Leaving work there is a rather long stoplight at which I will frequently shift to Park so I don't have to hold my foot on the brake. Question is when the engine is still running (warming up), shifting into P causes a shift in engine tone that I am curous about. It sounds like there is less load on the engine in P; is this true? Also, does this shift while the engine is running cause any wear or damage I should worry about? Thanks.
It'll make no difference to wear & tear and you can leave it D or shift to P if you wish. I suspect that in D, the higher tone is because the engine is revving more to charge the battery. In S1, the battery is used to move the vehicle while the engine warms up.
i do not think the motor charges the battery when the vehicle shifts to neutral, regardless of the gear indicator ... D, N, or P
Yes, what Tideland said. The system will charge in drive or park. The change in tone may be because the drive torque is on longer being transmitted to the axles, but it might not.
