What is neutral for on the car's gear shift?

Low is for automatic transmissions. That’s good for steep grades where you need more power at low gears. Killing your engine by trying to power your car up a steep grade in 3rd gear is no good.

Neutral in my world is for getting pushed out of snowdifts.

Automatic or manual transmission? If automatic, you should start the car in “Park” (newer cars will only let you start in “Park”). If manual, start in neutral. Also use neutral to run the engine when not moving. Low on automatics is for climbing steep hills. See ya….Gary/wtf

This website has some information: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5011111_neutral-transmission-work.html

It’s something I’ve always wondered about too because I drive an automatic and I never use it. The last time my car was in neutral, it was in it by accident and I looked like a moron revving the engine and not moving. Luckily, there was no one on the street. :)

@faye that’s what it’s for in my world too!

@DominicX HAHAHA i would have liked to have seen that.

But yeah, if it’s an automatic, then really it’s pretty much useless. Unless you need to push your car off the middle of a busy intersection because the battery totally died or something equally as horrifying (this happened to me last summer and my cell phone was dead so i had to sprint a mile to my dads house it was the worst day ever. just had to get that off my chest) right?

Neutral, in automatics as well as manuals, is also good if you end up towing your car.

Oh, yes, that’s in my world, too. How easily one blocks things.

Neutral was indeed the only way to start the car. If the transmission were engaged the starter motor would move the car instead of turning the engine over. The is no “Park” on a manual transmission.

In my automatic neutral is for when I don’t want to sit at a signal light with my foot on the brake.

THE REAL REASON

It is so you don’t tear up your transmission when going from a forward gear to reverse and vise versa. It is a point in the shift pattern that allow the internal gears to stop before going in the opposite direction

In manual transmissions it allows a free spin area between gears (you have to go through neutral between every gear), before changing speeds, in automatics this is handled by the clutch packs.

Basically neutral lets the motor run without sending any power to the wheels. This, as explained above, is essential in starting a car with a manual transmission and when your car is being pushed or towed or pulled up onto one of those new flat-bed trucks that carry your car to the mechanic. It is also for what @DrBill says. In addition, it is the gear your mind should be in when you are relaxing in a hammock in the shade on a summer day, while sipping a cold beverage.

A wonderful invention, neutral. Life and cars just wouldn’t be the same without it.

What @Darwin said.

I am sure Samantha had to learn to drive stick ( manual). She did not have park (automatic) as an option in those days.

@justn actually, shifting your automatic to neutral at a stoplight is not good for your transmission and drive train. You are better off leaving it in gear and just holding your foot on the brake. For a good source on why, go here.

@Psychedelic_Zebra That’s interesting. I do it mostly because I feel lazy and don’t want to keep my foot on the break.