What does the D gear plus and minus mean?

3 Answers
VanKhloe
07/29/25 12:17pm
D gear plus and minus mean The "+" and "-" signs next to the D gear are unique functions of manual-automatic transmission models, which are used for upshifting or downshifting in the manual mode of the transmission. The manual mode is often marked as M gear or S gear. Many people drive manual-automatic transmission cars in D gear all the time, not knowing when to switch to M gear, thinking that they have to wait until the car stops to switch. In fact, it is not necessary, and you can switch from D gear to M gear at any time. The following is an introduction to the S gear: 1. Introduction: It keeps the engine at high speed for a long time, allowing the car to move at high speed in low gear for a long time, thereby obtaining greater torque output and acceleration. 2. Precautions: Because the S gear only delays upshifting without changing other working links, it will inevitably increase the load of the transmission in a short time, and the temperature will also rise accordingly, and the wear will also increase. Therefore, try not to use the S gear for a long time.
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Mercedes
08/13/25 10:54pm
After driving for over ten years, I've noticed many friends don't understand the plus and minus signs next to the D gear. This is actually the manual mode. Normally, putting it in D gear means automatic shifting, but pushing it to the right allows manual gear control. I particularly love using this on mountain roads: when going uphill, holding the plus sign downshifts early, making the engine roar with climbing power; when going downhill, holding the minus sign keeps it in a lower gear, using engine braking instead of constantly pressing the brake pedal. For overtaking, manually downshifting and stepping on the gas gives a quicker acceleration feel than automatic mode by about half a second. Just remember not to drive at high RPMs continuously—the transmission has a protection mechanism that will upshift automatically. Whenever I talk about this feature with friends, they say automatic mode is enough for daily commutes, but manual intervention really adds peace of mind in special road conditions.
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Carole
10/09/25 2:52am
Last time when I was accompanying my younger cousin for driving practice, he pointed at the +/- on the gear shift and asked what it was for. I demonstrated with my own car: after shifting to D, push it sideways, and the dashboard shows M1/M2 gears - push forward to upshift and pull back to downshift. The transmission won't let you mess around completely; it automatically upshifts at high RPM and downshifts to protect at low RPM. He learned it after just two tries, and manual shifting below 60 km/h in the city was quite smooth. I reminded him of a few key points: downshifting before overtaking gives faster acceleration, using lower gears on long descents saves brakes, and starting in second gear on snowy roads reduces wheel spin. He later texted saying he used this feature on provincial highways and found overtaking trucks much easier - much more responsive than relying solely on throttle.
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