When to drive in third gear

[apersaud]

I was wondering if it is safe to drive in third gear on the highway? Will driving in third gear at high speeds damage the transmission?

Thanks!!

[yodawill2000]

Why would you do that ??Gas aint cheap

[95-J30tt]

as long as you dont go above 80 or 90Km/h, and dont drive it for too long on the highway, otherwise your transmission will be toast. it is basically equivalent to a transmission shift-down when you are trying to speed up on the highway, and as yodawill2000 mensioned, you will be wasting gas, morevoer, you will be forcing the engine to go on high RPM

i've seen a lot of cases with manual transmissions, where people drive on 4th gear on the highway temporarely, and at low speeds, because the 5th gear is damaged, however, manual transmissions can take the beating more than an automatic

in conclusion, dont drive it on third gear unless you absolutely have to, the third gear is not designed to be driven used on a highway, the material used to make the clutches and other components for the 4th gear are tougher in the case of auto, same with the 5th gear in manual transmissions

[Defiant]

Actually, 4th is an overdrive, third is direct. So there'd be less "wear and tear" in third- but the box is built for it. So long as your fluid is healthy and your engine revs are at a safe level, third wouldn't hurt anything other than mileage.