Overdrive

[nj1sh]

Should this be enabled or not? I leave mine always on.

[AcMav]

Unless you need the torque (racing?) you should just leave the Overdrive on. All it does is shifts into a higher gear while on the Highway/Sustained High Speeds. This allows for improved fuel economy and lower engine wear at the cost of torque. So just leave it on

[danielekfuj]

IIRC, the manual says that the only time to have OD off is if you want increased engine braking.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Overdrive on the Max's 4 speed is simply 4th gear. On the 5 speed (auto, not the 5mt) it's 4th AND 5th and on the 6mt 5th and 6th are overdriven. Turning OD off simply keeps the transmission from shifting into 4th. The name "overdrive" comes from the fact that the wheels are being overdriven: rotated FASTER than the engine output shaft. It's a "backward" gear ratio, over 1:1.The purpose of overdrive is to increase fuel efficiency during cruising by keeping rpms lower. Shifting out of overdrive isn't "bad" in any way, but will negatively impact your fuel milage.

I use my overdrive button a lot. There are many times disabling OD can be useful (jumping RPMs right to peak-power for freeway passing, keeping the car from shifting into 4th on hilly high-speed terrain where the car has trouble making up it's mind, etc.).Enable and disable as needed.