As I understand how the O/D works the gear switch will switch it off every
time you shift out of 3rd and or 4th gear, so driving with it on all the
time means you will engage O/D every time you make a 2-3 shift. While I
have heard that you should "exercise" your O/D on a regular basis, and I
have followed that advice and basically use it as a fifth gear, shifting
into O/D whenever I am going at a steady speed of over 45 mph or so for more
than a few blocks (and never had any mechanical issues in the three cars I
have owned with a Laycock O/D), leaving it on all the time would mean it
would presumably turn off and on a little more often than that in daily
driving in urban traffic. While I do not see any immediate harm from the
practice, long term you might wear out the cone clutch a little faster.
For me part of the fun of driving is feeling that little kick and feeling
the revs drop as you flip the switch into O/D, if you leave the switch on
all the time you will get a big gap between 2nd and 3rd and a slower
acceleration, not much fun in my book anyway. The only benefit I would see
you getting is you don't have to flip the switch as often and you may get a
little better MPG. But I suppose if you are just doing some relaxed
cruising around no major harm in it.
Greg Lemon
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