Why does the Honda Accord SE have more than one "Drive" slots when you take it out of "Park"
Asked by Colcbradley Jan 17, 2012 at 06:10 PM about the 2000 Honda Accord Special Edition
Question type: General
4 Answers
because of different driving conditions. select d4 for normal driving, d3 if u need more power when climbing a steep grade or descending and u can select d3 or d2 or d1 while in d4 while driving if need be. going from d4 to d3 might be used when going up a steep grade and your speed and power started to reduce, when u start to descend put it back to d4, or leave it it d3 if u feel it will slow the car down for safe driving. now for d2 and/or d1 you would use that if going down a steep grade or climbing a steep grade, these you usually select from the beginning of driving, but u can go from d4 to d2 or d1 while driving but make sure speed is greatly reduced before doing so. also look at your owners manual and it will tell you all this in detail under transmission area of the manual.
also to elaborate. the d1,d2,d3 when going down a hill, help the car stay in that gear instead of shifting to the next higher gear, helping the car through the transmission - not just with the brakes - from keeping the car from going to fast. u can use this same logic when climbing a hill, it would stay in the lower gear helping you climb instead of trying to upshift to the next higher gear which could bog the engine and lose momentum. you should be using d4 or d or whatever the highest drive is at just about all times. like 99.9% of the time. the other d's are for those very uncommon times you might need them, like driving in the country or off a paved road. again read the manual or look up the manual online and it will go into more detail on how and when to use those other d's. if you do so incorrectly it can ruin the transmission and/or the engine.
Actually, D3 can also be used for city driving (Under 45 mph) for faster acceleration and stopping, as well as better control. I am in D3 unless I am going faster than this or I need to save money on gas, because it does burn through gas a tad faster. I used D2 when driving up in the mountains and on bad snow/ice. Never used D1 before, haven't needed to
What gear do i use to go up a steep hill when i drive my 2018 honda accord sport?
