Overdrive question.
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Freshman User
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Overdrive question.
I drive a 2000 E-150 conversion and use it to pull a 7000 + pound travel trailer. The trailer dealer made the comment that once I hit the highway the overdrive will kick in and it would have no problem pulling, which was correct. A traveler I met at an RV park told me never to use the overdrive while pulling and to keep it turned off. After traveling 2600 miles I met someone else who said that all I was doing was burning out my transmission. Does anyone else want to jump in on this one?
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You will get varied opinions on this subject. Here's what I tell my customers. Overdrive does create more heat when pulling which in turn can hurt your trans. However, todays computers do a good job of knowing when the load is too great and will downshift your trans when needed. I don't recommend towing in overdrive, but, if you are going to do it, know that if the trans starts to shift in and out at all kick it out of overdrive immediately and save youself some grief later. 
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From: Lake Echo, NS
Try 70 dollars and get a heavy duty trans cooler. Then who really cares? Riding it in OD creates more heat in the trans, but if you run it without, you'll burn a lot more gas. Trans cooler + OD = cooler trans, more mpg
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From: Lake Echo, NS
OD is any gear ratio below 1 to 1(i.e. ".8 : 1" ".9 : 1") so what you're doing is lowering your engine revs to save gas. It's great on the highway, the interstae, whatever you want to call it, since it gives you pick up and gas mileage. In town its a death sentence. Since its a high gear ratio, torque and acceleration are lost, so you end up spending more to get going. Thing is, when you get below 1 gear ratios, you suddenly have a hot tranny. Think about it: If you're runnin 3000 rpm, and you're gear ratio is .8 : 1, you're tranny is runnin 3600 rpm. That's at 3000 rpm. You could be runnin your engine higher, or the gear ratio could be lower. The best way to put it is: Get a 5 speed, and try takin off in 3rd at a red light. It's embarrassing. Try 3rd going on the highway, and it's you're better. 3rd is usually only 1:1 though.
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Originally Posted by ranger88a
You can buy a lot of gas for the price of a trans!!!
ha- give it a few years!
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Southern California.. Nea
It looks like we have not asked the most important question to get the correct answer to the original question here.. What gear ratio do you have in your rear end.. if it is a high..3.10-3.25 ratio then you would seldom want to be in overdrive pulling.. If it is low 3.55-4.10 the you could use overdrive except when climbing grades. You said (E as in Van) did you mean (F as in truck). Ether way you need to know what you have because it determines how well you can pull in a given gear.. The main thing that saves the auto trannie is keeping it cool and the best way to stay cool is to keep it in what ever gear that will allow the torque converter to stay locked, and if you pull alot be sure to have the trannie flushed every 25-30 K. Cooked fluid will kill the trannie.
Last edited by Mojave2k; Oct 11, 2004 at 10:38 PM. Reason: did he say E for Van or mean F for truck?
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Freshman User
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Overdrive.
Great answers guys, Although I don't know what gears I'm running in the rear end, I think I have what I need to make it from point a to point b without getting stuck on the side of the road. The trani cooler's working fine and the motor pulls like a bulldozer. Time is running out for my van because we're moving up to a fifth wheel and will need a fairly beefy truck. We've been looking at diesels and think it just might be the way to go for the long rides. That should solve my overdrive issues.
Junior User
Joined: May 2003
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Originally Posted by 97ford281
OD is any gear ratio below 1 to 1(i.e. ".8 : 1" ".9 : 1") so what you're doing is lowering your engine revs to save gas. It's great on the highway, the interstae, whatever you want to call it, since it gives you pick up and gas mileage. In town its a death sentence. Since its a high gear ratio, torque and acceleration are lost, so you end up spending more to get going. Thing is, when you get below 1 gear ratios, you suddenly have a hot tranny. Think about it: If you're runnin 3000 rpm, and you're gear ratio is .8 : 1, you're tranny is runnin 3600 rpm. That's at 3000 rpm. You could be runnin your engine higher, or the gear ratio could be lower. The best way to put it is: Get a 5 speed, and try takin off in 3rd at a red light. It's embarrassing. Try 3rd going on the highway, and it's you're better. 3rd is usually only 1:1 though.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 347
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From: Lake Echo, NS
And when you change you change some shift points, you save some gas. I say you are correct about city driving, but turning it off still saves a bit of gas. Not something you'd see, but over time...
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Lake Echo, NS
Overdrive is gonna give you a slower take off. Next time you're on the highway, try smackin the gas with OD on, it whines like crazy and it takes longer to get movin. With OD off, you feel more resistance, but hit the pedal, and you'll move a lot faster. I don't think rice rockets are any worry yet. They run about 1.5 liter 4 cylinders in Hondas. Take off OD though, then kick in later, around 70 or 80 km/h(50 miles)
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
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Overdrive will not give you a slower take off. Your vehicle does not start in OD, it starts in first, just like when you have OD turned off. OD does not kick in until you are of the throttle and at about 35-40mph.
Senior User
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From: Lake Echo, NS
What you do have to wory about is getting your hearing checked e=very year. When those ketchup cans whine up, they poroduce a sound not even a 2 year old taking a tantrum can make. I want to go around my town and drill holes in them, run a cable through, and tie the end to a tree, or just drill holes all throught the cat