1,2,3,D, Auto?
1/25/06, 07:03 PM
#1
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I have an auto GT and I always drive and accelerate in Drive. So what are the other gears for?
My friend told me it's better to start at 1 and shift when racing because it's quicker, but is that true and when do I shift, and shift down, because it's stock. And do I just keep my foot on the accelerator?
What is O/D exactly for and when should it be used and at what speed or rpm?
I tried it but it sounded different and louder when I was doing it.
Your help is really apreciated :worship: , because I'm so confused on this. :scratch:
My friend told me it's better to start at 1 and shift when racing because it's quicker, but is that true and when do I shift, and shift down, because it's stock. And do I just keep my foot on the accelerator?
What is O/D exactly for and when should it be used and at what speed or rpm?
I tried it but it sounded different and louder when I was doing it.
Your help is really apreciated :worship: , because I'm so confused on this. :scratch:
1/25/06, 07:18 PM
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Overdrive is 5th gear. Just think of it that way.... so when you turn the overdrive off, it basically be comes a 4 speed. This will keep your rpms higher and closer to your torque curve in normal driving, but will hurt gas mileage due to the higher rpms. I usually have the over drive off at 60mph and under, but only when i need the quicker jump. It doesn't take as long to shift into third with the o/d off so that is always good when you need to move QUICK. Otherwise, i just leave the o/d on.
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
1/25/06, 07:36 PM
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Originally posted by atomic_il@January 25, 2006, 9:21 PM
Overdrive is 5th gear. Just think of it that way.... so when you turn the overdrive off, it basically be comes a 4 speed. This will keep your rpms higher and closer to your torque curve in normal driving, but will hurt gas mileage due to the higher rpms. I usually have the over drive off at 60mph and under, but only when i need the quicker jump. It doesn't take as long to shift into third with the o/d off so that is always good when you need to move QUICK. Otherwise, i just leave the o/d on.
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
Overdrive is 5th gear. Just think of it that way.... so when you turn the overdrive off, it basically be comes a 4 speed. This will keep your rpms higher and closer to your torque curve in normal driving, but will hurt gas mileage due to the higher rpms. I usually have the over drive off at 60mph and under, but only when i need the quicker jump. It doesn't take as long to shift into third with the o/d off so that is always good when you need to move QUICK. Otherwise, i just leave the o/d on.
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
But I'm still quite unsure about the O/D. In city driving I don't use it right. But on the highway I do right? When I race I just leave it off right? When I push the button the LED says O/D OFF and that's when my rpms extend. So then they're off right, but when there's no LED then it's on right? Whenever I drive under 60 it should be off but as soon as I hit 60 I turn it on? So what exacly are the 1,2,3 for? :scratch:
1/25/06, 07:52 PM
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well actually if you shift manually which i have done twice at the track, it actually gave me 3/10ths, now this was only b/c i could shift it at 6300rpm, now after a tune and adjusted shift points i dont ahve to do that.
1/25/06, 07:53 PM
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1,2,3 are for slick road conditions... at least thats what my mommy told me a loooong time ago. 
but yeah you basically got the idea of overdrive. cruise at 50 with the o/d on and be in 5th gear, then floor it. then go to 50 with the o/d off and floor it again. notice the difference?
do the same with a half throttle jump... you'll see the difference there too.
You'll get the hang of when you want it on and when you don't.
but yeah you basically got the idea of overdrive. cruise at 50 with the o/d on and be in 5th gear, then floor it. then go to 50 with the o/d off and floor it again. notice the difference?
do the same with a half throttle jump... you'll see the difference there too.
You'll get the hang of when you want it on and when you don't.
1/25/06, 07:53 PM
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Originally posted by atomic_il@January 25, 2006, 6:21 PM
Overdrive is 5th gear. Just think of it that way.... so when you turn the overdrive off, it basically be comes a 4 speed. This will keep your rpms higher and closer to your torque curve in normal driving, but will hurt gas mileage due to the higher rpms. I usually have the over drive off at 60mph and under, but only when i need the quicker jump. It doesn't take as long to shift into third with the o/d off so that is always good when you need to move QUICK. Otherwise, i just leave the o/d on.
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
Overdrive is 5th gear. Just think of it that way.... so when you turn the overdrive off, it basically be comes a 4 speed. This will keep your rpms higher and closer to your torque curve in normal driving, but will hurt gas mileage due to the higher rpms. I usually have the over drive off at 60mph and under, but only when i need the quicker jump. It doesn't take as long to shift into third with the o/d off so that is always good when you need to move QUICK. Otherwise, i just leave the o/d on.
As far as manually shifting, don't do it. your tranny will start to make noises and the first word in noise is NO, so don't do it. ever. Your freind says it shifts faster, but if you try it (dont) you will see that it doesnt. lol did you think you could shift faster than a computer?
all in all, leave the overdrive OFF if you are going to race from say, a 40mph roll. you will jump quicker
Shifting yourself wont be faster than the computer though.
-Dan
1/25/06, 07:55 PM
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Originally posted by Cleveland@January 25, 2006, 10:56 PM
As a note, its fun to drive it through the gears and damage to the transmission is non-existant. The tranny is tough, dont under estimate it.
Shifting yourself wont be faster than the computer though.
-Dan
As a note, its fun to drive it through the gears and damage to the transmission is non-existant. The tranny is tough, dont under estimate it.
Shifting yourself wont be faster than the computer though.
-Dan
the few times i did it it starting clacking and lurching, so i gave up on manual shifting. plus it's easy to accidentaly push it from 1st to 3rd
1/25/06, 09:33 PM
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Originally posted by atomic_il@January 25, 2006, 6:58 PM
the few times i did it it starting clacking and lurching, so i gave up on manual shifting. plus it's easy to accidentaly push it from 1st to 3rd
the few times i did it it starting clacking and lurching, so i gave up on manual shifting. plus it's easy to accidentaly push it from 1st to 3rd
-Dan
1/25/06, 09:43 PM
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Originally posted by atomic_il@January 25, 2006, 9:56 PM
1,2,3 are for slick road conditions... at least thats what my mommy told me a loooong time ago.
but yeah you basically got the idea of overdrive. cruise at 50 with the o/d on and be in 5th gear, then floor it. then go to 50 with the o/d off and floor it again. notice the difference?
do the same with a half throttle jump... you'll see the difference there too.
You'll get the hang of when you want it on and when you don't.
1,2,3 are for slick road conditions... at least thats what my mommy told me a loooong time ago.
but yeah you basically got the idea of overdrive. cruise at 50 with the o/d on and be in 5th gear, then floor it. then go to 50 with the o/d off and floor it again. notice the difference?
do the same with a half throttle jump... you'll see the difference there too.
You'll get the hang of when you want it on and when you don't.
And the O/D OFF light means the O/D is off right?
And do I have it on or off at the start when racing, or even use it all? Since you can't really see the rpms extend on WOT.
Sorry for all the easy to understand questiones, but I just want to be sure. I'm new to all of this since it's my first car.
Thanks guys for all the help.
1/25/06, 10:13 PM
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Isidro...
Generally speaking, leave your overdrive on (it will be on by default when you start up your car) during normal everyday driving. If you want to have a little fun and have a little bit quicker acceleration, push the button to turn your overdrive off.
BTW, I live in Weslaco and have an auto GT, too (2005 black). Look for me on www.stmc.ws - maybe we can meet up around town and I'll give you a few pointers.
Rocky
Generally speaking, leave your overdrive on (it will be on by default when you start up your car) during normal everyday driving. If you want to have a little fun and have a little bit quicker acceleration, push the button to turn your overdrive off.
BTW, I live in Weslaco and have an auto GT, too (2005 black). Look for me on www.stmc.ws - maybe we can meet up around town and I'll give you a few pointers.
Rocky
1/25/06, 10:23 PM
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Having O/D off is for when you are in the city, so the transmission doesn't have to shift from 4th to 5th all the time. This is when you are going about 40ish mph. This constant up/downshift motion is not good longterm, so turning it off when you won't be going over 45 is good practice.
Many times at that speed you will hit 5th gear for a second, only to stop and have the tranny downshift back down to 4th anyway.
Many times at that speed you will hit 5th gear for a second, only to stop and have the tranny downshift back down to 4th anyway.
1/26/06, 12:05 AM
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hmmmm, I seem to cruise at 35 in 5th just fine with no overuse of downshifting. Just leave the button alone unless youre at the drag strip, thats where the racing belongs anyways.
Take what you read from a few of these other posters with a grain of salt. There is nothing worse than ignorance spreading.
Some facts...
If the "O/D" light appears in the instrument cluster, the Overdrive is "off".
By turning off "O/D", this keeps your rpms in the power curve.
By turning off "O/D", this allows the transmission to have very little or no lag during the kickdown while at cruise. This is because there are less gears to move through.
By leaving "O/D" on you are allowing your gas mileage to be as high as possible.
Constant up and downshifting is what the automatic is for, let it do what it wants to do, your right foot is the basic control over its actions. Take it easy
You can shift your own gears as long as you are watching your rpms or at least listening to your engine. Just like a manual tranny, watch what you are shifting into.
If you are at the dragstrip or racing (please dont do this on the street), turn "O/D" off and Traction Control off too.
If you want more facts instead of opinions that dont hold a lot of water ask me and some of the others that actually take their auto's racing and know more of its ins and outs.
-Dan
Take what you read from a few of these other posters with a grain of salt. There is nothing worse than ignorance spreading.
Some facts...
If the "O/D" light appears in the instrument cluster, the Overdrive is "off".
By turning off "O/D", this keeps your rpms in the power curve.
By turning off "O/D", this allows the transmission to have very little or no lag during the kickdown while at cruise. This is because there are less gears to move through.
By leaving "O/D" on you are allowing your gas mileage to be as high as possible.
Constant up and downshifting is what the automatic is for, let it do what it wants to do, your right foot is the basic control over its actions. Take it easy
You can shift your own gears as long as you are watching your rpms or at least listening to your engine. Just like a manual tranny, watch what you are shifting into.
If you are at the dragstrip or racing (please dont do this on the street), turn "O/D" off and Traction Control off too.
If you want more facts instead of opinions that dont hold a lot of water ask me and some of the others that actually take their auto's racing and know more of its ins and outs.
-Dan
1/26/06, 12:39 AM
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Originally posted by MustangJr.06@January 26, 2006, 12:46 AM
And the O/D OFF light means the O/D is off right?
And the O/D OFF light means the O/D is off right?
1/26/06, 12:24 PM
#15
Once again, I pretty much have to agree with Dan. I hardly ever turn O/D off. If it is so hard on the trans to shift all the time in city driving, why would Ford engineers design it that way? Wouldn't they be begging for a crapload of failed transmission warranty claims if it hurt the tranny? About the only time I'll turn O/D off is if I am driving on a twisty road, and constantly changing speeds and braking. But other than that, I leave it alone.
And I definitely do not manually shift the car at the track. That's just dumb, IMO. Leaving it in D ensures that my car shifts at the exact same rpm every single pass (mine is set at 6250rpm), and I never even have to worry about the rev limiter (well... except during burnouts ).
But... TCS if off much more than it is on... LOL
And I definitely do not manually shift the car at the track. That's just dumb, IMO. Leaving it in D ensures that my car shifts at the exact same rpm every single pass (mine is set at 6250rpm), and I never even have to worry about the rev limiter (well... except during burnouts
).But... TCS if off much more than it is on... LOL
1/26/06, 01:30 PM
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Only time I turn off overdrive is during rush hour and if I am having a little fun, I gotta agree with the majority. Manual shifting and driving in 4th 24/7 cannot be good for your tranny.
1/26/06, 04:55 PM
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Originally posted by don_w@January 26, 2006, 3:27 PM
Once again, I pretty much have to agree with Dan. I hardly ever turn O/D off. If it is so hard on the trans to shift all the time in city driving, why would Ford engineers design it that way? Wouldn't they be begging for a crapload of failed transmission warranty claims if it hurt the tranny? About the only time I'll turn O/D off is if I am driving on a twisty road, and constantly changing speeds and braking. But other than that, I leave it alone.
And I definitely do not manually shift the car at the track. That's just dumb, IMO. Leaving it in D ensures that my car shifts at the exact same rpm every single pass (mine is set at 6250rpm), and I never even have to worry about the rev limiter (well... except during burnouts ).
But... TCS if off much more than it is on... LOL
Once again, I pretty much have to agree with Dan. I hardly ever turn O/D off. If it is so hard on the trans to shift all the time in city driving, why would Ford engineers design it that way? Wouldn't they be begging for a crapload of failed transmission warranty claims if it hurt the tranny? About the only time I'll turn O/D off is if I am driving on a twisty road, and constantly changing speeds and braking. But other than that, I leave it alone.
And I definitely do not manually shift the car at the track. That's just dumb, IMO. Leaving it in D ensures that my car shifts at the exact same rpm every single pass (mine is set at 6250rpm), and I never even have to worry about the rev limiter (well... except during burnouts
).But... TCS if off much more than it is on... LOL
yeah but both of you have 4.10's so you can say that. 1500 rpm in 5th gear and waiting for it to shift gets annoying every time.
1/26/06, 05:21 PM
#18
Originally posted by atomic_il@January 26, 2006, 3:58 PM
yeah but both of you have 4.10's so you can say that. 1500 rpm in 5th gear and waiting for it to shift gets annoying every time.
yeah but both of you have 4.10's so you can say that. 1500 rpm in 5th gear and waiting for it to shift gets annoying every time.
1/26/06, 05:27 PM
#19
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Well, I am older than most of you guys but I have to say this. On my best day I could not shift (MANUALLY) any where near as fast as the computer and at the correct RPM!! Especially with Lidio;s tune. Turn the OD off when racing and keep it in drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott
Scott
1/26/06, 06:45 PM
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Originally posted by Cleveland@January 26, 2006, 1:08 AM
hmmmm, I seem to cruise at 35 in 5th just fine with no overuse of downshifting. Just leave the button alone unless youre at the drag strip, thats where the racing belongs anyways.
Take what you read from a few of these other posters with a grain of salt. There is nothing worse than ignorance spreading.
Some facts...
If the "O/D" light appears in the instrument cluster, the Overdrive is "off".
By turning off "O/D", this keeps your rpms in the power curve.
By turning off "O/D", this allows the transmission to have very little or no lag during the kickdown while at cruise. This is because there are less gears to move through.
By leaving "O/D" on you are allowing your gas mileage to be as high as possible.
Constant up and downshifting is what the automatic is for, let it do what it wants to do, your right foot is the basic control over its actions. Take it easy
You can shift your own gears as long as you are watching your rpms or at least listening to your engine. Just like a manual tranny, watch what you are shifting into.
If you are at the dragstrip or racing (please dont do this on the street), turn "O/D" off and Traction Control off too.
If you want more facts instead of opinions that dont hold a lot of water ask me and some of the others that actually take their auto's racing and know more of its ins and outs.
-Dan
hmmmm, I seem to cruise at 35 in 5th just fine with no overuse of downshifting. Just leave the button alone unless youre at the drag strip, thats where the racing belongs anyways.
Take what you read from a few of these other posters with a grain of salt. There is nothing worse than ignorance spreading.
Some facts...
If the "O/D" light appears in the instrument cluster, the Overdrive is "off".
By turning off "O/D", this keeps your rpms in the power curve.
By turning off "O/D", this allows the transmission to have very little or no lag during the kickdown while at cruise. This is because there are less gears to move through.
By leaving "O/D" on you are allowing your gas mileage to be as high as possible.
Constant up and downshifting is what the automatic is for, let it do what it wants to do, your right foot is the basic control over its actions. Take it easy
You can shift your own gears as long as you are watching your rpms or at least listening to your engine. Just like a manual tranny, watch what you are shifting into.
If you are at the dragstrip or racing (please dont do this on the street), turn "O/D" off and Traction Control off too.
If you want more facts instead of opinions that dont hold a lot of water ask me and some of the others that actually take their auto's racing and know more of its ins and outs.
-Dan
x2
and donW,I cant wait to see video on that beast when its done :worship: .ok.sorry..back to the subject