Drivers have been stunned after just realising what a symbol means in automatic car.
Many of us use our cars a lot throughout the week, some every day, so you would think that we get to know our vehicles pretty well. However, if you only ever drive your own car, and rarely have people ride with you, there may be features in the passenger seats that you had no idea about.
Instead of just never using the feature you are unsure about, or scrambling through your guide book, drivers just realising what it means have explained it online. People have been left stunned after just realising what the meaning of two letters mean on an automatic gear stick
It comes after one individual posted a picture on Reddit showing a gear stick. The post was captioned with the question: "What does the S and B mean in automatic?" Hundreds of people rushed to comment, with many saying they have "never seen it before".
"S for sport B for brake?," asked one.
Another offered their suggestion, and commented: "B is useful for hills and all. It uses engine braking. S is sports." "B is for engine braking, very useful when driving in hilly terrain to save the brakes from overheating," suggested one other.
Another individual explained and said: "S is sport, it typically deactivates the overdrive and torque converter lockup clutch (this may not apply to cars with fancier automatics that use an all-gears lockup) and operates a different shift map which lets the engine rev higher."
They added: "B is brake. It used to be L for low, but on most economy cars like the one you've pictured, there isn't a need for a "low" position, as it would usually imply towing or off road to most people. You would use this position to use engine compression to control speed, like going down a steep hill to not overheat the brakes."
One other, who has the feature in their car, shared: "I don't know about older ones but in my new Corolla it is good for when going down steep hills to 1. Use engine breaking and 2. Charge battery and yes you can shift to it in motion without having to break."
One other added: "It is very common in Toyotas. B for engineering braking. It's super handy on the expressway in Japan. You use the engine brake and then also apply the wheel brakes after. It is very effective and great for wet weather situations."
Some, who have just realised what the symbols mean also commented. One said: "As a manual driver back in the day, I learn something new about older automatics every time they come up. Did not know about the B."
"I've never owned an automatic and didn't know this either," another shocked Reddit user said.
In a guide video, which you can watch in full above, a guide for Toyota explains how to use these different modes in an automatic vehicle.
Toyota states: "S is for sport. If you're driving on twisty country roads and want to keep the RPM up as you wind through corners, the 'S' position is where you want to be. In 'S', the transmission holds lower gears longer for more power as you come out of the curves."
The car company added: "The 'B' position favours lower gears, too, but for a totally different purpose. Just as you might shift a conventional transmission to Low on a long downhill grade; you can shift into the 'B' position to increase engine drag and help slow the Corolla while coasting down a hill."
In other car news, petrol and diesel owners are being slapped with five different "stealth taxes" to stay on the road and use their vehicles, according to a leading expert. Plus, a mechanic has warned drivers not to buy one type of car as it could save you a fortune on fuel charges.
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