It takes a lot for me to eoc right now. It's just too hard to pull off in busy traffic with an automatic tranny. But if I know it is going to be a lot of slow traffic on a slight downgrade I will kill the car and coast. One time I had a multi light delay on a downhill. I had the engine off for almost 10min.

What's illegal? Being in neutral or leaving it in gear but putting in the clutch? Do you have any links?

Edit, here is a link that demonstrates there is a difference:
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?p=69148#20

I NEVER coast in neutral. Of course sometimes I shift a bit slowly. ;)

Driving in gear with the clutch pedal down is supposedly bad for the clutch.
I don't know the exact mechanics but the designers expect the pedal to be down only briefly - not as a steady state thing.

As for legality, I suspect it's illegal in most states - but who's to know? Just don't be doing 30 where everyone else is doing 50. And don't let it buck when you bump start.

I rarely EOC my car since it's an auto tranny. Sometimes I'll EOC to a long red light or when pulling to a stop at a gas station or some such. In my car, starter replacement is a real PITA so I don't want to be key-starting it all the time.

I do like the simplicity of my 83 Tercel. It apparently does have power steering, but I had to bump start the car in a corner to confirm that one. It really doesn't even need it. I'm now strongly considering removing that belt. Even the brake vacuum assist seems superfluous.

It places extra pressure and wear on the throwout bearing.

Yah, if it is legal, or unenforcable, where you live you'd be better off in neutral.

If you really want to make the roads safer, focus on cell phone users, supposedly talking and driving is as dangerous as DUI:
https://www.wired.com/culture/lifesty.../2006/06/71288

I tried some EOC in my VX lately. After seeing my mileage drop to 42 mpg on this last tank, even with using the shift-light, I think the cold temperature have given me a reason to EOC more.

Carlos,

You could have asked, I'm not that secretive and devious! :D

Same here, and if I can find a "potential energy" parking spot I'll also coast out... at one location I visit weekly, I can leave the parking lot and roll up to the stop sign at the corner, wait for a break in traffic, and then start the engine and go.

Having an automatic, I don't want to risk anything beyond 10, 20, etc. feet. At first I was lamenting not being able to play with EOC, but realistically it would only make a tiny improvement in my numbers. Here's my thinking:

The VW idles at 0.3GPH. Let's say I can manage to NICE-ON coast 1/3rd of my driving time (insanely optimistic, but just for easy numbers). That means I would burn one tenth of a gallon of gas per hour while I'm coasting in neutral with the engine on. That, minus the (admittedly small) amount of fuel needed for restarts and re-topping the battery from running the starter, is absolutely the most I can expect to benefit from EOC. And realistically, the number's probably half or a quarter of that.

In other words, it seems to me that simple NICE-ON coasting gets you most of the benefit, and EOC is incremental. Granted, we all know that a bunch of small increments add up and every tenth or hundredth of a gallon matters... I'm just sayin'.

Sadly, I can't verify the above because of the VW's auto tranny... and if anyone sees anything wrong with my logic, please speak up.

Rick