Automatic Gears

[gsgtsg]

Please excuse my ignorance.

I have always driven my V8 Discovery in gear D, and was wondering when the gears 1, 2 & 3 are used and upto what speeds.

Thank you.

[BogMonster]

You would use them to hold the gearbox in lower gears, for example when descending a hill off road to get more engine braking by forcing the gearbox to hold 1st gear, when towing a trailer or possibly when climbing a steep hill to hold it in a lower gear otherwise sometimes the bxo will shunt back and forth between two gears which can be tiresome.

Using 2 for example, would allow the gearbox to use 1st and 2nd gear but would lock out 3/4 gears, while using 1 will lock it in 1st gear only.

[RRX]

What Bogmonster said, but they are very usefull on the road to save riding the brakes down a hill

[gsgtsg]

1) Can the gears be shifted between D, 1, 2 and 3 whilst the vehicle is moving, or does it need to be stationary?

2) Also, what is the maximum speed to drive at when in these gears?

[BogMonster]

1) Yes shift while moving but obviously don't shift down to 1st at 70mph!

2) Just watch the rev counter to make sure the engine revs aren't too high. As a guide, maximum redline revs in each gear on mine is something of the order of 40mph in 1st, 70mph in 2nd, 100mph in 3rd but obviously you don't drive it anywhere near that

[sotal]

Whilst we're on this subject just a quick question about reverse gear...

What would happen if you were driving down a steep hill, so you put it in 2, you then want to put it back in D but you slip and go to R??

Only asking because a friends dad did it recently in his car and it went bang, would it do the same on the disco? It doesn't seem to have any protection to stop it

[BogMonster]

You would have to be fairly ham fisted to skip three gates on the selector when you were only intending to change one!

When I use 3rd for something (e.g. overtaking) and then back to Drive I just move the lever without pressing the button, most selectors are designed so they will move between 3 and D without pressing the button, to stop going past the gate and into neutral or reverse on a motorway.

Having once rolled a short distance backwards down a steep hill at about 5mph in my old Discovery with the box in D (backing down to hitch up a tow rope), I wouldn't try it again as the noise that came out of the box indicated significant displeasure! I think the later electronic boxes in the D2 have a safety mechanism built in to prevent the box engaging the selected gear.