What is the difference between N and P?
2 Answers
The differences between N and P are as follows: 1. Different names: The P gear is also known as the parking gear, while the N gear is called the neutral gear. 2. Different working principles: When the car is in P gear, the gears are firmly locked, and the wheels are also locked. When the car is in N gear, only the engine's power cannot be transmitted to the wheels, but the car can still move by inertia. 3. Different usage scenarios: P gear is used when the car needs to be turned off and parked, while N gear is used for temporary parking without turning off the engine. Here are some precautions regarding the N gear: 1. For vehicles with automatic transmissions, never coast in neutral (N). 2. When shifting from D gear to N gear while driving, the transmission transitions from working to a stationary state, the gear set stops operating, and the oil pump stops supplying lubricant. 3. Due to insufficient lubrication of the gears inside the transmission, the temperature continuously rises. This directly affects its service life and can cause high-speed rotating gears to lack sufficient lubrication, leading to burning and damage to the automatic transmission.
As a seasoned driver with over a decade of experience, I'm often asked about the difference between N and P gears. Simply put, N is neutral, disconnecting the wheels from the engine, suitable for brief use at traffic lights or when towing, but the car can easily roll—never use it on a slope. P is park, which locks the transmission to completely prevent rolling and is essential every time you park, like turning off the engine only after shifting to P. I learned this the hard way once when I forgot to shift to P in an underground garage, and the car almost rolled backward into a wall—scary stuff. Also, N can be used during automatic car washes or coasting in neutral, but never try it at high speeds. Starting the car in P is safer and protects the transmission gears. In short, remember P is for parking securely, N is for temporary disconnection—mixing them up can lead to accidents, and regular maintenance with gear oil checks is crucial.
