comments suggesting that we should never coast in neutral, even in manual cars.

There is a huge thread discussing just that topic, let's not get into that here. - Support Team

[prajnya]

Coming back to the topic.

My personal experience is that automatics are as good or bad as manuals.
Both the legs can become numb if they are kept in the same position for long.
I keep shifting my left leg between the dead pedal and keeping by feet flat on the floor.

When waiting at tolls and signals- i put the car in Neutral and press the brake with my left foot just to give some rest to the right one.

[clevermax]

Learning or rather re-learning to drive an automatic with both feet will solve this problem. There are users around here who drives an automatic with both their feet (left foot for braking and right foot for accelerating) and at the same time, they are able to drive a manual transmission car in the same old traditional way.

Once practiced to perfection, I am sure this will not require any adaptation and r-adaptation time while switching between MT and AT. I take zero seconds to currently adapt while switching from MT to AT and vice versa, so using both feet in an AT and coming back to driving an MT normally should also take no time to adapt, if practiced thoroughly.

I am also going to slowly transition into using both my foot to drive my AT car. This is the future and there is no reason to carry on driving an AT with the same old way which only uses the right foot.

[noopster]

I think enough has been said about the OP's tendency to slip the car into neutral etc. so will focus on the original problem: his right leg hurts after operating an AT and whether anyone has faced a similar problem/how they have tackled it.

I have been driving automatics almost exclusively for a decade now and these are my observations:
- Ability to sit for long hours at a time in the same position without problems is directly related to your fitness levels. Do moderate exercise every day and take occasional breaks from driving to walk around (say every 3 hours). You should be fine.
- Stay hydrated to avoid cramping.
- Sit closer to the wheel. If you are in the habit of sitting with arms outstretched and legs almost straight, you may experience fatigue in the legs faster. Try pulling up closer to the steering wheel and keep your knees bent at close to a right angle. Do this for a short period even if this is not your regular driving position- it could relive some discomfort.
- Bolster your under-thigh support, say by placing a thin cushion on your driver seat.
- If you have cruise control, try and use it on those long boring highway stretches when you are just coasting at 100. I used to do this on intercity drives in NZ when I was there. You can stretch or even fold the right leg (make sure you can unfold it quickly! ) and give the leg some relief.

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Having driven manual since 2009, shifting to Automatic is turning out to be a new learning for me honestly -

1. Left foot was not a problem, got used to keeping it still in first 5 - 10 minutes
2. This thread has also provided ample clarity on using P, N etc. when the car is no moving

The biggest revelation has been how the accelerator pedal impacts the gear changes and therefor 'smoothness' of the drive.

My current ride is 10 speed Endeavour, and learning the impact of throttle on gear shifts is an interesting aspect that I am experiencing. Few things that I am still learning -
1. Being linear and possibly gentler in pressing the throttle
2. Understanding when the car upshits and slightly releasing the throttle to allow it do so
3. Using the downshifts well for quick acceleration / overtaking bit not releasing the throttle midway to prevent the car from upshifting!

I feel there is a bit of learning curve here for me. Any more tips? or I am overthinking this stuff!

[UPS_Guru]

Originally Posted by clevermax

...This is the future and there is no reason to carry on driving an AT with the same old way which only uses the right foot...

The idea is either your foot is on the brake pedal (to slow or stop) or on the accelerator pedal (to move), and one foot to control both the pedals makes the process easy and safe (in both manual and automatic cars).

In an automatic car, if you use your left foot for the brake pedal and your right foot for the accelerator pedal, what'll happen if you slam both at the same time? I don't think the vehicle will stop or slow down the way you wanted it to happen. Beginners who use both their feet to control the pedals have often gotten into trouble either through an abrupt stop or an unexpected quick move. Therefore, I highly recommend using only one foot while driving an automatic car.