Manual transmission allows for arbitrary gear selection, and low-speed gear can be selected without shifting when pulling heavy objects up and down steep slopes. And automatic transmission usually uses D gear, which will automatically shift up and down. Many people know that when going up and down steep slopes or under heavy loads, low-speed gear should also be selected to maintain high torque or use engine braking. Many people don't know which gear is low-speed and won't engage it. So which gear is the low-speed gear of an automatic transmission car? The markings on the shift panel of each vehicle model are different, some are easier to find, while others are not. Let me explain them separately below.

Some cars have the letters L, 2, and 3 on the gear shift panel, usually located at the back of the panel, which is the low-speed gear of the automatic transmission, which is easier to recognize. L is the first gear, and the gearbox will lock in first gear without upshifting. It can be used on steep slopes. 2 refers to the ability to shift gears between 1st and 2nd gear, and can only be reached up to 2nd gear. 3 refers to the ability to shift gears between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear, and can only be reached up to 3rd gear. Some cars don't have so many low-speed gears, some have only one L, and there are ones labeled 1 and 2. In short, as long as the number or L is written, it indicates low gear. You can choose these low-speed gears reasonably based on the slope size and vehicle load.

Nowadays, many cars do not have these numbers on their gear shift panels because there are many manual and automatic transmissions. Due to the fact that autonomous vehicles can also control their gears like manual transmission, there is no separate low-speed gear available. To shift into low-speed gear, simply switch to manual mode and select a certain low-speed gear, which is also very convenient. For example, when shifting to first gear, the instrument panel usually displays M1, and at this point, the gear will not automatically shift up and manual operation is required. Similarly, shifting to second gear will not automatically upshift, but if the gear is high, the vehicle speed is low, and there is not enough torque, it will automatically downshift. There are many gear options available for manual and autonomous vehicles, similar to manual transmission.

Some people say that their car does not have labels 1 and 2, and there is no manual mode, which may be because they did not find it. Manual mode is usually represented by the letter M, and shifting to M gear indicates manual mode. The upper and lower parts of M are marked with plus and minus signs. Some cars do not have an M and only have an plus or minus sign, which is also manual mode. Any gear with an plus or minus sign on the shift panel is a manual automatic transmission that can be switched to manual mode. The position of the plus or minus sign is in manual mode. Nowadays, there are a lot of automatic transmissions for drivers, and there are also many without an M and only marked with an plus or minus sign. Engage manual mode, push towards the plus sign to shift up one gear, and push towards the minus sign to shift down one gear. How do you know the current gear levels? Just look at the display on the instrument panel, it shows M1 as 1st gear and M2 as 2nd gear. When going up and down steep slopes, as well as when there are many people and goods pulling on the vehicle, the load is relatively high, and the power is insufficient, these low-speed gears need to be used.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2024-5-22