When should you switch off overdrive? I've never worried about it much before, always just started them, put em in drive, and drove em away. Then I read on here some place that per the manual you should switch off overdrive when hauling a heavy load, towing, in city traffic (stop and go I assume) or in hilly terrain. Checked my glove box book and sure enough it says something pretty close to that.

There's some moderate uphill or down hill on the freeway on my daily commute, and I'm technically I'm in the city (although I don't normally hit any slow traffic), so I've tried commuting without overdrive on and also tried switching it off right before getting on a hill (that seems awkward, switching off overdrive at freeway speed and forcing that downshift). I feel that it drives the best if I never switch off overdrive.

I think that for normal driving, including my normal commute, there's a reason "OD on" is the default to be switch off as needed - it drives best with OD on IMO. I'm thinking maybe worrying about a hill or traffic is over thinking it. I do think I'll switch OD off if ever I'm doing a mountain pass / need engine braking or if I'm crawling through stop and go traffic or of course if I'm hauling or towing - but most of the time I'll leave it on.

What do you guys do? Am I tearing things up driving up an incline at 60 MPH+ with overdrive on? Is it bad running across town, never going over 40 MPH, without ever switching off the OD setting.

What do you guys do?

 

Subscribed.

I only use it (o/d off) when towing. But interested to hear what others do.

 

Keep my OD on unless I am towing or have a heavy load in the bed.

 

I turned off OD when towing heavy enough for the transmission to gear hunt or not hold gears at cruising speed. Constantly locking and unlocking the TQ converter and downshifting for every little incline causes heat and heat kills transmissions. Turning off the OD also changes when the TC locks up which reduces heat build up in the trans.

 

Cool - thanks guys. Very helpful. I'm, prone to over thinking things which at times can be just as bad as not thinking at all... so thanks for the replies.

I'll leave that switch alone unless I'm ever hauling / towing / or coming down a mountain pass and need engine braking.

 

/\/\/\/\/\/\ This

 

X2. This should be the only time you consider turning off OD. Other than that, like you said... Just drop her in D and roll.

 

Around town I'll lock mine to 4th gear with a 6 speed transmission.
If I am on the highway climbing hills and transmission doesn't like to stay in a gear, I'll look out a gear, and another if needed. So far I have only needed to lock out 6th as I haven't hauled anything heave up a big hill.

If the motor is lugging, 1100 rpm or so and you feather the throttle to prevent a downshift and you are slowing down, then you need to be in a lower gear, at least a single gear.

If you have to push in the pedal moderately to get it to shift then you get whiplash, you should lock out to prevent those upshifts from occurring.

 

personally when I go over 60 with a load I turn it back on but under 60 keep it off. I also turn it off when I’m behind those people going 40 in a 50 I think it saves gas

 

Guess I'm a bit different:
- Under 60 MPH the OD is off
- Unless the road is wet, snowy, or icy the Traction Control is off
The engine feels less restricted this way and mileage improves by about 1/2 mile per gallon.