8_wannabe

Nice to hear RX8 owners haven't cornered the market on stupidity and rudeness.

As far as "No car should just turn off by itself, no matter what the circumstances are" I guess the sole exception is fuel cutout. Of course, it is well-documented and no one shoud rev an 8 without being familiar with the car, meaning you should know and expect that fuel cutout will occur. It is predictable, unlike your expererience. I have only done it twice, both times purposefully, and even though I expected it is still somewhat of a shock.

cumpressor4u2nv

rxeightr

Just get back from our Thanksgiving trek to visit the parents, and find this thread waiting for my response.

My daily work commute takes me over a little mountain. One way the neutral cruise speed is 60 mph for 2 miles, and the other direction for 1-1/2 miles, finally reaching 90 mph.

No stalls here, and my neutral cruizing will continue. Thank you for your support.:p

Nubo

Wow! I'm surprised at the amount of vitriol about coasting. My take on a few points:

1 - The Cal. vehicle code does not seem to apply, and furthermore how in the world is anyone ever going to get cited for "being in neutral"? I realize the 8 has a large tach, but geez

2 - Even assuming fuel drops to zero coasting in gear, neutral coasting could still be more efficient. By coasting in gear you're slowing the vehicle and will have to get back on the gas much sooner. I've driven some routes where you can coast for 2 or 3 miles in neutral - it all depends on the situation.

3 - it takes no longer to get into gear from neutral than from any other gear. I just don't get the "danger" aspect.

I don't see anything wrong with coasting and I'll do it when the grade is accomodating -- meaning a long stretch with sufficient grade to maintain speed but not so steep that speed gets too high. I don't really do it for fuel savings, but more to experience that quiet world-driven speed that is somewhat like being in a sailplane. I wouldn't do it in heavy traffic simply because there are bound to be some speed changes. But on a lightly travelled highway I don't think it's a problem. If I have a need to be in gear I'm back in gear with a flick of the wrist.

I do agree that it's going to be hard to get a dealer to address the issue if it's presented as "the car stalls if I put it in neutral and coast at 85 mph". I would be trying to replicate the problem in other conditions - what happens if you do this at 65 in a lower gear with same rpm - dropping from 4500 rpm to zero?

8_wannabe

Why the surprise, nubo? I don't do it that way, therefore no one should do it that way. Isn't that how things work around here?

BTW, I'm pretty much like you but more and more I am trying to coast in gear in these situations. It takes a real mental shift from the "fun factor" and I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it.

JSTARS PILOT

There is nothing wrong with this driving technique at all, it is safe, it saves gas and engine wear and it is not illegal. Leaving it in gear going down hill is fore MAC TRUCKS because their brakes overheat on a lonmg downhill on a mountain slope. From a pilot standpoint you technique is similar to what I use in a 707 during decent. I wouldn't leave the engines at cruise power and pop the speedbrakes. I go to idle which equals neutral in a car and let gravity maintain my speed. I do the same thing in my Z28 everyday. Hell I go to neutral on steep hill onpurpose to let gravity accelerate me because it is fun. I am in perfect control of my vehicle. My hands are on the controls and my eyes on the road. Anyway, your engine should still run. The car doesn't know it is moving. If it rolled out of the driveway in neutral for some reason you would expect the engine to still run wouldn't you? So, you were rolling down a hill at 80mph it should still run, same as if you were stopped. I know with some V8's like mine turning hard can cause some fuel starvation at idle but I know nothing about a rotory at idle and how it works. I would assume if your car can shut off while rolling down a hill at idle you could duplicate it in the garage in idle by bouncing it or tilting it on jacks or something.

8_wannabe

Yo Pilot, you really fly JSTARS? I write Navy software for JSTARS. Rock on, dude!

Crashunit

Ok sorry for the delay, but I finally took The RX-8 in to get it checked out along with some other stuff, like replacing the oil pan and reflashing the ecu. Anyways, the dealer believes it might be caused by my aftermarket intake. The reason why is because, the MAP sensor on the intake is so sensitive that if it senses there is too much air comming in or there is no filter on the car, it won't even start. So my theory on what is happening to my car is that when I am in neutral going at about say 100 mph, the ram air funnel infront of the car flows all the incomming air into the intake, which causes the MAP sensor to think there is either too much air comming in or there is no filter; and when that happens it shuts off the car. But that is just my theory, since they don't really have an idea to why it was happening. But on a brighter note, for the last 2000 miles I have driven the car, I have tried to see if it would still do it, and it hasnt ever happened again. So maybe the intake wasnt clamp properly or something..... Anyways, they just said to bring it back if it ever happens again.

KYRX8

my car did this to me 3x yesterday and i was not at high speeds. The first time i was going 40 and the 2nd i was doing about 60 and i just threw in in nuetral to coast to the light and it would die. I started watching my driving then and noticed when cruising and i put it in N the RPM would go down and almost hit zero before returning to idle. I watched it die the 3rd time and coming down from 6k rpm the needle went down fast to 0 and stayed there, the car died. Im gonna talk to my dealer this afternoon but was wondering if anyone actually figured this out.. im stock right now

Meowloud

OFFICIAL WARNING:

KYRX8

i know, i just did a search and this was all that came up, that way when i started another topic, which i did hoping ot get response, no one would tell me to search first

zevans

Last time I looked, the drivetrain and the wheels -were- connected, on the other hand, and at the very least you're going to confuse the hell out of the LSD and the DSC. A confused LSD is not a good thing to have when you make a sudden lane change to avoid that deer that just ran onto the highway.

The car expects to be in gear at speed and dozens of things in the PCM will be set up that way. Yes, you go through the neutral position to change gear, but that's not the same thing in terms of engine management.

At the very least, idling at standstill will draw a certain amount of air past the MAF - idling at 80mph will draw a great deal more air past the MAF and that won't be helping. (Yes, I know it's not ram induction...)

Plus when the engine is idle the oil is circulating at idle speed and pressure, which may not help the life of your tranny fluids.

I think other people have lectured enough on how this may be considered unsafe already, so I'll leave that topic.

mtnpass

I concurr, I feel it is an issue that needs to be addressed asap

syntheticdarkness

iTrader: (7)

I know this is old, but I can't find anything else anywhere. My car just did this to me tonight going about 60 mph bout 48 deg outside, going up a small hill I put it in neutral cause my driveway is at the top and I coast to my house since the roads a little rough I don't need to go fast on it, and it stalled so I put it in 5th and it started so I tried again and it stalls when in neutral. Has anyone found out what causes this. Have new coils, plugs, wires, complete tuneup on everything.