When do you use the overdrive off and on button in a car with automatic gear transmission.?

Question

Someone advised never to have the overdrive off activated. But why did they design it I wondered.

Answer 1

i own a repair shop,,and over drive is mainly for being used on freeways or open road driving,some cars will keep switching back and forth so much if you use it around town that it will do damage to the transmission,it should not be on ,,in town,where stop and go traffic is real heavy,i always use mine on an open part of the road,or where you don't have to do a lot of stop and go driving,all cars will shift differently though,and some cars may not shift back and forth like some i have seen,it may be safe to leave your in over drive,but if you feel it going back and forth a lot id not use it in town,good luck i hope this help,s.

Answer 2

For most people they won't ever deal with the button.
However, there's a couple of reasons you might. To understand better, it may be of note to understand that the overdrive transmission and what it does. A transmission is like a bicycle gear, and by reducing the gearing it can make the car quieter, and more energy efficient (thanks to less engine RPM's). So it's a good thing in most cases, and why you wouldn't want to turn it off.

However there are some times you might want to:

#1. Almost all cars can still tow, even though most people will never use it for that. It may be a limited amount, but possible. When towing, it is best to turn the overdrive feature off, to make it easier on the transmission and reduce heat build up. I have an SUV, and personally tow a lot and so I turn it off frequently.

#2. In rare cases, especially when going up mountains, you'll find that the car annoyingly moves from 3rd gear to overdrive very frequently. This causes a reduction in some cases in gas mileage, but creates more wear and tear on the transmission, allowing heat to build up (heat is the enemy of all transmissions).

Answer 3

Always leave overdrive on. Turn off if you need more power. I don't know where that old wives tale about overdrive overheating your car if you drive around town with it on. Untrue. Pretty stupid to make an overheating button like that don't you think? Some manufacturers like to have an overdrive button, Toyota and Nissan. Some manufacturers like to make a D4 and D3, Mitsubishi and Honda. They mean the same thing. Just like you always drive in D4, you always drive with overdrive on.

Answer 4

Well when towing a very heavy load it is often best to leave the overdrive off. Also when descending a long down hill grade it can help provide some engine braking.

Answer 5

I turn off the overdrive for increase of speed like when I over take car(s). It's just like down shift from 5th gear to 4th gear. This means you only notice the speed above 80km/hr. Normally it's best to have it on as it's an extra gear for normal driving.

Answer 6

I use the overdrive off if I need a burst of speed, like passing on a 2 lane highway. Otherwise I always have it on.

Answer 7

In general terms, overdrive on the highway,turn it off when driving around town(saves a lot of wear and tear on the transmission). :-)=

Answer 8

If ever you were to tow a trailer or carry a heavy load, you need to turn off O/D or else your transmission may overheat and fail.

If you never carry more than passengers and drive up a lot of hills, you will be OK never turning off O/D.

Check your vehicle owner's manual for more info.

Answer 9

Try using it on the highway to increase mileage, it's like a 5th gear on a manual transmission. Deactivate it when going down steep graded roads, city driving,etc..
Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Overdrive will be on after 30km/hour good luck.