Automatic cars are a great way to make your driving experience less stressful. Driving a car with an automatic transmission is easier than the one that uses a manual gearbox. Driving an automatic car comes with many perplexities at the start, although all these will be overcome as you continue to improve.
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Automatics are labelled for easy driving and are also a better option when it comes to economizing fuel coupled with lighter maintenance costs as well. However, one thing the first-time driver of an automatic car will find awkward is the disappearance of the clutch pedal and some options offered by the shifter though you still can handle the steering wheel with no hard work.
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To drive an automatic car, follow the steps below;
You can begin by learning what the letters and numbers on an automatic gearbox mean. It’s crucial to know their role and functions to ace the driving test. In the world of automotive, these letters are known as PRNDL (pronounced as ‘Prindle’s). What they stand for are:
P (Parking): to park the car
The P acronym is pretty self-explanatory. Simply it is used when the car is parked. It basically restricts the car from moving in either direction.
A parking pawl (thick metal pin) prevents the transmission from rotating but the car’s non-driven road wheels will continue to rotate freely. For this reason, it is recommended to use the hand brake (or parking brake) because this actually locks (in most cases) the rear wheels and prevents them from moving.
Furthermore, a car should be allowed to come to a complete stop before setting the transmission into parking to prevent damage. Usually, P is one of the only two selections in which the engine can be started with the other being Neutral (N).
R (Reverse)
Shifting to this gear allows you to drive the vehicle backwards. To do that, stop the car completely and choose the R gear after pressing the shift-lock button. There’s no need to do anything while moving from R to N or D, but shifting to the R again will require the use of the shift button.
N (Neutral)
The “N” is an indicator that your automatic transmission is in NEUTRAL or a free-spinning mode. This setting releases the gear(s) (forward and reverse) and allows the tires to spin freely. Most people do not use the N setting unless their car engine will not start and they need to push it or have the vehicle towed.
D (Drive)
The “D” stands for DRIVE commonly referred to as ‘overdrive.’. This is when the automatic transmission ‘gear’ is activated. As you accelerate, the drive gear will apply power to the wheels and progressively shift into higher ‘gears’ as the engine RPM reaches the desired level. As the vehicle begins to slow down, the automatic drive gear will down-shift to lower gears. This is the top ‘gears’ setting on an automatic transmission. This gear is used on highways or when the vehicle is driving at the same RPM for extended road trips.
L (Low): to set a gear at low
L stands for low. When in this mode, the engine will stay in its lowest possible gear ratio, which is basically the 1st gear. Some older automatics lock it in 1st gear but for the modern ones, it will shift up to the next gear at a certain range of revolutions per minute (RPM) to prevent damage and to lessen the stress on your vehicle’s engine and transmission.
As a first time learner, it is important that you stay off the road and carry out test practices in an open field,
A car would be in P at the initial point, this comes from the previous drive. Start the engine by pressing the start button or right pedal with your foot (right) placed on the brake pedal. Place right foot on the brake pedal. With your foot still stepping on the brake, station the shifter to D to move forward, or R to reverse. If you lift your foot off the brake, this will make the automatic cars creep forwards (this helps in low-speed traffic or parking).
It may call for more gas when the vehicle’s running on a hill or desires to move off more rapidly. The gearbox has the ability to automatically select the proper gear once on the move. At the end of your test practices, with your right foot still on the brake pedal, shift to P, turn off the ignition, and alight.
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