Faster in gear than in Neutral
 

umm... my car coasts faster in gear than it does in Neutral. I get up to 45, 46mph shifting through the gears going down the hill near my house without touching the gas during shifts. I get up to 44mph in neutral. What is the meaning of this? Most cars go slower when in gear, not faster! Anyone else's VX do this? :eek:

Every time you're in gear and below the idle fuel cut the engine's essentially idling in gear so you can get a very small advantage from the power the engine makes at ~45mph in yer case.

is it more efficient then to leave it in gear for coasting?

I'm guessing that coasting in N is more efficient, but you'll likely need a SuperMid or similar to verify it.

yeah, I figured as much. Thanks for clearing that up!

It all depends on the gearing. If you are in a high gear and coasting at a reletively low speed, there is much less resistance from engine braking then if you were at a high speed.

As long as I don't put a heavy load on my idle engine - I consume roughly the same fuel idling in gear (moving) than idling in neutral. According to the SG. I can get mid 40's idling in 5th :p

But I need to figure some stuff out as I can't get my car to go into open loop while accelerating (WOT) under heavy load...

Funny story: If I put my mom's car in 5th at 25 and coast I'll slow down, but if I turn on the a/c I can hold 25mph without pedal pressure, :)