Summary
- ‘L’ on your car’s PRNDL (Gear Shifter) stands for LOW. It is usually the first and second gear of your car.
- When you shift to ‘L’ mode, your car keeps running in first or second gear rather than shifting to higher gears.
- ‘L’ mode allows your car to safely and comfortably drive through terrains where your car needs maximum torque, power, and a limited speed range.
- ‘L’ is mostly used to drive uphill, downhill, on icy or muddy roads, and in snow.
- Improperly driving or not driving in ‘L’ mode when necessitated by the circumstances may cause damage like the burning of an engine or brakes and severe damage to the transmission.
What Does the ‘L’ Stand for in PRNDL (Gear shift)?
In PRNDL (Gear shift), L stands for Low. L mode is used to drive the car in first or second gear because they provide more torque and power to the wheels. When your car is in D mode, it keeps shifting up through the gears as the speed of the car increases. Higher gears provide more speed to the car but less power and torque.
Torque signifies the capacity to do certain work, and power indicates the fastness of doing that work. In certain conditions, a car needs more torque and power than the speed; L mode is designed to keep the car in first or second gear. As a result, a car can produce maximum torque and power in these gears.
A good rule to remember for passing is: Use the L gear to reduce the speed while experiencing high pulling power and torque. Conversely, use the D mode to increase the speed while encountering low pulling power and torque .
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When & How to Use ‘L’ Mode in an Automatic Car?
A car should be driven in ‘L’ mode in the following circumstances:
- While you are towing something with your car;
- While driving up a hill;
- While being in a situation where your car’s engine stops and your car starts moving backward down a hill;
- To slow down the car when going down a steep hill, as is also suggested by the National Park Service (a government agency of the U.S.A.) [3];
- When approaching a stop sign;
- While driving in snow or on icy or muddy roads
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If you have an older car running at high speed, it will not allow you to shift to ‘L’ mode unless you decrease your car’s speed to a manageable level at which ‘L’ mode works. So never forcefully shift your car from ‘D’ mode to ‘L’ mode, as you will end up damaging the transmission and blowing the engine.
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A mountain road that can be navigated through safely at 55mph or above is not steep, and it is recommended that you should drive in ‘D’ mode.
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Benefits of Driving Your Car in ‘L’ Mode
Following are some of the benefits that you may get by driving your car on ‘L’ mode while road conditions or circumstances require you to use as follows:
- L mode provides the required engine power to safely and confidently tow any other object.
- While driving uphill provides your car extra torque to safely and comfortably get you through hilly areas.
- While driving downhill saves your brakes from getting burnt due to excessive use.
- It reduces the car’s engine fuel consumption level beneficial both for the environment and your pocket.
- In certain circumstances, it saves you from encountering severe accidents.
Consequences of NOT Using ‘L’ Mode of Your Car when Required
It has already been discussed that in certain circumstances and conditions, you must drive your car in ‘L’ mode, or else you may face the following consequences
- You will have a bad driving experience, and chances are that if the terrain is rough and tough, you may not only end up burning your brakes and engine but also damage your car’s transmission.
- If you decide to drive uphill in ‘D’ mode, your car’s engine may stop along the way, and you may have an accident if your car rolls back down the hill.
- If you are not familiar with the use of ‘L’ mode and while being on the highway at high speed you shift your car from ‘D’ to ‘L’ mode, you may not only burn your engine and damage the transmission but also encounter an accident if car’s wheels get locked.
Cost of Repairing the Damage
Not using L mode or improperly shifting to L mode may lead to a car accident, resulting in the burning of the engine and brakes and damage to the transmission. Here is the chart of the average cost you may have to bear due to improper use of L mode.
| Component | Cost of New Component | Labor Cost |
|---|
| Transmission Replacement | $1500 – $3500 | $1000-$2000 |
| Engine Replacement | $3000 – $7500 | $700 – $2500 |
| Engine Rebuild | $2000 – $4000 | $500 – $600 |
| Complete Brake Repair Per axle | $200 – $800 | $200 – $500 |
| Brake Pads Replacement Per Axle | $150 – $300 | $80 – $120 |
Personal Experience
I have had an automotive repair shop for the last 15 years. A couple of years ago, a customer came as he faced an accident with his Toyota Camry 2003. Upon asking the cause of the accident, he told me that he was driving through the steep hills road, which was tough, and he forced his car by fully depressing the gas paddle. With a sudden noise, a car stopped moving forward and instead, losing its grip, started rolling backward, he stated. He further added that the car was stopped by getting crashed into a bus behind him, and thankfully, he received no injuries. Upon checking the issue, I discovered that all of this happened due to a transmission failure. When asked, he told me he was driving in ‘D’ mode. He also said that he has never used ‘L’ mode and has no idea for what purpose ‘L’ mode is used. I told him that he was supposed to drive in ‘L’ mode to drive uphill safely and successfully.
Conclusion
Whether you are driving an automatic or a manual transmission car, you must learn how every function of your car works and for what purpose they are used. Even though you may never need to use certain modes made available on your car’s gear shift, it is important to understand all of them and their purpose to have the best experience, along with ensuring the safety of your life.
FAQs
Yes, you can. But only in the case when your car is not up against a steep hilly, icy, or muddy road. You can also not shift from L to D when your car is towing something heavy and can’t increase its speed. However, shifting from L to D in these conditions causes severe damage to the transmission and burns the engine.
A car should be driven in ‘L’ mode in the following circumstances:•While you are towing something with your car;
•While driving up a hill;
•While being in a situation where your car’s engine stops and your car starts moving backward down a hill;
•To slow down the car when going down a steep hill, suggested by the National Park Service (a government agency of the U.S.A.);
•When approaching a stop sign;
•While driving in snow or on icy or muddy roads.
A car requires excessive power and torque to drive uphill. The first and second gear provides maximum power and torque to your car. When you shift to L mode, it engages the first and second gears according to the speed of your car and keeps your car from shifting to higher gears. That is why it is recommended that you must move to L mode while driving uphill.
Brakes are not meant to be excessively used but rather appropriately. When you use them excessively, they wear out or get damaged. To save your brakes for an appropriate time, you should use L mode to slow down the speed of your car while going downhill. When you shift to L mode while going downhill, the engine stops the vehicle itself to maintain the speed of the first or second gear.
Although modern cars allow you to do this because they are computerized, and when you shift to L, they gradually decrease their speed by shifting from gear to gear and end up in L mode. However, older cars don’t allow you to do this, especially at high speed. This is because shifting gears with force may burn the engine and damage the transmission. Moreover, sometimes it also happens that your wheels get locked, and by losing control of themselves, your car crashes into something.
Each letter signifies the mode in which you can put your car using the gear shifter.(P) Park: You shift to P mode when you park your car somewhere. In this position, your car’s wheels get locked whether the handbrake is applied or not.(R) Reverse: By shifting to R mode, your car activates the Reverse gear.(N) Neutral: When you shift to N mode, your car gets neutral, having the engine and gears disengaged. In this mode, your vehicle can be freely moved forwards or backward, as the wheels are not locked.(D) Drive: When you put your car in D mode, it moves forward by gradually shifting from gear to gear according to speed.(L) Low: When you shift to L mode, a car keeps itself in 1st or 2nd gear.
