Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don – t ever yell at your wifey
Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don’t ever yell at your wifey
By TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI, SYNDICATED COLUMNISTS
Published Ten:00 pm, Thursday, November 9, two thousand six
Dear Tom and Ray: After driving for forty years and never having sucked an engine or transmission, my spouse blew up on a latest road tour (in which I was driving), because after two hours, he noticed that I still had the car in drive, not overdrive. He proceeded to read me the riot act. I always thought overdrive was for hilly or mountainous areas. Please tell me the rules of overdrive! I drive a ’93 Buick LeSabre. — Nancy
Ray: When I very first read your letter, Nancy, I eyed the line about your hubby gargling up, and thought this was going to be about spontaneous hubby combustion. My wifey got very excited by that idea. But now I understand that you were telling he blew up, as in got angry.
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Tom: Well, commence by telling him to quiet down. Very first of all, it’s not nice to yell at your beloved wifey for any reason. 2nd, it’s only a car. In fact, it’s only a ’93 LeSabre. And most significant, you’ve made the car last fourteen years, Nancy. You’re obviously driving it gently and doing a lot of things right. So there’s no need for any riot acts to be read to anybody.
Ray: That said, you’ve got the overdrive thing entirely backward, Nancy. Overdrive is, essentially, the highest gear. So, if you have a three-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, “overdrive” is fourth gear. Setting the shifter to overdrive means that you’re permitting the transmission to use any of those four gears, right up through overdrive.
Tom: When you put the shifter in “drive,” you keep the transmission from shifting to any higher than third gear. So you’re preventing it from going into overdrive.
Ray: There’s indeed no good reason to limit the transmission to third gear. The more time you spend in your highest gear (overdrive), the better your gas mileage. And the higher the gear, the fewer times the engine turns for the same amount of distance traveled, so the longer the engine lasts. So, basically, Nancy, you want to put the shifter in overdrive all the time.
Tom: You’re fortunate in that you have an automatic transmission. That means it figures out what gear it needs to be in. So just let it do its job.
Ray: There are a few infrequent situations — normally hilly roads — when you might want to be out of overdrive. One is when you’re going 35-45 mph — when the transmission will be right on the edge inbetween third gear and overdrive. In that situation, the transmission might “hunt,” going back and forward inbetween those gears attempting to find the right one. Some people find that annoying. So in a situation such as that, it’s fine to shift down into drive temporarily to stop it from hunting. But it’s not necessary.
Tom: And when you’re going down a long, steep grade, it’s good to downshift to a lower gear — third, 2nd or even very first — so that engine braking keeps your speed under control, and you don’t overheat your brakes.
Ray: But other than that, the best thing to do is just put it in overdrive the moment you leave your driveway, and then leave behind all about it.
Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don – t ever yell at your wifey
Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don’t ever yell at your wifey
Dear Tom and Ray: After driving for forty years and never having deep-throated an engine or transmission, my hubby blew up on a latest road tour (in which I was driving), because after two hours, he noticed that I still had the car in drive, not overdrive. He proceeded to read me the riot act. I always thought overdrive was for hilly or mountainous areas. Please tell me the rules of overdrive! I drive a ’93 Buick LeSabre. — Nancy
Ray: When I very first read your letter, Nancy, I witnessed the line about your spouse throating up, and thought this was going to be about spontaneous hubby combustion. My wifey got very excited by that idea. But now I understand that you were telling he blew up, as in got angry.
Tom: Well, commence by telling him to peaceful down. Very first of all, it’s not nice to yell at your beloved wifey for any reason. 2nd, it’s only a car. In fact, it’s only a ’93 LeSabre. And most significant, you’ve made the car last fourteen years, Nancy. You’re obviously driving it gently and doing a lot of things right. So there’s no need for any riot acts to be read to anybody.
Ray: That said, you’ve got the overdrive thing fully backward, Nancy. Overdrive is, essentially, the highest gear. So, if you have a three-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, “overdrive” is fourth gear. Setting the shifter to overdrive means that you’re permitting the transmission to use any of those four gears, right up through overdrive.
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Tom: When you put the shifter in “drive,” you keep the transmission from shifting to any higher than third gear. So you’re preventing it from going into overdrive.
Ray: There’s truly no good reason to limit the transmission to third gear. The more time you spend in your highest gear (overdrive), the better your gas mileage. And the higher the gear, the fewer times the engine turns for the same amount of distance traveled, so the longer the engine lasts. So, basically, Nancy, you want to put the shifter in overdrive all the time.
Tom: You’re fortunate in that you have an automatic transmission. That means it figures out what gear it needs to be in. So just let it do its job.
Ray: There are a few uncommon situations — normally hilly roads — when you might want to be out of overdrive. One is when you’re going 35-45 mph — when the transmission will be right on the edge inbetween third gear and overdrive. In that situation, the transmission might “hunt,” going back and forward inbetween those gears attempting to find the right one. Some people find that annoying. So in a situation such as that, it’s fine to shift down into drive temporarily to stop it from hunting. But it’s not necessary.
Tom: And when you’re going down a long, steep grade, it’s good to downshift to a lower gear — third, 2nd or even very first — so that engine braking keeps your speed under control, and you don’t overheat your brakes.
Ray: But other than that, the best thing to do is just put it in overdrive the moment you leave your driveway, and then leave behind all about it.
Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don – t ever yell at your wifey
Car Talk: Always use overdrive, and don’t ever yell at your wifey
By TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI, SYNDICATED COLUMNISTS
Published Ten:00 pm, Thursday, November 9, two thousand six
Dear Tom and Ray: After driving for forty years and never having throated an engine or transmission, my spouse blew up on a latest road tour (in which I was driving), because after two hours, he noticed that I still had the car in drive, not overdrive. He proceeded to read me the riot act. I always thought overdrive was for hilly or mountainous areas. Please tell me the rules of overdrive! I drive a ’93 Buick LeSabre. — Nancy
Ray: When I very first read your letter, Nancy, I witnessed the line about your spouse deep throating up, and thought this was going to be about spontaneous spouse combustion. My wifey got very excited by that idea. But now I understand that you were telling he blew up, as in got angry.
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Tom: Well, commence by telling him to peaceful down. Very first of all, it’s not nice to yell at your beloved wifey for any reason. 2nd, it’s only a car. In fact, it’s only a ’93 LeSabre. And most significant, you’ve made the car last fourteen years, Nancy. You’re obviously driving it gently and doing a lot of things right. So there’s no need for any riot acts to be read to anybody.
Ray: That said, you’ve got the overdrive thing entirely backward, Nancy. Overdrive is, essentially, the highest gear. So, if you have a three-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, “overdrive” is fourth gear. Setting the shifter to overdrive means that you’re permitting the transmission to use any of those four gears, right up through overdrive.
Tom: When you put the shifter in “drive,” you keep the transmission from shifting to any higher than third gear. So you’re preventing it from going into overdrive.
Ray: There’s truly no good reason to limit the transmission to third gear. The more time you spend in your highest gear (overdrive), the better your gas mileage. And the higher the gear, the fewer times the engine turns for the same amount of distance traveled, so the longer the engine lasts. So, basically, Nancy, you want to put the shifter in overdrive all the time.
Tom: You’re fortunate in that you have an automatic transmission. That means it figures out what gear it needs to be in. So just let it do its job.
Ray: There are a few uncommon situations — normally hilly roads — when you might want to be out of overdrive. One is when you’re going 35-45 mph — when the transmission will be right on the edge inbetween third gear and overdrive. In that situation, the transmission might “hunt,” going back and forward inbetween those gears attempting to find the right one. Some people find that annoying. So in a situation such as that, it’s fine to shift down into drive temporarily to stop it from hunting. But it’s not necessary.
Tom: And when you’re going down a long, steep grade, it’s good to downshift to a lower gear — third, 2nd or even very first — so that engine braking keeps your speed under control, and you don’t overheat your brakes.
Ray: But other than that, the best thing to do is just put it in overdrive the moment you leave your driveway, and then leave behind all about it.