When buying an automatic car, there are many things to consider. But one thing that might not be on your radar is the gear shift letters. Unless you’re familiar with what they mean, they can seem like gibberish speed-modes.
In this post by The Key Online – OKC, we’ll break down the basics of auto gear shift letters.
Since the car is automatic, it changes most of the gears by itself. You’ll find a few letters on or beside the shift lever. Their order is generally (from top to bottom): PRNDL.
1. P – Park
When you’re parked and not planning to move, this is the setting you use. The parking pawl is engaged, which locks the transmission so the car can’t roll.
2. R – Reverse
The R refers to “reverse” on the automatic gearbox, just as it does on a manual gearbox. As you might expect, this setting is for when you want to back up.
You can shift into the R (Reverse) position when you come to a complete stop. Keep your foot on the brake when shifting into this position. As soon as you remove your foot from the brakes, your car will start to move backward.
3. N – Neutral
This is a neutral setting where the car won’t move forward or backward. You’ll use this gear when starting the car and when stopped on an incline. Neutral is found on the gearshift of both automatic and manual transmissions.
4. D – Drive
This is the gear you’ll use most of the time when driving. It will allow the car to move forward. All you have to do is put the gear selector in D and let go of the brake. Due to the engine’s power, your automatic car will begin rolling on its own.
5. L – Low
In an automatic transmission, this gear is used when going down long hills and is also known as “1st gear.” Low provides more power to the wheels and helps your car maintain speed when going down a steep incline.
There are also a few other letters that may appear on your gear shift, depending on the make & model of your vehicle, but these are the most important ones.
So whether you’re a first-time car buyer or an experienced driver looking to upgrade, you need to know about auto gear shift letters!
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