What is the purpose of the S gear in an automatic transmission?
2 Answers
The S gear in an automatic transmission refers to the sport mode. Typically, the sport mode is mainly used when driving on uphill sections or during overtaking. Here is some relevant information about the S gear: 1. Disadvantages of long-term use of the S gear: If the S gear is used for a long time, it will accelerate the wear of the originally high-speed rotating components in the engine due to the more aggressive driving mode of the S gear. Additionally, in the S gear mode, the engine speed is increased, and the engine operates under high load, which results in fuel consumption being directly proportional to the power output. 2. Advantages of the S gear: Although the S gear has an impact on the engine, it also has positive aspects. For example, when driving in the S gear, the engine injects more fuel to maintain power output.
After driving automatic transmission cars for fifteen years, I've found the S mode to be a truly practical design. In sport mode, the transmission delays upshifts to keep the engine in the more powerful RPM range, which is particularly effective when climbing hills. Once on a mountain road, switching to S mode made the engine noticeably more responsive, making overtaking much smoother. Although fuel consumption is slightly higher than in D mode, when facing conditions requiring frequent acceleration or when wanting to experience more driving pleasure, pressing that small button on the gear lever to switch to S mode immediately livens up the engine RPM. Especially in continuous curves, it automatically maintains the gear most suitable for accelerating out of turns. However, for daily commuting, I still prefer using D mode for its fuel efficiency and quietness.
