# Driving an older car in low gear **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348 "2013-03-30T19:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TStagg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TStagg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TStagg)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/1 "2013-03-30T19:12:44Z")
What happens if you drive a 1984 Mercedes 380 in low gear (d3) for a period of time at a high speed on the interstate? ---
**Author:** ![KiwiME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/0ea827/32.png) [@KiwiME](https://community.cartalk.com/u/KiwiME)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/2 "2013-03-30T19:34:44Z")
Nothing, other than getting somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/3 "2013-03-30T20:02:05Z")
I must disagree with @KiwiME. If you are actually in low gear and are driving at high speed you may overheat the transmission and the engine. Damage can occur to one or both when this happens. Are you sure D3 is “low” gear? I thought D1 was low gear. D3 usually just means that overdrive is locked out in most vehicles. Others may offer more insight since I haven’t seen the D3, D2 and D1 designation for years. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/4 "2013-03-30T20:12:17Z")
You’ll just guzzle a bit more gas. Still nothing compared to my uncle’s 70-something 450SEL: what a hog! ---
**Author:** ![KiwiME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/0ea827/32.png) [@KiwiME](https://community.cartalk.com/u/KiwiME)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/5 "2013-03-30T20:31:47Z")
No so, missileman … German cars and especially Mercedes are famously capable of driving at full throttle continuously and D3 is not an inappropriate gear for the relatively relaxed speed of a North-American interstate. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/6 "2013-03-30T22:02:22Z")
Why did (or would) you do this? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/7 "2013-03-31T04:31:42Z")
It depends on what you mean by “high speed” and “a period of time”. But in my way of thinking, D3 isn’t low gear, at least that isn’t how the gears are usually labeled. D1 is usually low gear. D3 would be one of the higher gears. You’d probably manually shift to D3 driving on a highway, when encountering a steep hill, if you noticed the car was slowing down more than you wanted it to. The gear you drive in isn’t what is important provided the rpm is within a safe range and the engine isn’t lugging, but if you drive in too low of a gear the rpm may excede the red-line rating for the engine. Or even if the red line wasn’t reached, running at a high rpm could result in higher than normal forces in the engine bearings from the intertial forces from the mass of the pistons oscillating to & fro like they do. That could do some damage possibly. But because it was D3, I doubt this is something to loose any sleep over. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/8 "2013-03-31T06:00:23Z")
GeorgeSanJose, I agree with you “Or even if the red line wasn’t reached, running at a high rpm could result in higher than normal forces in the engine bearings from the intertial forces from the mass of the pistons oscillating to & fro like they do. That could do some damage possibly” However there will be some on her that will disagree. They say some engines were designed to run fast and high RPM will do no harm. Just watch, the next post will probably disagree. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 6:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/9 "2013-03-31T06:38:59Z")
If you have an 84 car and are driving in too low a gear…you’ll know it if you are at all familiar with the vehicle. If it’s just one gear off, maybe you won’t notice, but it won 't hurt much either…just a little more wear. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/10 "2013-03-31T08:49:02Z")
Well. D3 probably isn’t Low gear ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/11 "2013-03-31T09:06:25Z")
That car has a 4 speed automatic, so D3 means 4th is locked out. The trans should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/12 "2013-04-01T04:19:15Z")
I suspect there is more to this story… ---
**Author:** ![KiwiME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/0ea827/32.png) [@KiwiME](https://community.cartalk.com/u/KiwiME)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/13 "2013-04-01T05:28:33Z")
Yes, sounds like someone is looking to assign some blame for a mishap… ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/14 "2013-04-01T05:41:37Z")
Look up his other (almost duplicate) question, car’s now in bad shape. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/15 "2013-04-01T07:01:13Z")
I think your car should “take it”. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/16 "2013-04-01T08:23:05Z")
How many miles on this Benz? ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 9:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/17 "2013-04-01T09:19:40Z")
@KiwiME are you suggesting OP is hoping to get a rebuilt transmission out of this? On someone else’s dime? I’m not sure I am reading that between the lines. In any case, we’re not there. Whoever’s pointing fingers is going to have to work it out for themselves. If anybody is in fact pointing fingers . . . But I think it’s pretty much a moot point, because most/all of us agree that the trans, in all likelikhood, sustained no damage. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/18 "2013-04-01T18:33:59Z")
Driving in D-3 should not damage anything. I don’t know why the question even came up. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/19 "2013-04-01T19:24:15Z")
Here’s why the question came up. In his other post, he asked: “just bought a 1984 Mercedes 380SL and was driving down the road. The car stopped on me a couple of times and I noticed I was driving with the shifter at d3. I stopped for a while and now the car won’t start? Did I do something to the car while driving in that low gear?” MUCH different question, wonder why he asked this one. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 8:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348/20 "2013-04-01T20:05:59Z")
T Stagg, I believe an explanation is in order. We’re always happy to help, but you need to be up front with us. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-an-older-car-in-low-gear/78348.md?page=2)