Based on the symbols you said, I'm assuming you have a 4-speed automatic transmission. If you don't know what this means, think of it like the gears on a 10-speed bicycle; you have different gears that allow you to peddle really fast to speed up quickly but have a slow top speed, and you have gears that allow you to go at high speeds without peddling fast but it takes you forever to speed up to that high speed. Your transmission has 4 gears it uses to speed you up in a more efficient manner. If left in "D4" (or in most cars labeled simply "D"), your car will shift through each gear as it sees fit. Once you are in top gear (4th gear), it will stay in that gear to allow you to travel at higher speeds without causing the engine ro rev as high compared to the other gears. This saves gas as well as prevents premature engien wear.When you shift ot the other settings, you are limiting what the 'top gear' is. For example, if you put the selector in "2", the transmission will not shift into a higher gear than 2nd gear. This allows you to have more power instantly without having to floor the gas pedal to downshift the transmission. Using these lower settings is hadny when towing something heavy or trying to get out of a stuck situation (ie. mud).The reason "D3" is labeled as is instead of "3" like the other settings is because typically the top gear is an Overdrive gear. What thins means is that it's a gear that's meant to save gas while cruising as highway speeds but is not meant to allow the car to speed up quickly. If you need to pass someone or need power for other reasons while at high speeds, it's typical to take the car out of and leave it out of the Overdrive gear. Driving in 3rd gear really won't harm the engine or transmission like running in 2nd gear would, so they label it with a "D" to say you can "drive" in that gear.Hope that helps.
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10 Nov 2007, 01:16 am
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