2017~2024 Extended Idling In Traffic

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2020 CX-5 Signature Azul Metalico
When you are stopped in a traffic jam and idling is it better to be in neutral rather than in gear or does it make no difference to the motor?
 
Should make no difference. If stopped for a long time i put in in neutral so i don't have to worry about keeping my foot on the brake. EPB can be used on slopes.
 
When you are stopped in a traffic jam and idling is it better to be in neutral rather than in gear or does it make no difference to the motor?
I’d shift to neutral if I “expect” the stop is longer than 1 minute. If in doubt, I always shift the gear to neutral. I hate the pull feeling by the transmission and the “forced” slippage within the torque converter which definitely will generate more heat and increase the brake wear.
 
Thank you for the confirmation yrwei52 that's exactly what I was thinking
 
I agree with Yrwei52 except that if I anticipate the wait to be longer than a couple of minutes I shut the car off. I have a train crossing near my house and this happens quite often.
 
The initial Skyactv Transmission technical/marketing info was that the transmission put itself in neutral when stopped with the brake applied(and the engine/transmission at operating temp, not on a hill etc) to save gas. It would reengage when the foot came off the brake but before you got your foot on the gas pedal. I think my 2013 did but not so sure about my 2020. My 2020 does increase the idle speed about 200 rpm when stopped at a light and the brake is released to be more responsive to the anticipated gas petal increase, at the same time I think it reengages the transmission...
 
The initial Skyactv Transmission technical/marketing info was that the transmission put itself in neutral when stopped with the brake applied(and the engine/transmission at operating temp, not on a hill etc) to save gas. It would reengage when the foot came off the brake but before you got your foot on the gas pedal. I think my 2013 did but not so sure about my 2020. My 2020 does increase the idle speed about 200 rpm when stopped at a light and the brake is released to be more responsive to the anticipated gas petal increase, at the same time I think it reengages the transmission...

First I heard of this...
 
The initial Skyactv Transmission technical/marketing info was that the transmission put itself in neutral when stopped with the brake applied(and the engine/transmission at operating temp, not on a hill etc) to save gas. It would reengage when the foot came off the brake but before you got your foot on the gas pedal. I think my 2013 did but not so sure about my 2020. My 2020 does increase the idle speed about 200 rpm when stopped at a light and the brake is released to be more responsive to the anticipated gas petal increase, at the same time I think it reengages the transmission...
First I heard of this...
From what I’d read on these initial document of SkyActiv-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission, it didn’t mention any of this either, transmission put itself in neutral when stopped with the brake applied. It only said the transmission uses lock-up multi-plate clutch in torque converter to transmit power at the speed over 5 mph, and the lock-up clutch will engage for every gear. This will reduce the slippage of the torque converter hence it achieves direct-drive feeling like the manual transmission and saves gas.

In fact, shifting the gear into neutral when the vehicle is stopped saves very little gas. The main benefit of doing this is to reduce the heat by slippage in the torque converter, and reduce the brake wear.
 
The neutral shift strategy was in the transmission theory part of the service manual - old engineer here I like to read technical stuff...
You use energy to generate heat. If in neutral you can idle at the same rpm with less fuel than if the engine is dragging the torque converter.
 
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