Should Automatic Transmission Cars Shift to Neutral at Traffic Lights?
1 Answers
Automatic transmission cars should shift to neutral when waiting at traffic lights, and using the handbrake will provide additional safety. More detailed information is as follows: 1. Waiting at traffic lights in D gear with the foot brake engaged causes the passive wheel in the torque converter between the engine and transmission to remain fixed, generating a reaction force on the driving wheel, which increases the engine load. This can be understood as hindering engine operation. As a result, the engine ECU increases fuel injection, leading to higher fuel consumption, which is why you can see a high instantaneous fuel consumption when braking to a stop. 2. It is not recommended to wait at traffic lights in P gear because shifting from P to D gear can sometimes cause the car to reverse, affecting the vehicle behind and potentially leading to a rear-end collision, for which you may also bear some responsibility. 3. Some vehicles now come with an "autohold" function, which is an automatic handbrake. After pressing the button to activate this function, the car will automatically brake once it comes to a stop, eliminating the need to shift between reverse and drive gears, and the vehicle will remain in a parked state. However, not shifting to neutral still poses certain safety risks, such as the car accelerating rapidly if the accelerator is mistakenly pressed, which could lead to a collision. Additionally, the auto start-stop function is also suitable for use at traffic lights, as it helps save fuel to some extent, and the engine, when turned off, does not emit exhaust fumes into the car.
