The automatic gearshift has many letters that indicate operation. The letters can sometimes be confusing for drivers today.
Maybe you are one of the people asking yourself, what does “L” mean on a gearshift ? When you understand this gear, you will be able to use it appropriately.
In this article, I will help you understand more about the L gear. I will also show you what the other gears listed on the shifter are and when you should use the L option.
What Does The L Mean On A Gear Shift?
The “L” on your gear shift represents Low gear, equivalent to first gear on manual cars, differing with models. In L, the transmission won’t shift to the higher gears. It stays in L so that for greater engine power, you’ll have less speed; you have that amount of torque power and control for as long as the engine is harnessed.
When you accelerate down, the engine sends pure energy to the wheels. This amount of force doesn’t produce as much speed.
Low gear isn’t used very often because generally, the engine can shift itself into first gear, when needed. However: there are right times that one may want to MANUALLY shift the car into first gear.
Automatic Transmission Gears: Understanding P, R, N, D and L
When you look at the automatic gearshift, you will see several letters. Most automatic transmissions are likely to have a P, R, N, D, and L. Below is what each letter means:
- P (Park) – Keeps your vehicle from moving
- R (Reverse) – Used to back your vehicle up
- N (Neutral) – Disconnects the engine power from the wheels and is used when your vehicle is being towed or pushed
- D (Drive) – Transmission can shift freely while moving
There may also be the Low gear I spoke about above.
When to Use Low Gear?
#1. Climbing a Hill.
When driving up a hill, you want to get as much power out of your vehicle as possible – speed is not important here.
We want torque and not speed. By dropping into low gear, you minimize the load on the engine while optimizing your power – this is the same concept as going up a hill on a bike, and utilizing low gears allows you to climb uphill with much less effort.
#2. Going Downhill.
It is not just going UP the hill, but going DOWN the hill that you can benefit from L gear; again, you will decrease the amount of breaking you will use.
Rather than riding your vehicle brakes down the hill and overheating them, you can use the way down as an engine brake, but again, when going into L gear you have to be sure that you don’t put the vehicle in L and go down a steep grade and then try to accelerate.
The high-revving engine creates resistance that slows the vehicle down; and is the same concept truckers use when they downshift and use their engine brake down the mountain side.
However, this may not work, again, depending upon the automatic transmission used in either the vehicle or the tow vehicle – be sure to reference your owner’s manual for your vehicle for such uses.
#3. Towing.
If you tow, low gear is your new best friend. If you are on a trip with your trailer or boat, and hauling heavy loads, the low gear will come in useful.
With the transmission in the low gear, you will have added torque – giving you additional pulling capacity, and less stress on the engine.
You should still reference the owner’s manual for your vehicle and the towing guide provided by the manufacturer to check how fast you are allowed to go with the low gear. You do not want to exceed what the limitations are on the low gear and unfortunately do permanent damage to your vehicle.
#4. Bad Weather.
We should all be extra cautious while travelling in slippery situations, such as snow and ice. By using the L gear, you can always harness the engine to allow you the safest configuration on the road.
With the low gears, we can drive slowly, but keep torque from the engine. This gives you better gripping capability of the wheels giving you the ability to not spin because that is what gets you in trouble in slippery situations.
Doesn’t the Car Shift into Low Gear Automatically?
Yes! Your car constantly utilizes the low gear without any input from you. When the vehicle is initially started and you go to pull out, it will be in Low gear. It also passes back through Low gear when you stop the vehicle or pull back out at a stop sign or red light.
Low gear is needed for these cases, otherwise the wheels would spin uncontrollably as you take off from a stop. Instead, the engine applies just the right amount of power to your wheels for the specific situation.
If you have an automatic transmission in your vehicle, not only is there no need to shift into low gear for these instances, but allow the engine and transmission to function as they were designed to, to provide the power required at that moment.
How to Shift into L Gear?
If you want to shift the vehicle to the Low gear, follow these instructions.
- While in Drive, lift your foot off the gas pedal and allow your vehicle to decelerate to at least 20 mph.
- Once you are at a steady speed, you can shift to the L gear.
- If your RPMs are spiking too high, you will need to decelerate even more.
When you are ready to let the automatic transmission carry on by itself again, you can shift back out of the L gear by following these directions.
- While in L gear, accelerate until the RPM’s are up to 3,000.
- Shift the transmission back to the D gear to activate the Drive function.
If you want to jump the transmission from a high speed, first selecting the lowest gear could damage the transmission and engine for good.
Always travel at low speeds when engaging the first gear. If you have any doubt, it may be best to check the owner manual to see how slow you should go while in the L gear.