What gear to use when waiting at a traffic light?
2 Answers
There are two methods: shifting to N gear and pulling the handbrake, or staying in D gear and stepping on the brake. Below are detailed explanations of gear usage when waiting at traffic lights: 1. Shifting to N gear and pulling the handbrake: The N gear disconnects the power link between the engine and the transmission, and the passive wheel of the hydraulic torque converter in the transmission is also in an idle state. At this time, it does not increase the resistance of the driving wheel connected to the engine, and fuel injection is reduced, making it relatively more fuel-efficient. To prevent the car from rolling, the brake must be stepped on or the handbrake pulled. 2. Staying in D gear and stepping on the brake: This is more convenient when the waiting time is short, as it allows for quick startup and consumes little fuel. However, if waiting at a traffic light for a long time, it increases the load on the engine and transmission, and also significantly increases fuel consumption.
I've been driving for 15 years and am proficient with both manual and automatic transmissions. With manual transmissions, you must shift to neutral and engage the handbrake at red lights to give your left foot a rest and prevent premature clutch wear. For automatic transmissions, you can stay in D and hold the brake for short stops, but it's best to shift to neutral and use the handbrake if waiting over 30 seconds. Once I forgot to shift and after half an hour found the transmission fluid temperature alarmingly high. Especially with start-stop systems - it's fine in D when the engine auto-stops, but keeping D while holding the brake makes the torque converter work continuously, increasing fuel consumption and damaging the car. Be extra careful with AC on in summer - the engine vibrates slightly when stopped in D, but shifting to neutral makes it much smoother.