Just wondering if it is worth it to turn it off when I'm not hitting hwy speeds (40 or below). Will there be any advantage for mpgs or wear and tear?

Thanks & Merry Christmas!

 

That's why they put it on vels for around town and hiway driving.You use it more then you think about it.It's not worth a darn on hills,but on the flats it does make a difference on your gas mileage.Your not running your engine at a high rpm with the overdrive engaged.That's my 2 cents

 

It won't make any difference if you turn it off. Fourth gear doesn't kick in till 40 or so anyway. May as well leave it alone.

 

Mine has always kicked in just over 35 if I'm cruising.

 

I will say one thing, in the city my truck is a dog less i keep the o.d. off lol
seems that when ya kick into it , it dogs seeming to drop to drive then decide if it wants to go lower or not.

with the overdrive off , she's a smoker!!

 

The final axle ratio is pretty darned important in determining your actual groundspeed and whether OD is beneficial or not.

Put a 3.08 in there and you might as well throw OD away for city driving. With a 3.73, OD is quite useful for fuel economy with limited downshifts.

Steve

 

x2
With the 3.31 factory gears, OD was useless on anything but super-flat roads in my Expy.

With the 4.10s in there now, I can easily cruise up moderate grades in OD.

 

I do mostly city driving, and a lot of it in traffic. Is there a way to make the truck start up with overdrive off, rather than automatically on? My crown vic does this, overdrive is off by default. I have an 05, and there's nothing about this in the manual.

 

Is it that hard to press the button?

Sorry I'm in a smart-a** mood lol. Unfortunately I am no help to your question. Have a fantastic Mardi Gras

 

I've owned a few cars with overdrive automatics, and the only time I ever turned the OD off is when I was towing or the thing started hunting back and forth from 3rd to 4th. A well maintained tranny won't be hurt leaving it to think for itself under most conditions.

 

No, but I'm worried about the long-term risks of carpel tunnel syndrome, arthritis, etc. from pushing that little button a couple times a day for years and years. People are living longer these days, so you have to start thinking bout little stuff like that early!