Should You Shift to N Gear When Parking with an AT Transmission?
2 Answers
When briefly parking an automatic transmission car, it is acceptable to either shift to N gear or not. There is no right or wrong between N or D; it simply depends on personal preference. Temporarily stopping with the brake pressed while in D gear will not harm the vehicle, as the torque converter inside the transmission is equipped with a reaction wheel featuring a one-way clutch. This component amplifies the torque from the engine crankshaft and does not rotate during engine idling—it only engages when the engine speed increases. Below is relevant information: Automatic Transmission: An automatic transmission is a gear-shifting device that automatically changes gears based on the vehicle's speed and engine RPM, as opposed to a manual transmission. Currently, there are four common types of automatic transmissions in cars: hydraulic automatic transmission (AT), continuously variable transmission (CVT), automated manual transmission (AMT), and dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Classification and Structure: Based on different working principles, the four common types of automatic transmissions in cars are hydraulic automatic transmission (Automatic-Transmission, abbreviated as AT), continuously variable transmission (Continuously-Variable-Transmission, abbreviated as CVT), automated manual transmission (Automated-Manual-Transmission, abbreviated as AMT), and dual-clutch transmission (Dual-clutch-transmission, abbreviated as DCT).
As a veteran driver with ten years of experience in automatic transmissions, I believe this issue depends on the duration of parking. For short stops like waiting at traffic lights for dozens of seconds, there's no need to shift to N (Neutral) gear at all. Just keep the car in D (Drive) gear and hold the brake—modern transmissions come with neutral control functions, making this more convenient. For stops exceeding two minutes, such as waiting by the roadside, shifting to N gear and engaging the handbrake can indeed reduce the burden on the transmission. However, my biggest concern is the risk of the car rolling when in N gear on a slope. Once, I shifted to N gear on a slope to get something from outside, and as soon as I released the brake, the car almost rolled back and hit the vehicle behind—it was terrifying. Now, except for temporarily shifting to N gear when refueling, I prefer to directly shift to P (Park) gear. After all, the transmission is designed with P gear specifically for parking, so why complicate things by frequently shifting gears?