I think it is totally useless and a waste. What do you think?

It serves the obvious purpose, but I use it for two other things. One, putting O/D off while in slow moving traffic avoids the 30 MPH 'hunt for a gear'. Secondly, it allows me to get an instant downshift for better acceleration with less delay.

it's their so you automagic folks don't die going uphill

The engine is more than powerful enough to pull you hard up the hill. AUTOMAGIC!!!

Yah but shifting into 3rd on a big incline and just speeding away from a **** load of cars is imo very gratifying, especially when you look into your rearview mirror and see a **** load of cars way back! 5-SPEED ALL THE WAY! :

I use the OD button while cruising on the freeway... other than that, it's always off.

Don't be hatin' on our OD button!

same here..... OD ownz jOO!

I only use the O/D for that extra boost at high speeds when you turn it off..

I use mine for the exact same reasons as Medicsonic.

i never use it cuz i don't accelerate hard and i don't care if its off in heavy trafic

Sure - Use it a lot....

esp when going down on steep grades for extended periods of time ... If I "ride the brake" to keep myself from rear-ending the grandpa Buick in front of me, I run the risk of letting my brakes overheat and the brake fluid boil and voila - no brakes !

So, ya I get into 3rd ( OD off ) and the engine braking helps me.
Other times is when I need to accelerate hard - esp when getting on a steep on-ramp.

Never had problematic hunting in city driving - so dont O/D off those times....

i'm with medic and clee for the same reason. magics rule yo!

I only use the O/D button when I know I am going to be in traffic a long time. Otherwise my foot is heavy enough to get the tranny to drop gears anyways.

me too

This could be an intersting poll.. who floors it more often.. 5 spds or the automagics? .. I'd imagine it'd be the auto's.. either that or people that are really bad at downshifting .....

I use it when driving at around highway speeds and I come up on a cop watching for speeders. Engine braking is a lot less noticeable whereas hitting the brakes just anounces that you're guilty.

I have an automatic, how should I use my O/D Button? I've always been kind of paranoid on how to use it...

I use mine everyday while going down a 3/4 mile hill going to work. I can sort of coast in gear, never having to use the brake or gas. It's useful for any similar situation.

see thats the problem with you automagic folks. In reality you all want 5 speeds but for one reason or another got stuck driving automagics. And you think your cool cause you have o/d that so CORNY! j/k

This “loyality” to manual transmissions is a bit silly. It’s not a matter of which is better, but of one’s current driving needs. I drove 5-speeds for years (Porsche 914 and 280ZX) and loved it, but now I drive a automatic because of heavy LA traffic and the need for my wife to use my car every now and then (She just cannot learn how to drive a manual). It’s no more an issue of which is superior than if my favorite color was not the same as yours.

...err, well, on the Accord you just shift between D3 and D4, so there's no button, but it's the same thing.

Our auto tranny does NOT like downshifting out of 4th gear on the highway. The torque converter will come out of lockup, but you darn near have to floor it just to get a full downshift to 3rd. The solution is to manually downshift to D3 and go part throttle instead of running a much higher throttle lugging in 4th (tc unlocked). Saves lots of gas and you get much better passing performance.

I also use it so that the tranny doesn't hunt between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in stop and go traffic. Sometimes I'll just leave it in 2nd - which on the Accord will force the tranny to stay in 2nd gear - no shifting whatsoever.

I also use it for engine braking to slow down a bit on highways. And in local driving sometimes I'll even downshift to 2nd if I'm going into a sharp turn a little hot and want to save some wear and tear on the brakes.

What I really need is a semi-auto tranny like a SportShift, or a manual tranny!!

I stick it into second at times when I know I am not going to go over 35 mph.... like in stupid beltway traffic

I use mine for stop-n-go traffic, or fluctuating speeds up to 45 mph or so. If you leave enough of a "space cushion" between the car ahead of you, the engine & transmission braking keeps your foot off the brake pedal.... Only problem with this would be an increased potential of being rear-ended. Some of those depth-perception-challenged drivers don't realize you are slowing down since they only focus on your brake lights. I use the engine/transmission braking on my motorcycle too (it's a 5-speed...but same concept). It works great!

Above the 45 mph zone (just approximating), the car WANTS to be in 4th gear....if you aren't accelerating too hard. If you keep the O/D OFF (in 3rd gear), you are just wasting gas with the higher RPMs. In the short term, no big deal....but in the long run, the more time an engine spends at higher RPM, the faster it wears. This is also true for breakdown of fluids. Higher RPMs create more heat.

Don't be paranoid to turn off the over-drive. I would just recommend doing this at speeds around 45 mph or below.

Ah, youth is truly wasted on the young.

Wait a few years, and throw out your back. See how much you like that clutch in rush hour traffic then.

(You know, guys like us *do* get the last laugh.)

Ya know, I never even considered the 5-speed for my Max. It's got enough horsepower on tap to be a fun car with either transmission. And as an ATX owner, I won't have the priviledge of spending $600 for a new clutch in 40K miles...

Turn on for hwy cruising, off for traffic and truer gearing when I am grooving.

In that case you should leave OD on all the time.

Well said.

I chose the automagic Maxima because the 5 speed tranny was on of the worst 5 speeds I have ever driven, my old Sentra had a better tranny. I don't like the clutch feel at all...way too soft. The shift action is very vague and the throws are WAY too long.

BTW....I leave O/D on all the time.

99% of the time I have the O/D on. Less gas consumption and better for the engine especially on the highway speeds.
I turn it off only in following cases.
When I’m going downhill so I won’t have to use the brakes.
Pretty often when I have to pass somebody on the highway, but not all the time. It’s accelerates fine with O/D on too, but in some cases when you are getting ready to pass someone fast – then I turn it off so I get much quicker response when I push the gas. And turn it back on when I’m done. My usual drive is mostly highway. Unfortunately 99.5% of people drive like ignorant imbeciles here ( I95 Philly – Wilmington ) so I have to switch lanes all the time and use O/D for better acceleration / response.

Thanks to the other people in this post I will probably start to use O/D in stop-n-go traffic ( damn Philly ).

BTW – check out this post http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=54603
It’s about O/D too.
It would be nice to know is there a safe speed limit to turn O/D on/off or it does not really matter.