OverDrive and Drive

[96camaro]

hey,

Which is better for normal driving, OD or D?
I read the owner manual. it says stick with either OD or D, while D have more power and less fuel economy ability though. Well, i am throwing it to the floor..

Which mode is best for normal driving?

[ridge_runner]

OD... has a lower gear which means lower engine rpms which means better gas mileage

[ridge_runner]

and i mean by lower gear is it has a lower final gear

[GTStang]

I'd keep it out of OD under 55mph cause you have lower line pressure which puts undo stress on the OD band when under 55mph.

[96camaro]

$hit... I have been driving in OD for months! The reason I am asking this is that I just got a tranny code of 1870, and I wonder did i over-heat the tranny when I have been drivng in OD at all time. Well, 1870 mostly points to valve body damage, but who knows....

[Dober89]

Driving in OD under normal conditions wouldnt be the problem. If you were doing something like driving up a long slope, and the tranmission kept upshifting to 3rd and then dropping into OD constantly, that would create alot of extra heat and stress.

Normal driving its fine.

[Lord_Vengeance]

I was wondering the same thing. I've tried driving in both, and didn't notice any difference. I think I've been driving mine in OD for a while now, too.

[Joseph1082]

When you Drive in "D" instead of "OD" you are using only 1,2, and 3. Watch, slam the gas in OD while cruising, it will downshift... now while cruising shift from OD to D, same thing... the tranny is labeled OD, D, 2, 1... each keeps from shifting higher than marked gear, D is the same thing as 3 in some cars.

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by 96camaro

$hit... I have been driving in OD for months! The reason I am asking this is that I just got a tranny code of 1870, and I wonder did i over-heat the tranny when I have been drivng in OD at all time. Well, 1870 mostly points to valve body damage, but who knows....

Driving in OD under 55mph with the low line pressure will take years before it would add up to make a difference. The only thing you would notice is that you have no OD anymore but all the other gears would still work fine. It's just from a constant slow slippage of the OD band cause there is not enough line pressure to fully clamp the drive hub. It just adds up over the years.

[89IROC&RS]

when talking about trucks, i would agree with GTStang, however with cars, and modern SUV's the transmission is designed to be operated in OD, thats where i always run mine, unless i downshift to pass or something, then right back into OD.

[korndogg]

i got a quick question here....ive been drivin in od in my truck for years. would it be bad to start driving in drive or should i just stay with overdrive?

[89IROC&RS]

when i say truck, i mean like box truck, or moving van, that has a push button overdrive, any car with OD in the gear selector was designed to operate in that setting in normal day to day driving, the transmission automaticly (huh, guess thats why its called an automatic ) picks the best gear from all available. as you move the shifter down you simply remove top gears from the available options.