Automatic transmission at traffic lights

bazz26

Always leave it in Drive, have an electronic parking brake with auto hold so it doesn't move until I touch the accelerator again. Almost never use Neutral.

_Kaiser_

I always leave mine (and I've had several automatics now both DSG-style and traditional) in D with ny foot on the brake.. or if I'll be there a few mins I might put on the parking brake (in my current and last 2 cars this is electronic and automatically releases when the accelerator is pressed)

Causes no issues that I've seen and the advantage is you are usually halfway through the junction when other cars are only starting to roll.

JBokeh

Leave it in drive, or stick it in park if you want to frighten the people behind you when your reverse lights flash on.

Theres a function in my brothers car just for traffic lights, it is called launch control, not to be used when you're second in the queue

Stephenc66

32yrs years of driving automatics and I don't think I have put one in neutral when stopped at lights and never had a problem

Melodeon

vintagevrs wrote: »

The best thing is use your left foot to brake, and keep revs at around 3k rpm with your right foot. This will ensure that engine doesn't get too cold and sounds really cool to any passers by. Keep an eye on the other set of lights that are green and wait for them to change to red. This is time to increase revs to 4.5k rpm as your light is about to change. As soon as the red light goes out, release your left foot from the brake and away you go.

*I am not a mechanic, and have no qualification in the internal mechanics of gearboxes.

Just in case anyone might take this seriously, this technique might be better employed at these sort of traffic lights :

frozenfrozen

I would have always thought that it would be better to go into neutral rather than staying in drive but it makes sense now when it's put that way. I've never owned an automatic so I haven't done any damage with my other thinking anyway.
I have no issue with staying in first gear with the clutch all the way in at lights either, unless I know I'll be stopped for longer than 10 or so seconds. So there's no way the wear would be worse than that in an auto with torque converter.

What about CVT or DCT? I presume it's the exact same deal?

I was watching a guy doing a long term review of his porsche gt3 and he had to pull both of the gear paddles in and hold them when coming up to a full stop, so the car would drop into neutral. No way could I deal with something as clunky as that especially in such an expensive car.

freddieot

I keep mine in drive with my foot on the brake. If I know I'll be stopped for a very long time then I press the Hill Stop switch which allows me to take my foot off the brake. Those situations are usually rare.

If there was an accident ahead or something like that and I expected a very long delay then I'd use park and the handbrake. Don't see much real need for Neutral except to go through an automatic car wash with the engine running.

Boskowski

marmurr1916 wrote: »

Neutral, handbrake on.

lol, is that the same logic people apply when driving at dusk with parking lights on, to save electricity?

Mycroft H

First car at the lights? D with the footbrake. Anywhere else? N with handbrake.

vintagevrs

I am astounded at the amount of people that put their auto into N when stopping for a light. A DCT/DSG style box will have the clutch disengaged so no issue as far as I am aware. Can't see any issue on a torque converter auto either.

It would be a pain in the ass doing that all the time.

goz83

koutoubia wrote: »

If it's the W211 model I would be worried about the lifespan of your SBC module as it has a limited life before shutting down.
Also when your Parking hold is on your brake lights are lit up.

This is true....the brake is applied after all.

Mycroft H wrote: »

First car at the lights? D with the footbrake. Anywhere else? N with handbrake.

I hate when the hand brake is down beside the foot brake. It's so awkward squeezing into the foot-well to get my hand to it.



parking brake

alwald

I always keep mine on Drive, I never used neutral in all the automatics that I drove/owned...having said that there is a risk in case the car behind you will hit you and you are injured or under shock then what will happen? most likely your car will hit the car in front of you because the gearbox in on D and there is no handbrake and then if the insurance will find out that you were at a traffic light and that you didn't use N and handbrake what will happen?? well I am unsure about this to be honest.

For convenience I leave it on drive but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

shietpilot

alwald wrote: »

and then if the insurance will find out that you were at a traffic light and that you didn't use N and handbrake what will happen?? well I am unsure about this to be honest.

Hardly now.

If you can pass a driving test while keeping the car in drive then is no way in hell an insurance company won't pay out because you were in drive :pac:

That's like saying the insurance company won't pay out because your radio is on and distracted you :rolleyes:

Falcon L

My current and last cars both kicked out the drive when stopped in D. Taking the foot off the brake brings it back in.

hoodie6029

The most important reason for applying the handbrake or putting the car in park when stopped is being missed here.
If you are hit from behind your handbrake stops you from rolling out of the junction or into other cars. If you are in drive and you are hit you foot will come off the brake and you will roll forward, possibly hitting cars/people and causing more damage.

alwald

shietpilot wrote: »

Hardly now.

If you can pass a driving test while keeping the car in drive then is no way in hell an insurance company won't pay out because you were in drive :pac:

That's like saying the insurance company won't pay out because your radio is on and distracted you :rolleyes:

Well I read about situations where they calculate the distance between 2 cars and the speed to understand why the accident happened, for instance if there is 2 meters between my car and the car in front of me then having the brake on and the gearbox on N would prevent my car from hitting the car in front me in case my car is hit from behind, same logic can be applied to leaving the gearbox on D and no handbrake. Some cars now are equipped with external cameras and as such distances can be calculated......yeah I know it's not easy but its possible and the insurance would do so if the bill is expensive.

JoeA3

Another DSG here and it's coupled with an auto handbrake. I've never put the car in neutral and I've never applied the handbrake

I pull up to lights and lightly press brake. I don't need to keep brake pressed. Auto hold kicks in (and rear brake lights stay lit, probably to the annoyance of some behind me).
Touch accelerator again and auto hold disengages and away I go.

bmwguy

I put mine over into sport setting if I am first at the lights for an even more impressive getaway 😂

Only messing I leave it in drive usually, sometimes I put it in neutral if I think I'll be there a while but never really thought about it that much.

gctest50

hoodie6029 wrote: »

,,,,,,,,
If you are hit from behind your handbrake stops you from rolling out of the junction or into other cars.

maybe

jca

alwald wrote: »

Well I read about situations where they calculate the distance between 2 cars and the speed to understand why the accident happened, for instance if there is 2 meters between my car and the car in front of me then having the brake on and the gearbox on N would prevent my car from hitting the car in front me in case my car is hit from behind, same logic can be applied to leaving the gearbox on D and no handbrake. Some cars now are equipped with external cameras and as such distances can be calculated......yeah I know it's not easy but its possible and the insurance would do so if the bill is expensive.

Wha?? The guy who hits the car in the back is wrong, simple.

Boskowski

There is no advantage to putting it into N. There is not less wear in it for sure, its just a thing people make up in their heads. When its a regular set of lights where you're just stopped for a few moments all you'd do is give up voluntarily the advantage of your automatic gear box.

I have a 'regular' automatic, no DSG, BMW 5 series. My owners manual clearly states:

D - use this position for all normal driving.
N - select only if the journey is interrupted for a fairly long time.
P - engage this gear only when the car is standing still. The driven wheels are locked.

jca

Boskowski wrote: »

There is no advantage to putting it into N. There is not less wear in it for sure, its just a thing people make up in their heads. When its a regular set of lights where you're just stopped for a few moments all you'd do is give up voluntarily the advantage of your automatic gear box.

I have a 'regular' automatic, no DSG, BMW 5 series. My owners manual clearly states:

D - use this position for all normal driving.
N - select only if the journey is interrupted for a fairly long time.
P - engage this gear only when the car is standing still. The driven wheels wheel are locked.

Exactly. Putting the system under strain, what a load of hogwash. The car in under plenty more strain while driving along the road or climbing a hill etc.

Del2005

hoodie6029 wrote: »

The most important reason for applying the handbrake or putting the car in park when stopped is being missed here.
If you are hit from behind your handbrake stops you from rolling out of the junction or into other cars. If you are in drive and you are hit you foot will come off the brake and you will roll forward, possibly hitting cars/people and causing more damage.

To be safe I think I'll start chocking my car when stopped at lights then there's no chance it'll role if I'm hit from behind. The forces required to get your foot of the brake would over power the parking brake, the one time I was hit from behind, in a manual, I'd my foot on the brake and clutch and didn't move.

Special Circumstances

Del2005 wrote: »

To be safe I think I'll start chocking my car when stopped at lights then there's no chance it'll role if I'm hit from behind. The forces required to get your foot of the brake would over power the parking brake, the one time I was hit from behind, in a manual, I'd my foot on the brake and clutch and didn't move.

Haha I like it :pac:

jimgoose

One word - transbrake!!

Stinicker

Boskowski wrote: »

There is no advantage to putting it into N. There is not less wear in it for sure, its just a thing people make up in their heads. When its a regular set of lights where you're just stopped for a few moments all you'd do is give up voluntarily the advantage of your automatic gear box.

I have a 'regular' automatic, no DSG, BMW 5 series. My owners manual clearly states:

D - use this position for all normal driving.
N - select only if the journey is interrupted for a fairly long time.
P - engage this gear only when the car is standing still. The driven wheels are locked.

Yes exactly, I'm the same with a BMW 3 series auto, this evening I was just thinking the same thing. I'm driving almost ten years now in an Automatic and like yourself the car stays in Drive 99% of the time.

This evening I arrived at a Railway level crossing and I was the 5th car in the queue and I can sometimes get caught at this railway crossing for up to 5 mins and I was cursing my luck to get caught in it. I dropped the car back into "N" and threw on the handbrake and I remember thinking that stopping at this railway crossing is about the only place I ever do this procedure, I mainly do it as a courtesy not to blind the other driver behind with my brake lights and by being 5th in the queue I had already surrendered the tactical advantage of staying in drive. It took almost 20 seconds after the Railway lights went off and barriers lifted before we started moving and that was with 4 manual (I assume) vehicles in front and then I suspect someone stalled their engine as we moved about 5 metres only to stop before we finally got going.

I often get upto 50-100 metres or further of a headstart at traffic lights when I'm first at the queue by simply having an Autobox and I often barge into tight gaps in roundabouts where no typical manual driver would have fast enough response times to get into.

Voodoomelon

Stupid putting an automatic in neutral. Keep her in D from start to finish. Let the auto parking brake do the rest. No brake lights and quick off the line, everyone's happy.

heroics

had an E class and now a 5 series and always leave it in drive and foot on the brake. changing to N and back just removes the benefit of the auto. I think the only time I engaged N was once in the carwash (I was in a hurry wont be through a car wash again)

jca

heroics wrote: »

had an E class and now a 5 series and always leave it in drive and foot on the brake. changing to N and back just removes the benefit of the auto. I think the only time I engaged N was once in the carwash (I was in a hurry wont be through a car wash again)

I hate using those car washes too, those bloody lances blast away the polish I think. Roll on March and I get my car cleaning regime back on track.

jimgoose

hi5 wrote: »

A traditional auto transmission (torque converter) will not wear when held in drive, all that's happening is the fluid being slushed around inside and that's about it, there is no solid friction.
But changing from d to n creates friction in the selector and the valve body.

The brakes won't wear unless the car is moving, which it won't be at the lights.

Quite right. The other thing that tends to happen when folk flip from D to N and back at traffic lights and/or in traffic, especially with cheaper/older slushboxes, is that the boot goes down to move off before the device has quite finished engaging gear. Now this is hard on them.

The reason handbrake-neutral is taught in manuals when stopped a couple of cars back from lights is so you don't have to keep your foot on the clutch. This is totally unnecessary in an auto, despite what the DSA in the UK had to say about it until recently, at any rate. Just use the parking brake as well.