For the operation of automatic transmission, many drivers are not very proficient and only know to shift to D gear when driving forward and R gear when driving backward. In fact, there are many other gears on the gear shift panel, such as L, M, and S, which are just decorations for most drivers and will not be used until the car is scrapped. Today we are going to talk about the plus minus signs on the panel. These symbols are very common in automatic transmissions. What does this mean? When should I use it?

This question is very simple and basic. Vehicles with plus minus signs indicate that your car is a manual automatic transmission. The position of the plus minus sign is in manual mode, which can be directly pushed from D gear to manual mode. Nowadays, there are many cars with automatic transmissions, and many of them are equipped with them. Most people know that M gear is manual mode, and some hybrid cars have an M gear next to D gear, which has an up and down sign. When you see an M gear, you know it is manual mode. Some cars, due to space limitations on the panel, are not marked with an M at all, only with plus or minus signs. They may be marked up or down in D gear, while others are also marked up or down in S. In fact, this doesn't have any impact. As long as you see the plus or minus sign, regardless of whether it is marked with an M, it indicates that this car is in manual mode and has a manual automatic transmission.

Once we know it's manual mode, we should use it without worrying about shifting gears incorrectly and damaging the gearbox. Because even if you shift into the wrong gear, the gearbox has a protective program and will not execute incorrect commands at all. When driving, you can directly shift from D gear to manual mode without stepping on the brake or releasing the accelerator. After entering manual mode, the transmission will automatically select a reasonable gear. If the vehicle speed and engine speed do not change, the original gear will still be maintained, and then the driver will control it. If you forget to lower the gear, the gearbox will automatically downshift you, and there will be no unreasonable phenomenon of high gear and low engine speed. But you can't forget to upshift, because the gearbox won't automatically upshift.

How to shift gears up and down? No matter what gear you are currently in, pushing in the direction of the plus sign will increase the gear by one. After pushing, the gear lever will automatically return to its original position and can be pushed up repeatedly to increase the gear by one. Pulling in the direction of the minus sign means downshifting one gear, and continuously downshifting means continuously pulling. How do you know the current gear levels? Looking at the display on the instrument panel, it will display M1, M2, M3 and so on. M1 is first gear and M2 is second gear. However, the upshift and downshift should be reasonable, selecting a few gears based on the current engine speed and vehicle speed, and not pushing randomly.

On normal roads, manual mode is generally not used. The most common use is when going up and down steep slopes. When shifting to manual mode, lock it in first or second gear, and use the engine brake to control the speed, which can reduce the pressure on the brakes. For example, there is a large and long slope ahead, and if you keep driving in D gear, you will run faster and higher, and the gear will also rise higher and higher. You can only rely on the brakes to control the speed. If the gear is locked in low speed, the wheels will drag the engine to rotate in reverse, and the resistance of the engine operation will act as a brake, so there is no need to keep pressing the brake, making driving safer. Another usage scenario is when starting on icy and snowy roads in winter, if the wheels slip and cannot start, you can switch to manual mode and directly push to 2nd gear to start, reducing the wheel torque and making it easier to start.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2024-4-22