Power Drive / Winter Drive

Does anyone know exactly what the "power drive" switch does? The owner's manual for my 96 Rodeo is pretty thin on this ... just says something about using it when you want more power. I definitely feel a difference when it's engaged, but I haven't got a clue as to what it actually does.

Winter drive as far as I recall simply starts you off in 2nd gear for a little more traction / power. Does it do anything else?

Thanks

Phil

Reply to
Phil
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manual for my 96

IIRC power drive changes the shift points, shifting later so you spend more time in the lower gears revving higher for more power.

rhys

Reply to
rnf2

This is what it does for me. It runs the lower gears out to about

4000rpm before up shifting. It's great for highway on-ramps. (Here in Pittsburgh, we have these ramps that are on-ramps at the back end and off-ramps at the for end. Getting on the highway is a bit of an adventure.)

Jim Helfer Pittsburgh PA

Reply to
Jim Helfer

Winter mode starts in 3rd, which is supposed to help you get started in low traction conditions. I don't have any other tire spinning issues, so I can't say if Power Mode is supposed to help.

Jim H

Reply to
Jim Helfer

| >>rnf2 wrote: | >>

| >>

| >>>

| >>>>Does anyone know exactly what the "power drive" switch does? The | >

| > owner's | >

| >>>manual for my 96 | >>>

| >>>

| >>>>Rodeo is pretty thin on this ... just says something about using it when | >>>

| >>>you want more | >>>

| >>>

| >>>>power. I definitely feel a difference when it's engaged, but I haven't | >>>

| >>>got a clue as to | >>>

| >>>

| >>>>what it actually does. | >>>>

| >>>>Winter drive as far as I recall simply starts you off in 2nd gear for a | >>>

| >>>little more | >>>

| >>>

| >>>>traction / power. Does it do anything else? | >>>>

| >>>>Thanks | >>>>

| >>>>Phil | >>>

| >>>

| >>>IIRC power drive changes the shift points, shifting later so you spend | >

| > more | >

| >>>time in the lower gears revving higher for more power. | >>>

| >>>rhys | >>>

| >>>

| >>

| >> This is what it does for me. It runs the lower gears out to about | >>4000rpm before up shifting. | >> It's great for highway on-ramps. (Here in Pittsburgh, we have these | >>ramps that are on-ramps at the back end and off-ramps at the for end. | >>Getting on the highway is a bit of an adventure.) | >>

| >>Jim Helfer | >> Pittsburgh PA | >>

I'm not certain, but I believe "power" mode would increase rather than decrease the tendency to spin. On ice, you want lower torque, not higher torque. That's why the "Winter" mode starts you in a higher gear - less torque, even if you goose the gas too much. Power mode is the opposite. It starts you in a lower gear, giving you more torque at the wheels and keeps you in that gear longer (higher rpm). So it won't help in winter - it will either hurt your winter driving or not affect it depending on your "technique" - but it won't help. For those of us who drove stick shift cars, it all makes sense. In winter, we started out in second gear on ice, to keep from applying too much power to the wheels and spinning them. On the other hand, on dry pavement and towing something or going up a steep hill, you not only started out in low gear, but you kept it in low gear longer so that second gear had enough power (high enough rpm) to keep you going once you shifted to it.

Chuck - near Pittsburgh.

Reply to
Charles

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