Overdrive button question

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Sep 22, 2004 | 11:55 PM

adunham

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Joined: Apr 2003

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From: Phoenix

Overdrive button question

For the last month or so, I've tried to make use of the overdrive button per the instructions in the owner's manual (in an attempt to get the best mileage possible). That is to say, when I'm on the highway, I have the overdrive activated; when I'm driving on surface streets, I have it deactivated. So I have to wonder: why is the overdrive set to activate when the truck is turned on? I think its safe to say that nobody turns his truck on in the driveway, pulls forward, and is suddenly on the highway. Most of us have to drive a little bit on surface streets to get to the highway. Above and beyond that, I do most of my driving on surface streets, just around town. It seems to me like overdrive would be something you'd want to activate only when getting onto a highway, not upon startup. The very first thing I do when I start my truck is turn the overdrive off. Does anyone know why it is set up like this?

-aaron

Sep 23, 2004 | 04:54 AM

samia

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Joined: Jan 2004

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From: iowa

I only shut off overdrive when towing in the hills. You shouldn't need to shut it off in town. I don't think your truck shifts into overdrive until your going fast. Just my 2 cents....

Steve

Sep 23, 2004 | 05:02 AM

LAL426

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Joined: Sep 2004

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When I start my truck it is already off, and I have to put it on manually. That is the way that it has been with every vehicle that I have owned. Maybe have service look at it - sounds like your is set up the backwards way that it should be set.

Sep 23, 2004 | 05:12 AM

lardman

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Joined: Jun 2004

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From: Chesterfield, Mi

Mine is always on at startup. I agree with samia.

Sep 23, 2004 | 08:45 AM

dentexman

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Joined: May 2004

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I might be wrong, but I believe that the overdrive doesn't start out "deactivated" because of the EPA fuel mileage testing. If the F150's default setting was "overdrive off", that's the way the EPA would test it during both CITY and HIGHWAY fuel mileage tests.

Plus, if Ford set the system to require a button to be pushed to activate overdrive every time the truck was started, there would be lots of drivers that would never think to press the button, especially trucks in fleet or rental service.

I normally turn my overdrive off whenever I'm driving under 45 or 50 MPH for extended periods of time, such as stop and go traffic or driving within a city at speeds limits 45MPH or slower. I don't like the truck shifting into overdrive so quickly and not having any power when I press the GO pedal!