we gear a vehicle up or down

[tufguy]

We say "we shift the gear up or down". Is it used for all vehicle?

Is it correct to say "we gear a vehicle up or down"?

 

[Tarheel]

I have heard "shift gears", but not shift up or down. Also, there is shift into first or second or whatever.

 

[Piscean]

In BrE, we change gear, change up, change down, engage first/second/etc.

Is it correct to say "we gear a vehicle up or down"?

No.

 

[emsr2d2]

We say "we shift up and down through the gears". up or down". Is it the phrase used for all vehicles that have gears?

Is it correct to say "we gear a vehicle up or down"?

Note my corrections above. No, we don't say that. In BrE, we "change gear", not "shift gear".

 

[probus]

Change gear (BrE) and shift gears (AmE) are not used for all vehicles @tufguy, because not all vehicles have gears. Some, such as the motorscooters that are ubiquitous throughout India, have continuously variable transmissions and therefore no gears.

 

[emsr2d2]

Also, in automatic [transmission] vehicles, the driver doesn't change/shift gear. It does it automatically (hence the name). Having only driven an automatic car once in my life, I'm not entirely sure but I think the only gears you can put such a car in are D (Drive), P (Park) and R (Reverse). You can't do any of those while the vehicle is in motion.

 

[SoothingDave]

You forgot about neutral! And also automatic transmissions do tend to have a low gear (or two) that can be used to prevent it from automatically shifting to a higher gear. Used, for example. to crawl down a steep snowy hill without using the brakes.

The gear indicator is sometimes humorously called a "prindle" because of the PRNDL gears.

 

[Skrej]

You can't do any of those while the vehicle is in motion.

Ehh, you can, but you really shouldn't.

It is however a fantastic way to create horrible sounds and suddenly render your vehicle useless. It's also a good way to spend a few thousand dollars on a new transmission, if you're looking for a way to spend that extra money you just have lying around.

 

[tufguy]

Note my corrections above. No, we don't say that. In BrE, we "change gear", not "shift gear".

Okay, we change up and down through the gears.

Do we say the following?

1) I changed the gear up to increase the speed.

2) I changed the gear down to stop the car or motorcycle.

3) I put the motorcycle in 5th gear to increase the speed.

 

[emsr2d2]

Okay, we change up and down through the gears.

Do we say the following?

1) I changed the gear up to increase the speed.
2) I changed the gear down to stop slow the car/motorcycle.
3) I put the motorcycle in 5th fifth gear to increase the speed.

In 1 and 2, using "change up" and "change down" would be understood to mean that you're talking about gears. Do you drive a car?