# overdrive on or off



## chubibo (Nov 14, 2005)

do you drive with overdrive on or off? what would be the optimal setting for city driving? highway driving?


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## ERBell (Aug 7, 2005)

chubibo said:


> do you drive with overdrive on or off? what would be the optimal setting for city driving? highway driving?


I just leave it on. On the Highway it gives you an extra gear so your engine rpm is lower and you get fuel economy. 

I guess I would turn it off if I was going up a hill all loaded up with a trailer. It would prevent the transmission from grabbing top gear when you don't want it to.


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## Rockford (Jan 28, 2005)

I always leave it on too. I'd turn it off if a situation arose where the vehicle was hunting for the right gear a lot on the highway I guess.


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

I'd leave it on unless I'm pulling a trailer, hauling a heavy load, or climbing a long slope.


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## Zilverado (Sep 25, 2002)

I agree - - leave it on. The tranny will go to OD when it can.

Having said this you SHOULD NEVER pull a trailer in OD. I know others have said this, but I just wanted to add that as well. I have had our pathy tranny rebuilt twice (I used to tow in OD). The number one killer of an automatic is heat, and pulling a heavy load in OD will definitely generate heat. Also, OD (at least in my tranny) is not a fluid gear - it's more mechanical. This lack of fluid "shock absorption" in the drive train puts additional strain on the drive train components when a trailer is doing it's thing (ie bouncing, swaying, etc.)behind the tow vehicle.

I don't understand this completely, but it seemed to make sense when my tranny shop was explaining it.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

I assume the OP and the others are out of the forum. 

I ve been trying, in city driving, taking off OD below 60 km/h. I see a difference( my butt dyno) in acceleration and power delivery. Hauling a trailer full of crushed stone or dirt not so much. 

Has anyone tried this?


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

with any automatic transmission vehicle i own or driven, i keep my shifter in Drive upto speeds of 50 klm per hour and then shift to overdrive if i go above. Also i will leave it in drive if going up steep hills or into a winding curvy street or hwy. Always will shift into overdrive once i am on any hwy/freeway and have reached 60 klms and above. I drove a 5 speed manually honda civic for 12 years plus i owned other manual tranny vehicles, i got used to hearing engine rpms, when to gear down or up etc so i kinda treat my automatics in the same way. Also i always get my tranny fluids/filters refreshed and changed regular with auto or manual transmissions. It helps prolong the life and ensures everything runs smoothly and efficiently.


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

otomodo said:


> I assume the OP and the others are out of the forum.


Wow, 11 years and 10 months is a pretty good time warp! It would be funny if the old posters did jump in.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

X-hale said:


> Wow, 11 years and 10 months is a pretty good time warp! It would be funny if the old posters did jump in.


It takes a lot of talent to revive a thread this old lol. 

I ve been here since the first year i had the Xtrail. 
Since i m driving more the exxy, i can do more experiments and crave on data display trough obd2 bluetooth. 

I remembered this thread and now i found a reason to bring it back to life.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Guys
I always thought the OD button basically eliminates the top driving gear, and maintains higher revs in lower gears. You probably can get a wee bit more acceleration, but you will also be burning more gas. I pretty much always leave it in overdrive, but in the interests of science I will play around with it a bit today.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

quadraria10 said:


> I always thought the OD button basically eliminates the top driving gear


4th gear doesn't engage, only 3 gears

A coworker always drives his pontiac montana with the OD off, arguing he s the fastest taking off the light. 
I spoke to a mechanic when he was changing my front suspension a few years back and he confirmed to me that the engine and transmission work different with the OD off. 
With that in the back of my mind and a thing or two from my motorcycle experience, i decided to clear things out. 
I can't remember if my 07 civic was like this, but i ve experienced a surprising burst of power delivery on the motorcycle. 
The first 3 gears are limited in power and to bypass( without hacking the ecu) this limitations, revolutions must be held at 6000rpm steady for a few seconds and then full power is available. 
It surprises you the next second you accelerate hard and you don't see the road anymore. 

So could the ecu be programmed to lunch a smooth take off with the OD on and a more agressive( or more pollute take off) with the OD off?


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## Do Bamboo (May 3, 2010)

I like to turn of the OD when I am decelerating from highway speeds to help with the process. I also turn it off and on to adjust my highway speed instead of using the brakes. I also turn it off when merging on to the highway until I get up to cruising speed. The throttle is more responsive and there's a little bit better acceleration. When driving in snow I turn it off.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Well I have been playing around with it a bit, and in city driving I can't say it makes much difference, but I found this article that reiterates your points.

https://www.cartalk.com/content/when-should-you-be-overdrive-check-out-tom-and-rays-tutorial.

Maybe I should try with a tank of premium. That usually provides a little extra oomph. For fun though I was following a new Rogue who was varying speeds a fair bit with bursts of acceleration and had zero problems keeping up. Seemed to me that I was also quicker off the line. Frankly I like the power band on the X trail. Its good until the top end, such as going 135 or 140 km/h up a hill, starts to bog down.


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