What does the plus and minus sign on an automatic transmission mean?
2 Answers
Automatic transmissions with plus and minus signs are manual-automatic transmissions, and the position of the plus and minus signs indicates the manual mode. Here are the specific details: 1. Specific operations for shifting gears with the plus and minus signs: Regardless of the current gear, pushing the gear lever in the direction of the plus sign will shift up one gear. After pushing once, the gear lever will automatically return to its original position, allowing repeated upward pushes to shift up one gear at a time. Pulling the gear lever in the direction of the minus sign will shift down one gear, and continuous pulling will result in continuous downshifting. 2. Automatic transmissions with plus and minus signs indicate that the automatic transmission is a manual-automatic transmission with manual functions: While driving, the gear lever can be shifted from the D position to the side with the plus and minus signs, simulating a manual transmission, and the transmission will not automatically upshift. 3. How to use the plus and minus signs in D position: With the gear lever in the D position, moving it to the right will engage the manual mode. Pushing the lever upward will shift the transmission up one gear, while pushing it downward will shift it down one gear. Note that upshifting has speed and engine RPM requirements, while downshifting does not have such requirements.
Those plus and minus signs are quite common on automatic transmission cars. After driving for so many years, I've found that they represent the manual mode function. After switching to the manual-automatic integrated state, pushing the plus sign means upshifting, and downshifting is done by pushing the minus sign. It's similar to a manual car's gearshift but more convenient. I like using the minus sign to maintain a lower gear when going down steep slopes, letting the engine assist with braking to prevent brake pads from overheating. Or when overtaking, quickly downshifting to accelerate gives much faster response. It can also be used in daily city driving to avoid jerky gear changes caused by the transmission randomly shifting. Just remember not to operate at low speed with high RPM for extended periods to prevent engine wear, and switch back to automatic mode promptly after operation for peace of mind. Here's a little tip: when driving long distances in mountainous areas, manually controlling the gears can enhance a sense of safety and stability.
