what is over drive even for!

I think thats what these forums are for, because some people don't. Maybe you're just smarter than all of us (or some of us), in which case you should probably find some forums that are up to your level of internet intelligence.

You unfortunately found the Entrance...lets see if you are clever enough to find the Exit.

Good luck lil' dude....doing great job making friends thus far!

 

Not trying to make friends. I just call it like I see it. Also, it's experience, not intelligence.

You'll notice that I actually gave out some helpful info in my post, it was just sandwiched in between the anger. The reason for the smart-Alec comment was simple: a few other people had already explained the overdrive feature, and yet people kept asking for info that was already posted.

1st gen Toyota Tacomas have a 4-speed auto transmission or a 5 speed manual. The 4 speed uses the 4th year as overdrive, with an additional torque converter shutoff happening around 47mph. This is all to save gasoline while cruising at higher speeds.

If a load is being towed, or the area has steep grades, AND you're going at speeds above 40mph, it would be beneficial to turn OD off, as it really will strain and overheat your transmission in a hurry. Otherwise, leave it on. It will do nothing but save you money.

Furthermore, OD has absolutely no effect on your "around town" driving. Your truck is going too slow to shift into that 4th OD gear.

See? I'm not sooo bad.

 

Yea, not sooo bad when you drop the anger. Keep it up! The nice thing about threads that make you angry (and trust me, there are a few on here that do), is that you can ignore them. Its why I like the 'pull' aspect of forums.

 

Did you really not read anything previously posted? It makes zero difference weather it is on or off while driving below highway speeds. There is no point to shutting it on and off, so just leave it on like every other normal person does. Seriously why do people even post answers when they don't even know what they are talkng about

 

Alright, fine. Sorry for being a jerk. It's a self-control thing, methinks. I'll try to ignore the junk from now on. But, I think we've about wrapped this thread up with the answers.

 

God I hope so. Hopefully the OP has a better understanding of what OD is used for.

 

Well, I pressed the OD button while out to lunch and I didn't see a fucking rocket, nor Vin Diesel with NOS, nor Andriette with a supercharger. So you guys have no idea what y'all are talking about ffs...

 

You don't think that two prolonged periods of operation, one at 2.5k rpm and the other at 4k rpm, would lead to the premature wear of mechanical components inside the engine running at the higher RPM, when compared to the other? The bearings, gaskets, cylinder, etc?

 

I disagree that's why I posted what I posted, do some research and you'll see who's right and who's wrong. To each his own.

 

I'm fucking laughing my ass off right now

 

Pretty sure the OD in auto is done with splitting the ratio for final drive ratio at the tail shaft (output) within the planetary gears (which ride on shafts) that revolve around the "sun" gear on the main shaft, those with ECT button , this changes the shift points (rpm's point of gear change)

I use OD on freeway, or long straight highways, never for 4wd on trails tho'

 

i just read your pointless pm. All 1st gens have OD, and you even said in your email od is the 4th gear, which you dont reach driving in the city. so what is there to disagree about. might as well keep it on when driving around normally as it has no effect either way untill you hit highway speeds. wanna link me this "research" that proves you right?

 

Only time I turned overdrive off was on long hills in Vermont when I had a loaded trailer. With it on, it hunted in and out of 3rd/4th gear. Seemed better for it to just stay at a constant RPM till the top of the hill.

Sometimes on downhills I switched it off to engine brake and help the brakes. But just to experiment when I was bored.

 

If overdrive is meant to be left on why did the engineers at toyota put an on/off switch on it, but I guess you're smarter than them

 

Doesn't matter.

Unless you're getting up over 45, the OD isn't even coming into play.
Depending on the trans (not sure on the Toyotas) the TCC may still lock up in the lower gears when acceleration load is light.
Once you start getting into the speed/load ranges where the OD comes into play, you WANT the OD to work.

You want to manually disable OD under the following two conditions:
Towing or heavily loaded (refer to owner's manual, not applicable to all transmissions)
Climbing steep hills, or undulating roadway where the transmission is constantly "hunting" between the top two gears, seemingly never happy with either. In that case, locking the top gear out will save wear on the clutch packs and reduce trans temperatures.

 

Because there are SOME situations where it is better to have it shut off.

For most daily driving, leaving it "on" is perfectly acceptable.
That's why it's called an "automatic transmission"

Your radio and headlights have on/off switches as well. That doesn't mean you need to operate those switches every time you get in the driver's seat.

 

Almost every car with overdrive has some way of turning it off. Usually it is there to allow you control. As one person said it helped them while towing because the transmission kept changing gears. Another use is for downhill speed control. Turn the OD off and it will downshift (like a manual) and help control your speed while going downhill. This helps with wear and tear on brakes, and again with towing.

 

all of these replies just take me back to my origianl point. You only need overdrive when going highway speeds

 

And there is no reason to turn it off when not going highway speeds.

Let the transmission decide unless it is having trouble "making up it's mind"

 

i understand you dont have many mountains to climb in louisville, but i live in a state with mountains, and when climbing them it is very strenuous to have the engine hunt for gears, so turning it off is necessary. However unless you are in a specific situation where the truck is hunting for gears like climbing hills or under a heavy load then there is NO REASON TO SHUT IT OFF. If you read the special book called the owners manual it will tell you exactly what i and everyone else is saying.
which means this V