I live in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (at 8800 feet). I own a 2004 Honda Element, automatic transmission, 2WD in great condition.
My questions:
1. Do I need to adjust the element to run with greater effeciency at high altitude? (we moved here from Chicago)
2. Will shifting into neutral when going down a mountain help save on gas?
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Answers by: jeffreyf
On the older carburated engines, this was a necessity as the fuel/air mixture was controled via carburator adjustments. Today, the onboard computer will now compensate for atmospheric pressure differences on the fly.....several time per second. If the vehicle isn't running right, by all means you may need a tune up, but there are no real adjustments to the air/fuel system.
Will coasting down a hill save fuel? the savings per tank of fuel may be little or non-existent. Either way your motor is still running, but you are not putting any load on the motor. Therefore, I will say no. Also, being in neutral will not afford you "engine braking" where the motor is somewhat assisting in controlling your speed. Depending on the grade and speed of the hill, I usually shift to a lower gear so that I don't need to constantly touch the brake to control my speed........the engine will hold you back a bit.