D vs 3rd

[wack]

In my truck driving around town in 3rd is much more fun than just plain old drive.What exactly is the difference in the 2 gear selection outside of no overdrive? It seems to shift faster and at a somewhat higher rpm.Is there a different shift program for 3rd.

[bassdog]

wack, I do the same thing when driving around town. The only difference is my 3rd gear is actually drive, and my 4th is OD. I don't have the exact ratio differences, but OD is mostly used for highway driving...anything over 55 mph, otherwise in-town driving seems like it is always "searching" for the correct gear.

Aside of that it is always nice to know you have the rpm and power range right there when you need it  

[silverado man]

I always drive in 3rd in the city just because I dont like the low rpm's that my engine runs in D.  I think the ratio of 3rd is 1:1 dont know what D is.

[Dubyagee_93_Silverado]

Im pretty sure that D just locks up the converter eliminating slip

[scooter70]

Assuming that we're talking about new style trucks....  the auto is a 4 speed overdrive.  Third gear is 1:1 and 4th is 0.64:1.  Chevrolet.com - Silverado

Scroll down about 3/4 of the way down the page to transmission specs.