i have been offered a 4 speed with overdrive for my roadrunner project.i want a 4 speed but not sure if overdrive is a plus or a deterent.im a cruise night guy and would apreciate any insight into this setups merits or lack of. thx c.lagoon
4 speed tranny overdrive question
- Thread starter c.lagoon
- Start date
dfrazz
Well-Known Member
Do you know what the gearing is? This is the OD that Jamie at Passon builds and will give you some idea of RPMs.
http://www.passonperformance.com/images/stories/passon_documents/Passon_Overdrive_Flyer_20091109.pdf
http://www.passonperformance.com/images/stories/passon_documents/Passon_Overdrive_Flyer_20091109.pdf
Jcharger
Well-Known Member
If it is the 1970's version where the 3rd and 4th were flipped to give 1-2-3-od (see http://www.allpar.com/mopar/transmissions/four-speed-manual.html) I have some opinions.
In my opinion, the gears are not well matched and I have also heard that they are not super strong.
I put one of these in my car in the 1980's (as a kid) and it worked fine, but I had to shift out of 1st too quickly for my tastes and then second was a big RPM jump. The shifter I had also had very long throws, I believe that could be changed.
The OD was nice because it helped with gas mileage and cruising on the highway and at that time, the car was my drive to and from school so the OD was a big help for me.
right now I have 1-2-3-4-o.d. and like it much better, but that was not in the cards for me in the 1980's.
In my opinion, the gears are not well matched and I have also heard that they are not super strong.
I put one of these in my car in the 1980's (as a kid) and it worked fine, but I had to shift out of 1st too quickly for my tastes and then second was a big RPM jump. The shifter I had also had very long throws, I believe that could be changed.
The OD was nice because it helped with gas mileage and cruising on the highway and at that time, the car was my drive to and from school so the OD was a big help for me.
right now I have 1-2-3-4-o.d. and like it much better, but that was not in the cards for me in the 1980's.
jimt1971rr
Well-Known Member
When I first got my roadrunner, it had an o/d unit. It was plenty strong enough but I personally just didn't like it. The thing that really bothered me, and the reason i switched to a standard 4-speed, was that it didn't have that 3rd gear. Making a lazy turn that really could use a down shift just wasn't good because 2nd was too low and 3rd was the one to one. The overdriveis great on the highway, but not worth it in my opinion. Good Luck.
I have one of the "truck" type 4 speed overdrives that Jamie Passon built me.
I'd say that many of the comments above are accurate. First is pretty tall (but not crazy tall), and there is a wide spread between the gears. It really becomes like a 727 plus OD that you shift yourself.
For my tastes, the OD is awesome. Yes, I really want a 5 speed OD, but I don't want to cut up my transmission tunnel. My standard 4 speed is fine for around town, but as soon as you get up to highway speed it gets annoying.
My advice would be as follows: If you are just going to cruise around town, keep the regular 4 speed. If you are going to do some routine highway use, get an OD.
Good luck whatever you decide.
I'd say that many of the comments above are accurate. First is pretty tall (but not crazy tall), and there is a wide spread between the gears. It really becomes like a 727 plus OD that you shift yourself.
For my tastes, the OD is awesome. Yes, I really want a 5 speed OD, but I don't want to cut up my transmission tunnel. My standard 4 speed is fine for around town, but as soon as you get up to highway speed it gets annoying.
My advice would be as follows: If you are just going to cruise around town, keep the regular 4 speed. If you are going to do some routine highway use, get an OD.
Good luck whatever you decide.
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