When you think about the word overdrive in your car, you might think that it is an epic feature that will help your car perform all the time. The word overdrive might make you think of going faster than you should. You might think that you are going to go extremely fast when you use overdrive. What is overdrive?

Overdrive is simply a preventive measure that helps to take the strain off of your vehicle. The overdrive system helps to take the strain off of your gas tank and the engine. You will see Mustangs that have an overdrive gear. If you are interested in learning more about what is overdrive, read below.

What is Overdrive?

When asking yourself what is overdrive, you will need to look at the gear system. The overdrive system is just a set of gears. The gear ratio for overdrive is between 0.6 to 0.8:1. The overdrive gear means that the tire will rotate more during the single-engine rotation. This helps to keep the RPM’s low while allowing the speed to be high. The first gears of your vehicle will have a ratio that is greater than one. When you look at what is overdrive in a car, you will find that the gears focus more on the speed of rotations instead of the torque. Overdrive will provide less torque than any other gear. You may find yourself interested in the opposite of an overdrive gear, and that is called a granny gear. This gear will provide more torque to the wheels, with hardly any speed. Commonly, you will see a granny gear on older classic vehicles.

When Should You Use Overdrive?

The only time that you should use the overdrive gear is when you are going at a high speed for a long distance. When you are on the highway, you should be using overdrive. This will help your vehicle by protecting the engine, which will, in turn, cause you to save fuel. Saving fuel on the highway will not only do your car and your bank account well, but it will also help to put out fewer emissions in the environment. It is also important to know when you should not use the overdrive gear so that you do not damage the gear or your vehicle.

When to Not Use Overdrive

When you find out what is overdrive, you must know when you should not use it. Whenever you are driving up a steep hill, or when you are passing another vehicle, you should not use the overdrive system. Whenever you are using high torque, it is best to make sure that the overdrive gear is not in use. Using the overdrive gear when you should not, could make the gear wear out faster. It could also increase the wear and tear on your engine as well as your tires. When in doubt, it is a good idea not to use the overdrive system. You do not want to wear the gears out prematurely. Repairs to this type of gear system can be expensive as well as time confusing.

Overdrive on an Automatic vs Manual

When you find out what is overdrive in a car, your next question is going to be whether or not there is any different when it comes to a manual or an automatic vehicle. The overdrive gear should work the same with both manual and automatic cars. There is only one difference, and it is the difference between a manual and an automatic. When you decide to engage the overdrive, you have to do it manually. On an automatic, the car’s computer will decide when to engage the overdrive. Some vehicles may have an overdrive button, but the car’s internal computer decides when to put it in motion. If you have a manual vehicle, the highest gears are the overdrive gears. For example, if you have a mustang, the fifth gear is your overdrive gear.

When you learn what is overdrive, you will find that it is no different than your regular car parts. It is a good idea to know when to use the overdrive gear. You will want to use it so that it saves you money on gasoline. It will also help to save you wear, and tear on your engine. Remember to only use overdrive when you are going at high speeds. For example, if you are on the interstate, it is a good idea to use the overdrive system. You will be surprised at the money you can save with this gear.

If you find that you are having issues with your overdrive gear, you will want to get it checked out. If it malfunctions, you will want to look into getting it repaired. If your vehicle needs a lot of other repairs, you may want to consider getting a newer vehicle, with a newer overdrive system. Consider looking for cash for junk cars place that will buy your old car. Finding a junk cars scrapyard will allow you to sell your vehicle for cash. Selling your junk cars will help you to find a mustang or other vehicle that has a properly functioning overdrive system. Be sure to take your time to find the right person or scrapyard to buy your broken-down vehicle. You will want to make sure that you get the most money possible so that the money can go towards your new vehicle.