When I had my sentra I kept the overdrive on, now that I have the max I wonder should i disengage the OD when not driving on the highway? Will it hurt the tranny if i keep it on?

 

The only time that I ever take the overdrive off, is when I am racing at a stoplight. All it does is not let you shift into 4th gear as far as I can tell.

 

Well, I always leave OD on, since all it does is let your transmission access all four forward gears. If you turn it off, you will be locking out overdrive, which will decrease your fuel economy. The only time I turn off OD is when I am passing on the freeway.

 

It is up to you if you want to leave the OD on or off. I personally leave it OFF. Thus, it has less gears to go through and less wear and tear. You only need OD for highway speeds... anything over 50mph you should turn it ON.

If you ask any transmission shop, they will tell you to leave it off unless you are on highways. For any local driving, you are suppose to leave it off. There will not be any true difference in mpg. I would rather pay a bit more for gas then having my trans do more wear and tear.

Just my .02 cents.

 

Also with overdrive off, you'll be in a better powerband and in an area where the gearing is more responsive. This will help youwhen you apply partial throttle and don't want your car going in and out of overdrive thru city driving. The same principle applies to a stick shift as far as being in a "prepared state of response".

 

When its around town speeds the tranny keeps shifting to the highest gear to get you the lowest rmp. All that shifting eats energy/fuel/ creates wear and tear and seems like you would get better mileage with it off constanlty around town because it wouldn't shift so much. Maybe not.

 

Well the leaving it off around town sounds good, but I live in metro Atlanta, and MOST if not ALL of my driving is Highway. I guess i will leave it off on the rare occasions I am doing under 50 but that is really rare

 

I hate that light on the dash all the time. I think 4th gear sucks except for the highway.

 

doesnt that light *iss you off... thats why i keep mine on all the time ... i cant stand that light

 

I'm not sure I agree that leaving OD off is better for the car. I don't think it makes a huge difference in terms of transmission longevity whether you leave OD on or off. But to each their own, and whatever makes you happy, then just stick with whatever method you are comfortable with.

From what I know, the owners manual says to leave OD on all the time. This is probably to maximize fuel economy. Yes, locking out 4th gear makes the car feel peppy around town, but in my experience, this extra peppiness also encourages faster driving, and hence, lower fuel economy.

About the only time I ever turned off OD on purpose for a long time was when it was freezing cold in the mornings and I wanted the car to warm up quicker during the initial few miles of driving. In that situation, I would have traded a couple miles per gallon for quick HVAC heating.

 

get a 5-speed....hehehehe.

sorry...it was just too tempting...

 

HELP WITH THE LIGHT !!!!!

 

99Silvermax just pull out the dash board and look on the
chipboard for the O/D bulb and take it out. The O/D will still work without the light bulb.

 

crusing below 50mph: O/D off, usually around town, give you a better reponse, meaning your cvar will only go into 3rd gear plus the tranny has to shift alot less.

cruising above 50mph: O/D on, always on the highway or when i race somebody, allows the tranny to go into 4th gear keeping the rpms lower at a steady cruise.