How do you guys use ECT & O/D OFF ?

[Headly]

00' 3.4 well tuned engine

do you use o/d off for engine breaking? or maybe downshift for hills?

what is ect? is that a city or highway feature?

I do drive spirited-however I am not one to mash the pedal and get the surge of full acceleration unless it is needed for traffic purposes, so I am not crazy man driver -lol!

 

[bgmac]

I personally use od off for going down mountains...it helps maintain speed.
I also leave the ect ( electonically controled transmission) on all the time since I live in the mountains. All it does is shift at a higher rpm.

 

[96743runner]

I use OD off for climbing hills to prevent the transmission from having to shift between OD and 3rd gear many times. (I remember reading somewhere that the tranny creates the most heat when it shifts between 3rd and OD) I also use OD off when driving in town and when going down hills too.

I never really use ECT so can't comment on that.

 

[Clifford]

I use OD all the time exept climing through mtns- which is also the time I never use cruise control as it really does not work well on hills.
I use ECT occasionally in the city when I want a little more pep but only for a short while. ECT seems to simply allow the engine to shift at higher rpm. The manual states as much.

 

[JonK]

I leave ECT on all the time ... with the higher RPM shifts, I actually seem to get better mileage than when it's off. I do a combination of around town and highway driving.

 

[Martinjmpr]

As with most others here, I switch off the OD when descending a steep hill.

As for ECT, I don't use it, I leave it in the "normal" mode (as opposed to the "power" mode.) I did a couple of tanks full with ECT in Power mode, I noticed a drop in MPG but no corresponding increase in performance, so now I just ignore it.

EDITED TO ADD: I actually wish instead of a "power" mode the AT had a "winter" mode that would start you off in 2nd gear rather than 1st to keep wheelspin down. IMO that would be more useful than the "power" mode (because, let's get real: The only way to get "power" from a 3.4 V-6 is to put a blower on it. : )

 

[4Runninitup]

00' 3.4 well tuned engine

do you use o/d off for engine breaking? or maybe downshift for hills?

what is ect? is that a city or highway feature?

I do drive spirited-however I am not one to mash the pedal and get the surge of full acceleration unless it is needed for traffic purposes, so I am not crazy man driver -lol!

I was gonna ask the same thing! :cheers:

 

[Rapter]

I leave ECT on all the time ... with the higher RPM shifts, I actually seem to get better mileage than when it's off. I do a combination of around town and highway driving.

Same here. There was a thread not too long ago where few people said they had ECT and OD on all of the time. Especially for rigs with bigger than stock tires. I tried it for the past two weeks and I got about 30 or so miles more on a tank of gas.

 

[psquared77]

I use O/D off climbing/descending and sometimes when I am in town and hit all the red lights and stop signs. I also pop it off when I need to make that quick pass on the Hwy. olice:

ECT-Electronically Controlled Transmission (I think...) As everyone else has said-shifts at a higher rpm. However, it seems there are mixed opinions on gas mileage. For me, I feel like it has helped my gas mileage. I average about 305 miles/tank combo city/hwy. Road trips with all Hwy driving-I can squeeze up to 360 miles out of a tank using the ECT on.

 

[240m3srt]

35's , k&n intake, gasket mod, o/d on and ect off = 17.60mpg on the hwy.

 

[giguchan]

I use "OD OFF" when i am pulling my Pop up trailer1200+ and my Jetski 900+ Like the other poster .. I dont used the ECT.. perhaps i should... I will tell you this that when i switch off the OD it seems that the truck takes for ever to shift.. I'll have to check my Tranny fluid...
Hopes this helps.