What happens when reverse gear is engaged at high speed [Video]

Modern-day vehicles have come a long way when compared to the vehicles a couple of decades back. Nowadays, apart from the various safety measures that go into a vehicle, there are a number of ways a modern-day vehicle differs from the vehicles from older days. Well, one of the mistakes many newbies do is putting the reverse gear while the vehicle is moving forward. Well, what happens when one does that when the vehicle is moving forward? Here is a video that shows exactly the same.

The video by Arun Panwar shows exactly what happens when the reverse gear is engaged when the vehicle is moving in the forward direction. The video shows a Maruti Suzuki Baleno being driven on an empty road. The driver then takes the car to around 50 km/h and then tries to put the gear lever in the reverse position. The vehicle makes a noise but the gear lever does not go into the reverse slot. In the video, Arun, who is driving the vehicle says that he did not put much pressure on the gear lever to slot it in the reverse position.

What is happening here?

Technically, this can be explained in a lot of details and for that, we will need to understand the working of the transmission and how it slots into the gears. Here is a simple explanation of what is happening here. The transmission gets synchromesh and blocker ring unit that have to be at similar speeds to engage. This is why the engine RPM changes when the gear lever is slot into a higher or a lower position. In the case of reverse gear, an idler gear is engaged to put the vehicle in the reverse direction. This is why the transmission will make a grinding noise at higher speeds when trying to put it into the reverse gear.

Because of the idler gear, it is always recommended that the vehicle is completely stopped before putting it in the reverse gear or vice-versa. When the vehicle is moving in the forward direction, putting the transmission in reverse will cause heavy grinding. At slower speeds, the reverse gear can be engaged but it will still grind while getting into the slot.

To ensure that the transmission does not prematurely wear out, it is important to stop the vehicle completely before putting it in the reverse gear. The same rule should be followed when the vehicle is moving in the reverse direction and the forward gear needs to be engaged. Always make sure that you bring the vehicle to a stop.