Overdrive and city driving

vegas39

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Posts
1,601
Reaction score
69
Location
las vegas, nv
never owning an E40D equipped truck until now, just curios how many of you guys shut your overdrive off when cruising around town.
I've been getting in the habit of hitting the OD off button every time I start the truck but there are a few streets I drive on where I can hit 50 and it seems like I'm forever turning it off and on. Same with getting onthe freeway, I do that several times a day also.
Is it really necessary to keep shhutting if off, or will it hurt it to stay on?
Thanks
 

HS108

Diesel Newb
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Posts
783
Reaction score
77
Location
Connecticut
Why? I've only turned it off a few times when I was hauling heavy on hills

If I need to I just hammer down to get on the highway and it downshifts..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

FORDF250HDXLT

The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Posts
6,456
Reaction score
1,127
Location
Maine & Oklahoma
All modern transmissions have overdrive these days.Some of them now,with double overdrive.You just put it in D and drive.Turning it off is only going to hurt your wallet come time to fuel up.:D Your not going to hurt anything by using it as it was designed (let the auto be an auto.)
 

vegas39

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Posts
1,601
Reaction score
69
Location
las vegas, nv
Well that's a new one on me. Lol, I've been hearing everyone talk about driving around town with OD off for 25 years.
I'd much prefer to just leave it alone and let it do its thing.

But seriously, why all the hype to keep OD shut off in city driving?
 

Sidewinded_idi

Full Access Member
Joined
May 20, 2017
Posts
845
Reaction score
311
Location
Yucaipa ca
Idk I've never heard such a thing. Only time I got the od button is if I'm towingheavy and it keeps hunting in and out of od on the freeway. Or if I'm on the freeway I'll hit the button before I exit to slow the truck down
 

snicklas

6.0 and Loving It!!
Staff member
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Posts
6,164
Reaction score
2,342
Location
Greenfield, Indiana
Yep, put it in drive and go on your merry way.....

Almost every vehicle I've owned has been an auto-overdrive. The only time I push the button:

1. Towing "heavy". If I am towing my ~1500lb garden tractor on my 4x8 flatbed, maybe not, but when I had my ~5000lb camper, button got pushed.

2. On snow covered roads. (I know, whats snow LOL).... Traveling at low speeds, normally in 4x4 I lock out OD.... I like having more control of the power to the wheels and be able to use engine braking rather than the service brakes...

3. In a situation where it is hunting..... 4..3.4...3...4......34.....3 you get the idea, this builds MASSIVE amounts of heat in the transmission and torque converter.... if it can't decide which gear it should be in, force it to stay in 3..... (or not overdrive if it is more than a 4 speed)

4. This is unique to the newer transmissions with a Tow/Haul Mode, rather than a O/D Off button. Obviously, I use it when towing or have a heavy load in the truck (This is on my 6.0 Excursion), or my MIL lives in the foothills of Southeast Kentucky (Berea area) and when I get on the roller coaster surface roads, I goto Tow/Haul mode for engine braking in the hills, which works very well, and helps to save on the service brakes.....

So in your case, in daily driving, or light hauling, put-er in drive and let it do its thing........
 

IDIBRONCO

IDIBRONCO
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Posts
12,233
Reaction score
10,922
Location
edmond, ks
I was told that with the early overdrives, like the Ford AOD and the GM 700R4, It was better to not drive around town in overdrive. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because they weren't computer controlled?
 

compressionignitionrules

Full Access Member
Joined
May 1, 2016
Posts
840
Reaction score
286
Location
Bluevale ON
I use the overdrive off switch mainly when I need some extra braking from the engine , mines a 7.3 powerstroke w/4R100 buts its basically an e4od.

I have used it once or twice when hauling heavy at a lower speed on 2lane roads. but only down under 55mph, 235/85/16s and 3.55s so basically where I have zero boost. I've never felt mine hunt for D/OD/D/OD/D/OD at all, but I have a 2position superchip program on towsafe .

leave the OD button alone.:Thumbs Up
 

jwalterus

Made in America
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Posts
2,550
Reaction score
716
Location
Garrison, ND
3. In a situation where it is hunting..... 4..3.4...3...4......34.....3 you get the idea, this builds MASSIVE amounts of heat in the transmission and torque converter.... if it can't decide which gear it should be in, force it to stay in 3..... (or not overdrive if it is more than a 4 speed)

I was told that with the early overdrives, like the Ford AOD and the GM 700R4, It was better to not drive around town in overdrive. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because they weren't computer controlled?

It's because the early OD transmissions would hunt for a gear cruising anywhere from 35-45.

I have a stretch of road I have to take going into town, it's about 4 miles, perfectly straight, but speed limit 40, and just enough incline that a truck with an AOD will shift 3-4-3-4-3-4 holding it right at 40.
I used to take that one followed by another one the exact same situation to work years ago in a '91 f150 (4wd, 302, AOD), it didn't hurt the trans any in my situation, but it dropped the fuel mileage by about 1mpg (total of a 13 mile drive each way) vs keeping it in 3 for those stretches (that's literally the only thing I used that truck for (5 years at that job, put on 40k miles).
If I'd do 44mph in that truck, it'd hold OD.
 

david85

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Posts
4,820
Reaction score
1,083
Location
Campbell River, B.C.
I have 3.08 gears, so hunting can be a problem for me too. But in my case, my 3rd gear locked is comparable to another guy's 4.10 in overdrive. I probably use the cancel switch more often than most.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
91,217
Posts
1,128,469
Members
24,043
Latest member
tottripp

Members online

Top