Lake Elsinore Honda

Jul 18, 2022

Auto Shifter 101: What Do the Letters & Numbers Mean?

Whenever you’re considering buying a car, there are a lot of acronyms and jargon that you need to be familiar with to make an informed purchase. One such acronym is “AT.” AT stands for automatic transmission, which is the most common type of transmission found in cars today. But that’s not all. An automatic gear shifter contains different letters for different purposes. What does it mean? What are the different gear letters, and what do they signify? 

In this blog post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about automatic gear shifter letters so you have the essential gear knowledge when buying an automatic car. Also, visit Lake Elsinore Honda if you plan to buy an automatic car. We offer exceptional deals on new and used Honda cars. Read on!

Importance of Automatic Gear Shifter 

When you’re driving an automatic car, the gear shifter contains different letters that are all important. You can’t just ignore them because they’re there for a reason. The whole point of having letters on the gear shifter is to notify the driver about the car’s position and what gear it’s in.  

What Do the Letters Mean?

These letters usually denote five positions: park, reverse, neutral, drive, and low. Let’s look at each one, so you know what they mean and when to use them.

P Gear 

This position is only used when you want to park your car and turn off the engine. It’s crucial to note that you should only move the gear shifter in P gear when the vehicle is stopped. You’ll know it’s in park because a locking mechanism will engage and prevent you from moving the gear shifter out of this position.

R Gear 

As you might’ve guessed, this position is only used when you want to put your car in reverse. Again, your car must be stopped entirely before moving the gear shifter into reverse.

N Gear 

Neutral is a funny position because it doesn’t do anything. When your vehicle is in neutral, the engine is running, but the car itself isn’t moving. This position can be helpful if you need to coast for a bit or if you want to rev the engine without actually going anywhere.

D Gear 

It is the position you’ll use most often. Drive is used when you want your car to move forward – it’s self-explanatory.

L Gear 

Low gear is used when you need extra power. This position is often used when driving up hills, towing something heavy, or moving through uphill roads since it requires more torque and less speed.

Now that you know what all the letters on your car’s gear shifter mean, you can be confident that you’re using it correctly. Lake Elsinore Honda serving Corona, CA, is an authorized Honda dealership and service center that can help you with your car needs. If you’re looking for automatic cars for sale, visit us for the best deals.

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