What are the gears in a car?
3 Answers
Generally, there are six gear positions in a car, from top to bottom: P, R, N, D, S, L. The following is an introduction to car gears: 1. P——Parking: Parking gear, starting gear. When you park the car, the gear is in this position, and the wheels are mechanically locked to prevent rolling. 2. R——Reverse: Reverse gear. Used when reversing. 3. N——Neutral: Neutral gear. Used when temporarily stopping. Note that this gear position means neutral, and to prevent the vehicle from rolling on a slope, the brake must be pressed. 4. D——Drive: Forward gear, also known as driving gear. Needless to say, this gear is used when moving forward. 5. Automatic transmission: As the name suggests, the driver does not need to shift gears manually. The vehicle will automatically select the appropriate gear based on the driving speed and traffic conditions.
Based on my over a decade of experience driving manual transmissions, the common gear positions are actually quite distinct. Manual transmissions typically have 1st to 5th or 6th gear, with neutral in the middle, and reverse requiring you to press down before engaging. Automatic transmissions are much simpler: P is for parking and locks the wheels, R for reverse, N for neutral coasting, and D for normal driving. Some cars also have L for low gear when climbing hills, and S for sport mode which keeps the RPMs higher. Recently, when driving a friend's electric car, I found it even simpler - just flick the column shifter down for D gear, twist the knob to reverse, and it even eliminates the P gear button. A veteran driver's reminder: when parking on a slope, don't rely solely on P gear, remember to engage the handbrake too!
The knowledge of gear positions repeatedly emphasized by instructors is crucial for novice drivers. For manual transmission vehicles, gears 1 and 2 are used for starting and climbing hills, while gears 3-5 are suitable for urban roads. Special attention must be paid to not misengage the reverse gear. For automatic transmissions, the basic PRND positions are generally sufficient, but some functional buttons are quite practical: when driving American cars, the L gear can be used for speed limitation on long descents, while Japanese cars' B gear enables kinetic energy recovery. Nowadays, electronic gear levers are becoming increasingly popular, and drivers need to adapt to Mercedes' column shift and BMW's joystick-style gear lever. Key reminder: When waiting at a red light for more than 30 seconds, it's best to shift to N gear, which saves fuel and protects the transmission.
