An Overview of Your Vehicle’s Gearshift
A car’s gear shift is an important aspect of the transmission, which is the key automotive component that “transmits” engine power and torque to the wheels, allowing them to move. Most people nowadays drive automobiles with automatic gearboxes, which can instantly discern what gear is required for the current scenario and driving circumstances using sensors.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the transmission and its function:
- Your engine is running and the crankshaft is spinning at the same time.
- Your car’s crankshaft generates the power required to move its wheels.
- The automatic transmission in your car will change the gearshift and transmit the crankshaft’s power at various torque levels.
- The more torque produced (and the lower the gear), the more power and rotational speed your wheels have.
If your engine didn’t have the gearbox to control the power it sends to your car’s wheels, it would become unruly.
The Gears of an Automatic Transmission are P, R, N, D, and L.
Most vehicles have a gearshift control with the letters “P, R, N, S,” and “L,” as you’ve probably noticed. These all correspond to distinct operational modes and signify different statuses for your transmission.
- The letter P stands for park.
- The letter R stands for reverse.
- The letter N stands for neutral.
- The letter D stands for “drive.”
For one reason or another, all of these modes are often utilized. Park is used to keep your vehicle motionless, Reverse is used to back it up, Neutral is used to push or pull your automobile without the engine engaged, and Drive is used for everyday travel movement.
So, what does the “L” stand for?
While the four gearbox states listed above are the most prevalent, some car manufacturers also provide a “L” mode.
In most automobiles, L stands for “low” gear, which corresponds to a gear setting of 1 or 2 (assuming you know how to drive a manual transmission).
The transmission will not shift normally while the automobile is in low gear. Instead, your transmission will remain in low gear, allowing less gasoline into the engine and reducing overall motor power. You’ll get more engine torque in exchange.
When you press down on the gas pedal, the engine essentially provides a little more raw power to your wheels instead of speed, which might be advantageous in some situations.
When Should the ‘L’ Position Be Used?
Lower gears are used for better fuel efficiency, lower noise, and less engine wear at higher speeds, whereas higher ratios are used for better fuel economy, lower noise, and less engine wear at lower speeds. This is true regardless of the number of gears in the transmission. Lower gears, on the other hand, can be utilized to slow down.
When descending steep hills, Low, which prioritizes usage of the transmission’s lower gears, can be useful because it keeps the engine spinning quicker despite not having your foot on the accelerator. This allows for increased engine braking, which means that rather than utilizing the brakes, the effort required to spin the engine helps slow the automobile down (which can cause them to heat up and fade). This was most likely the primary purpose of the Low position in the early days of automatics.
When climbing steep slopes or driving through sand or heavy snow, however, Low may be advantageous because shifting to a higher gear (which the transmission may otherwise want to do) may stress the engine, causing you to slow down and lose valuable momentum.
Consult the owner’s manual for more information.
What does this mean for your car? The owner’s manual is the best source of information for each car owner. Various vehicles may require different recommendations. If you don’t have your car’s owner’s handbook, you might be able to purchase one online or download one for free.