Who drive in 'D' and who drive in '3'?
 

I myself drive in D since I quickly gain that speed quickly. I tried to drive in 3 once or twice and needless to say, the car tops out at 45 and I ALWAYS drive faster than 45 on regular days.

And why would you drive in '3'?


Lwin

I have usually driven in D all of the time. I tried driving in 3 in town when I didn't get above 35 or so, and didn't really find any difference in the two. Someone a while back mentioned that they trusted the automatic to go into which gear it should be in for the condition. I kind of feel the same way. So, I drive in D unless there is a special cercomstance. :)

I personally drive around town in 3 just because. I don't exactly know why I just do and then on the highway I throw her into D.

~Jen

I've always driven cars in D, or OD if available, since the owner's manuals have always indicated that the lower gears are for other than normal use, like towing or steep grade driving.

KuoH

I'm in "D" in the city until I need to make a quick manuever. I'll tap it into "3" then back to "D" when done.

Most of the time in "D".

Randy (I still dislike this tranny) ii :(

D for me:)

And on my next SVX it will be 5-speed ohhhh yeah:D

I usually shift from 1'st to 3'rd on my own. And, I throw it into 4'th if I'm doing 55. I also downshift to help ease the wear on my brakes.

I did that a lot until I realized that brakes are (much) cheaper than transmissions. :(

'D' for me.

Re: Who drive in 'D' and who drive in '3'?
 

Your comments will be of considerable interest to many and therefore it would be appreciated if you could explain and expand on :-

(1) " THAT speed " and (2) " the car TOPS out at 45 ".

To answer your Question :-

I always drive in " 3 ", unless travelling at cruising speeds, for the several obvious reasons which have been very clearly and carefully explaned in several posts by people who know and understand their subject.

It would appear that some do not have the technical knowledge to understand what is sound logic even when this has been expressed in simple terms. Any rejections should be expressed with equal clarity and accuracy.

I drive in 3rd around town and push the lever into D on expressways around 55-60 mph. I usually do this when I'm driving the 2.5L engine Outback too because that car is soooooo slow in D.

Exactimo Larry!
 

I drive in 3 most of the time till 50 or 60 comes up. I often preselect 3 if I am going to overtake, I find the Normal drive map sluggish and lazy.

The TCU has been mapped for smoothness. It achieves this at the expense of using the TC all the time. Everyone is aware of the car accelerating in D and the revs staying the same. That is the torque convertor working.

To do this work, it creates heat which the box gets it hard to dump, many of us have extra coolers. Also of course, it is inefficient, and increases consumption. How many people on here think the SVX is a really economic car?

Bottom line, D4 is too high a gear. I use 3 till cruising.

Joe:)

Re: Re: Who drive in 'D' and who drive in '3'?
 

Trevor, if it is such simple and sound logic, why not simply explain it to us instead of asking those who stick with "D" to express themselves "with equal clarity and accuracy"? If I didn't know any better I might be led to think you are merely driving one way because you heard it from an expert but cannot remember exactly why.

Please educate the rest of us instead of accusing us of being technically ignorant. When you do, try to explain your own reasons with even a miniscule amount of clarity and accuracy.

<Sittiing anxiously at the feet of the guru for enlightenment>

Re: Re: Re: Who drive in 'D' and who drive in '3'?
 

while i couldn't sit here and write a technical paper on the subject, i know why i drive in '3' and 'D' at different times, and i think Trevor is saying that this has been discussed at length many times before (SEARCH :) ).

i will drive in '3' until i get to highway cruising speed, 55-60mph. in cold weather, though, i'll drive in 'D' more often to allow the tranny to heat up, because on chilly days it takes a while. also, seems a little sportier in '3'. there's my non-technical explanation. :)

mostly D
 

Except uphill in the mountains when I notice 'er shift from d to 3 to d to 3 a time or two.

Not so much on cold commute mornings either. If the tranny won't let it go into D until it warms up, maybe there is a reason to restrict it to 3. (tall diff gears = high side bearing loads?)

Re: mostly D
 

If the tranny won't let it go into "D" unless it is warm enough then why bother switching it to "3" until it is warm enough to go into "D"?

I leave mine in "D" since I am not worried about responsiveness. If my speed and throttle position do not warrant being in a position to go quickly then why not let it go into overdrive to drop the RPM's and maybe save a little fuel. If I had a need to be in sport mode all the time I would keep it in 3rd until I got on the highway but I do not need to be.

If this topic has been expressed in the past then both pro's and cons for each side have been expressed as well and I see no need to search. If we are to expand on why we chose to use "D" then why is it unnecessary to expand on why not to use it?

Qoute from Joe:
"The TCU has been mapped for smoothness. It achieves this at the expense of using the TC all the time. Everyone is aware of the car accelerating in D and the revs staying the same. That is the torque convertor working.

To do this work, it creates heat which the box gets it hard to dump, many of us have extra coolers. Also of course, it is inefficient, and increases consumption. How many people on here think the SVX is a really economic car?"

If what Joe say's is true then that may indeed be a valid arguement and took very little time and space for him to include the reasoning behind his using 3rd around town. I know Joe pays a hell of a lot more gas than I do and if it helps him save fuel then perhaps I will consider doing so myself.