Can the S gear be used at a speed of 120 km/h?
3 Answers
It is possible to shift to the S gear when driving at 120 km/h, but there is no need to keep it in S gear all the time. Correct approach: When driving on the highway without the need for strong acceleration, you can choose to use the D gear for normal driving. If you need to accelerate quickly or overtake, you can directly shift to the S gear and then return to the D gear after completing the overtaking. Reasons why it's unnecessary: The S gear is the sports mode of the car. In this mode, the transmission can shift freely, but the shift timing is delayed, keeping the engine at high RPM for a longer time, allowing the car to run at low gear and high RPM for an extended period, thereby achieving greater torque output and acceleration. However, the S gear only delays upshifting without changing other operational aspects, which inevitably increases the transmission load and temperature in the short term, leading to accelerated wear. Therefore, try to avoid using the S gear for extended periods. In terms of fuel consumption, since the fuel injection increases at high RPM, the S gear mode consumes significantly more fuel than the normal mode. Generally, the S gear is used for overtaking and climbing, where the car's performance will be more effortless and decisive. Prolonged use of the S gear will obviously increase fuel consumption, so when driving on the highway and needing to overtake, you can shift to the S gear. Precautions for the S gear: The best choice when going downhill is to shift to the S gear. Especially when the downhill distance is long and steep, shifting to the S gear can utilize engine braking to avoid continuous braking, which might lead to brake failure.
I often drive at 120 km/h on the highway and have used the S-gear without any issues. The S-gear is the sport mode, which makes the engine rev higher, giving the car more power and making overtaking particularly smooth. However, using the S-gear for extended periods on the highway will consume more fuel because the engine maintains higher RPMs. I remember once driving over 100 kilometers on the highway in S-gear and noticing that fuel consumption was about 10% higher compared to D-gear. The vehicle manual recommends using the normal D-gear for cruising to save fuel. My suggestion is to use D-gear for daily highway driving as it's more economical and comfortable, but switching to S-gear temporarily for quick responses, such as during emergency acceleration or uphill sections, is also safe.
Shifting to S mode at 120 km/h is absolutely thrilling! The engine sound becomes more exhilarating, and the car responds lightning-fast, especially when you're enjoying the drive or overtaking on the highway—it gives you a greater sense of control. At high speeds, S mode keeps the engine at higher RPMs, meaning acceleration gets a significant boost. I've tried it in different car models and found that using S mode at 120 km/h works well, though the fuel gauge drops noticeably faster. If you're just looking for relaxed cruising, D mode is the steadier choice. In short, occasionally using S mode at high speeds is fine, but don't keep it engaged for too long, or you'll see higher fuel consumption and potentially increased engine wear.
