There are all sorts of codes on your car, but what do they mean? When you see the word D3 on your car, it usually means driving 3 Additionally, this could be written as DRD3 or DR3 depending on the manufacturer.
It is a gear that makes it possible to lock it in the third gear to stop it from shifting between gears.
Depending on the conditions of the road, the third gear is very important. It is handy in various conditions most especially when you are driving down a hill.
If you want to know more about gear 3 and its usefulness to your car and how it can be used to drive safely on the road, keep on reading.
What Does D3 Mean In a Car
D3 might mean that your car is fitted with a gear that makes it possible to engage the three gears in your car. The three gears are named gears 1,2 and 3.
It provides an amazing driving experience for drivers especially if you are driving in a busy environment.
It helps rev up your vehicle when you are trying to overtake another vehicle especially when it’s at a slow speed.
The gears are known to serve different purposes and also ensure your car components do not wear out on time.
D3 can stand for several things. For example, it may mean that a vehicle is fitted with daytime running lights which assist in making sure you are visible to oncoming traffic and other motorists.
Many cars these days use an electronic control unit called a DCU to deal with all their electronics. The acronym DCU stands for Data Control Unit but is often shortened to just ‘DCU’ in practice.
What does it mean when you see a Nissan car with ‘D3’ on it? It means that the vehicle is fitted with daytime running lights and should be bright enough to help other motorists in making sure they don’t collide with you. This can be particularly useful if your Nissan car has LED daytime running lights, as these are super-bright.
How to Use the D3
The D3 is used in making the tires of your vehicles run faster than the engine does. The D3 exceeds both the D2 and the D1.
It is mostly used when you intend to overtake another vehicle by increasing the speed of your vehicle.
You can use D3 by setting the gear shift to D3 after you must have been driving that is.
In some cases, however, you can simply deactivate the overdrive and force your vehicle into lower gears.
The D3 will end up boosting your engine power to be around 5500 RPM.
It Is used to provide more power in certain driving conditions and provide a broader RPM as we earlier stated.
The D3 gear is limited to the third gear but it can also make use of both the first and second gear as well.
It helps you in saving fuel and providing more efficiency during driving.
When to Use the D3?
The best time to use D3 when driving includes:
- When driving down a sloppy hill, just engage the D3 gear to help you in slowing down your car a little so you do not end up losing control of the car. Making use of D3 will reduce the pressure that you normally would have applied to the braking system.
Reduced pressure on the brake system will ensure the brake pads ain’t overheated and also help in keeping your vehicle speed in check.
- D3 helps to keep the transmission from shifting into overdrive, so it is best to use it when you want to gain speed by driving uphill as well.
- It helps keep vehicles from slipping between gears, it, however, helps your vehicle to retain control by providing more traction especially when you are driving on a slippery road.
- When carrying heavy luggage, it is best to use D3 and keep the pressure off your brake pad as too much pressure will lead to overheating as well as brake wearing out quickly.
Why Use The D3?
The D3 can be used for a different number of reasons. Reasons range from saving fuel to minimizing brake wear. While it is costly to replace most brake pads, there is a way you can avoid doing that by taking proper care of the brake pad.
For instance, when driving down rough terrain, consider putting your car in D3 and less the work on the brake while increasing the work for the engine to carry out.
Additionally, it helps increase your throttle response time and also provides safer driving dynamics as using the D3 mode gives you more control over your vehicle.
You can as well use D3 on the road when you need to pick up speed. It is mostly used when you need to do a little city driving. D3 will help in keeping your car from slipping among other things.
Advantages of using D3
There are a lot of advantages to using D3 for driving and we will be looking at those advantages below:
- Using D3 will provide you with a better throttle response and it is the ideal gear for driving in the city as it will at slow speed give you better RPM.
- Using D3 will keep you safer, and save you some money that you might need to spend on repairs to your brake when you overuse it most especially when you are coming down a hill. D3 makes use of engine brakes saving you from the overuse of your vehicle’s pedal preventing it from overheating and wearing out.
D4 vs. D3
We will shortly be looking at D3 vs. D4 and understand what it means so we can be able to choose the better of the two for driving. Or better still to understand the different scenarios we can make use of them individually.
First and foremost D3 is used mainly for normal driving to take the pressure off the pedal while D4 changes the gear ratio.
D3 is the ideal position for a stop-and-drive situation most especially in the city. It is suitable to use when you are ascending and descending a hill.
D4 on the other hand is better for freeway driving. For instance, driving from one city to the other.
Normally, D3 removes overdrive and makes use of only three forward gears, and will not allow any car to shift past the third gear.
You can also decide to make use of D3 when you are driving in icy or snowy conditions.
It allows you to control your momentum by making use of engine braking.
The D4 is used for stop-and-go situations and makes use of the first four gears, however, if you take a critical look at both gears, there are not many differences between them.
Should I drive in D or D3?
It is preferable to drive in D rather than D3 as D3 should be used when you are going up or down a steep hill.
Using D3 in that situation will enable you to use your gas pedal less.
When you use D for driving, you are telling the vehicle transmission to pick for itself whichever gear it feels is most likely suitable to that driving conditions at hand.
While D3 makes use of the first three gears and it is also used for driving in and around the city.
With drive, you let the transmission do the whole selection process when it thinks it necessary while with D3 you make the decision yourself.
Does D3 make your car faster?
Nope. Driving in D3 will not make your car go any faster than it is already going.
The D3 functions with gears 1,2 and 3 and it will only accelerate faster when it reaches the highest RPM.
D3 will provide engine braking when you are going down a steep hill and at the same time also keep the car’s transmission from cycling between the third and fourth gear.
But when in D3 you can make your car go faster by pressing down on the accelerator pedal.
Is it bad to drive your car in D3?
It is not bad to drive your car in D3 mode if you are using it under the right conditions. Like driving when going up and down a steep hill as it provides optimum speed in a stop-and-go situation.
But it is however not ideal to drive in D3 mode when driving on a highway.
In addition, you can decide to drive in D3 under rainy conditions as it helps you have more control of the vehicle, as D3 allows you to drive in a lower gear, allowing you to gain more traction by stopping the wheel from spinning faster.
ALSO SEE: What Does The + And – Mean In A Car Gear Shift?
Can you switch from D to D3 while driving?
Yes. It is possible to switch between D and D3 while driving, but to be on the safer side, it is best to slow down before you switch.
Most cars allow the driver to shift from D to D3 while driving.
It is even easier to do especially if you are using an automatic transmission car.
It is important to check if your car can make the switch between D and D3 while driving, you can do that by checking the vehicle’s manual.
Some scenarios you can shift from D to D3 are when it’s raining or when you are going up and down a steep hill, or when you are driving in and around the city.
What does D 1 2 3 mean on a car?
The D 1 2 3 gears can be used in the place of brakes.
The D1 is used mainly if you have a lot of heavy luggage to transport, or the condition of the road is not palatable, for instance, driving in muddy terrain, in rainy conditions, or snow.
D2 is just like D1 and can also be used in the aforementioned conditions stated above, it helps in keeping your vehicle’s wheel spinning.
D3 is a range that came with the advance of overdrive. It is fitted with torque converter lock-up and engine braking to keep the brake from wear and tear and also overheating.
The D3 will lock out the fourth gear keeping the gear ranging from 1 to 3. It can be used as a manual kick down and it helps to keep the pressure off the brake saving you money for brake repairs or maintenance.
Is It Safe To Use D3 Gear On The Highway?
No. It is not in any way safe to use D3 on the highway, this is because using D3 will usually enable engine braking while you are driving up and down a steep hill taking the pressure off the brake.
It provides speed in a stop-and-go kind of driving and this is the driving that is done in the city area.
There are however several benefits of using D3 while driving on some not-so-good road conditions.
The D3 engages and locks down D3 so the vehicle will be unable to shift between other gears.
With D3 you can get the best driving experience with not many good road conditions. You will enjoy your driving experience in D3 mode when you are driving up or down the hill.
How Fast Can I Drive In D3?
You can drive at an Optimum speed of 20 to 30mph. In situations like stop and go like city driving is where you might get the optimum speed when it comes to driving.
Driving in D3 however, will not make your vehicle go faster any more than it actually would.
The work of a D3 is to prevent the vehicle from shifting into the fourth gear or higher. It will not make your car go any faster, it will just ensure you drive comfortably and more efficiently in certain environments.
Do all Automatic Transmission Vehicles have a D3 Gear?
No. Not all Automatic transmission vehicles were equipped with a D3 gear, consult your car’s manual to find out of your vehicle has a D3 gear or not.
How does D3 affect maximum speed?
D3 affects the maximum speed because it limits the car to the first three years which are gears 1, 2, and 3.
It is useful for driving down and up steep hills, slippery roads, muddy environments, and driving in a stop and go situations.
How does D3 affect fuel efficiency?
D3 affects fuel efficiency negatively because the lower the gear, the higher the RPM is, and the higher the RPM, and the higher the RPM, the more torque produced by the engine and the more fuel it will consume.
To make it maximize the fuel efficiency, you should simply try and be shifting to higher gears, start by shifting to second gear by 15mph, and at 30 to 35 mph you should have been on the top gear.
Cars with a D3 Selector
Some cars came with the D3 selectors and they are:
- Honda Pilot
- Honda CRV
- Honda Ridgeline
- Honda Civic
Is D3 for uphill?
Yes. D3 can be used when going up and down the hill irrespective of how steep the hill might turn out to be.
The D3 as we have started repeatedly can be used for towing, ascending, and descending hills, it uses an engine brake and stops the vehicle from shifting between gears.
What Does D3 Mean In A Honda Civic?
In Honda Civic, D3 means drive 3 and that means that the car is using the first three gears, that is all there is to it.
When in D3, the tyranny doesn’t upshift into 4th gear, allowing you to wind out of the third gear. According to the user manual, it is best to use D3 for rain. When in D3 you are telling the transmission that the highest gear is 3 and it won’t shift into any gear higher than that.
What Does D3 Mean In A Honda Accord?
In Honda Accord, D3 is just like the D, the only difference is that it makes use of 3 forward gears irrespective of the current load on the drive train.
It exists to help you cut off momentum when you are going down the hill reducing the risk of overheating your brake by making use of engine braking and it is pretty useful as well.
In D3 mode you will burn more gas as well but it is good when you use it for snow or icy conditions. D3 is mainly used only in special conditions, you will have more information on how to operate your car’s transmission if you read your user manual.
What Does D3 Mean In A Honda Pilot?
Putting your vehicle in D3, you are telling your vehicle not to go above the third gear. In D3 you are preventing it from using higher gears and ending up with a higher RPM and less fuel economy and this is assuming you are going normal driving and not carrying much heavy luggage like towing.
If you use D3 while going down the hill, you are generally making use of the transmission and engine to provide braking instead of the regular brake.
