OD off button-just for braking?

[13altima13]

Hi everyone,
Is the OD off button just for braking? In former cars (non cvt), the car accelerates at a higher ratio. The Altima revs up on acceleration.....but seems not to be driven with OD off selected. Is this similar to your observations?
The manual mentions OD off is for engine braking.....but does not address if its drivable in this mode.
Thanks in advance for your comments.

[cwstnsko]

I don't consider my car to be drivable past the end of my driveway with OD off. I haven't really tried to use it for engine braking. After 6500 miles, IMO that feature would not be missed if it did not exist on the car.

[OkieScot]

The only time I use OD off with my Frontier is when I am driving in hilly situations. If I leave it in overdrive it is constantly searching for the correct gear. I have not driven a CVT yet so I am not sure if this would apply to it as well.

[flipn0tic]

Originally Posted by cwstnsko

I don't consider my car to be drivable past the end of my driveway with OD off. I haven't really tried to use it for engine braking. After 6500 miles, IMO that feature would not be missed if it did not exist on the car.

I wouldn't miss it either. I can't imagine ever using it. I wish it wasn't so easily accessible. Once I threw a backpack into the passenger seat and one of the straps got hooked around the shifter. I noticed this on the freeway and pulled it off, and it grazed against the button and disengaged OD while my foot was on the gas and I was going 65. For a few seconds I had no idea what was wrong and why my engine was roaring, but I noticed the dashboard light and pushed it back on.

I'd rather they made it more idiot-proof () and put it so that I'd have to "shift" into O/D off, like my old car.

[13altima13]

The first time was a mistake also....I would rather it did not exist.
At least it defaults to OD on on a shut down.
But it really has nothing to do with OD since there is no OD gear on a cvt.
It could have been called a brake assist and redesigned.

[trek2120]

I noticed that the programming seems to employ some engine brake on its own when decending and helps to keep the speed from increasing a lot. I decend down one fairly steep hill every day on the way to work and by simply coasting the rpm's rise to around 3K and the speed rises to almost 40 from 35 mph. I use the "OD" engine brake option when exiting the highway and there's a long exit ramp. It works well and saves some brake pad material.

[Lee614]

It is never recommended to disengage & re-engage the OD on a daily/regular basis. Certain driving conditions it is recommended to leave it off. two examples are 1) when towing 2) slick snow covered or icy roads. It is not to uncommon for people to turn off OD when traversing hilly roads which is certainly acceptable but there is no need to turn off the OD if you are approaching 'a' hill.
over simplified definition: OD allows the transmission to lock up at a "higher" point (artificial additional gear) thus giving you better gas mileage. essentially it engages on the highway for better gas mileage and only plays apart when driving at higher speeds.
May I suggest a wiki search of "Overdrive" for a better more comprehensive definition.

[trek2120]

Might the implmentation of "overdrive" on a CVT tranmission be different? When I disengage it while decellerating on an offramp, the RPM's do not suddenly jump as if a gear had been disengaged. The RPM's ramp up more slowly, indicating that the pulley's are changing ratios.

[back2back]

I use it when i see a cop hiding out on the highway and don't want to blow by with my tail lights on! Drops you a good 5-10MPH almost instantly at highway speeds...

[tharam04]

Originally Posted by 13altima13

Hi everyone,
Is the OD off button just for braking? In former cars (non cvt), the car accelerates at a higher ratio. The Altima revs up on acceleration.....but seems not to be driven with OD off selected. Is this similar to your observations?
The manual mentions OD off is for engine braking.....but does not address if its drivable in this mode.
Thanks in advance for your comments.

I've used it mostly for braking. I did notice on several occasions that when I switched OD off while not accelerating, a burning rubber smell would come through the climate control, like the engine belt(s) had slipped or so. So if I do it now, it blimp the accelerator while pressing the button.

[nsx]

Originally Posted by cwstnsko

I don't consider my car to be drivable past the end of my driveway with OD off. I haven't really tried to use it for engine braking. After 6500 miles, IMO that feature would not be missed if it did not exist on the car.

you must not live at the same part of Seattle that i do. I don't use od off often, but its quite handy going downhill and you stucked behind some typical law abiding citizens riding their brakes at 20mph.

try that feature next time, if it comes to habit, your brakes rotor can thank me later.

[nsx]

Originally Posted by cwstnsko

I don't consider my car to be drivable past the end of my driveway with OD off. I haven't really tried to use it for engine braking. After 6500 miles, IMO that feature would not be missed if it did not exist on the car.

you must not live at the same part of Seattle that i do. I don't use od off often, but its quite handy going downhill and you stucked behind some typical law abiding citizens riding their brakes at 20mph.

try that feature next time, if it comes to habit, your brakes rotor can thank me later.

[trek2120]

Originally Posted by back2back

I use it when i see a cop hiding out...

OD = Bat Chute?

[fishbone]

Originally Posted by trek2120

Might the implmentation of "overdrive" on a CVT tranmission be different? When I disengage it while decellerating on an offramp, the RPM's do not suddenly jump as if a gear had been disengaged. The RPM's ramp up more slowly, indicating that the pulley's are changing ratios.

The implementation is different to different manufacturers and transmissions and model years.
At one point it prevented the transmissions to shift to their top gears.
Some prevent the torque converter from locking up.
Nissan programmed it so that it locks into a top max gear ratio and doesn't go past it.
The idea and principle behind it is preventing the transmission from choosing a gear/ratio too high for the load and/or causing it to constantly either shift up or down or lock and unlock the torque converter. This would cause excessive wear and tear.

[Flalt]

So what is the best answer here?
Is it ok to use say, coming off a freeway to slow you down or will that harm the transmission?