This is my first automatic transmission car, so with little experience I was wondering what you guys think; is it better to drive in D or 3 in ordinary town traffic?

Thanks!

(T&C 2002 AWD 3.8L)

 

D

 

Thanks, first of all!

And wow, the shortest answer in the history of the forums?!?

Seriously, since it appears to be more efficient to drive in 3 (mpg), why would it be better to use D instead? And when to use 3?

And what about when I am towing?

Thanks!

 

when u are in 3rd u have a 1.1 gear ratio so evey engine rpm is one tranny rpm 4th or basicly D is a smaller ratio so every engine is a smaller tranny turn and u go faster with out having the engine turn any faster.

 

simple test filler up drive in 3rd every where see how many miles u gt off one tank then do teh same for 4th see what U get post it back on here when u do.

 

I tried with the mpg calculator, and the car does better in 3 rather than in D. D appears to be better when there's no traffic and I can do 40-50 mph for long enough.

Is that a reliable way to figure out engine/vehicle efficiency?

 

take miles driven devide by gal to fill then u have an avg of what U drive.

 

this proves your practical use.

if you drive in D through the city, transmission tends to shift into D as soon as possible.
if you then want to accelerate, the engine is in low range of revs, and it needs more fuel to develop speed.
if you are in 3rd gear, car will accelerate more easily, becouse the engine revs are higher and it develops more torque.

so, if your car makes more miles driving in 3rd, go for it.
but driving on open road, it must be more efficient to drive in D.