Locks the torque converter up at lower rpm's, limiting shifting and improving fuel economy slightly. The unfortunate thing is, for the people that use Eco Mode all the time, it is extremely stressful on the torque converter, and its how many of them fail. You're best is to leave it off and prolong the life of your transmission. Slightly better fuel economy does not outweigh transmission replacement.
@@angryw4nderer what year is your van? the one you have might be the earlier years with the optional eco light that comes on to tell you that you are driving in a fuel efficient way. it doesn't change the things like the latter vans.
I purchased a clean 2013 Town and Country 3 weeks ago and have been driving with Eco on but was curious about it. I'm glad I found this video. I will turn it off and see how it goes. I'm retired so I won't be driving it much anyway but want to preserve the tranny if turning it off will do that.
Good video my dude. They need to change that leaf to a little snowflake!! Thanks for what you do man! I'm subscribing! I own a 2015 Jeep Patriot as my daily driver with 101k but I also own a 2015 Grand Caravan w/ 30k and I appreciate this video
I bought a 2014 dodge grand caravan. The econ mode was already on. The econ mode throttle seemed sticky or something because I would be going 30mph and trying to go 35mph. I slowly push the gas pedal more and more and its still 30mph. Until finally the van wants to rev and then suddenly I am going 40mph... Same thing on the freeway. It would get stuck at 60mph and I slowly press and press the gas pedal until it revs up and then suddenly I am going 80mph.... So I find the econ button and turned it off and it drove so much better. After a couple months. I did some fun freeway accelerations 0-65mph, some with econ mode off and some with econ mode on... And that fixed the sticky econ mode! I no longer have to fight the throttle and can easily go from 60, to 65, to 70 smoothly... I started using econ mode for snow and rain. But I changed my mind about turning it on while raining because I had a near crash, and I was actually trying to throttle to avoid a crash and my van just didn't speed up at all as I was swerving over some lanes, and I didn't want the van to jump into sport mode and downshift to accelerate because of the rain. So now I keep econ mode off even in the rain.
I have a 2016 Grand Caravan. In November I switch to Winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak) and never have a problem with ice or snow. I have a video ploughing through snow with front spoiler when I was coming home from work. I had traction control off, Econ Mode off and manually selected 3rd gear. I was using Econ Mode on flat roads only. If there are hills, the downshifting happens too late and is jerky. It also seems to jump a gear, maybe unlocking the torque converter and shifting at the same time. The gas pedal doesn't seem to respond fast. I find that even in normal mode, the throttle response is worse the faster I go. An old fashion cable or linkage would provide better response.
They do pretty good in the snow we have never had any issue with any of the ones I drove still drive one every day for work other then a few little issues 163000 miles and still going
ECON button = Off -> transmission lives longer. Also... When towing &/or cargo heavy weight loads, manually force transmission into 5th gear (instead of normal 6 gear). This works great for our 2017 DGC...
I have a 2017 van that I bought new in 2018 from the dealer (it was a left over). I found Eco mode didn't make much different fuel economy wise. In the city where you need acceleration to keep up with traffic often times, it was frustratingly slow. It shifted up through the gears fast and the van would bog down and you had to push the gas pedal hard to get it to accelerate. In the end I took it out of Eco mode and I was happy. In normal mode, this van is pretty snappy, has good acceleration, moves out smartly. So, no Eco mode for me, that dog just won't hunt.
Got a 2012 town and country. Love it but after 100,000 miles, repairs have become a nightmare. The heater cores went. Leaky evap hose. Broken flywheel. I just want to cry
I work for a company that has 6 vans like this and some of the drivers say that the Econ Mode makes easier to drive in snow witch kinda makes since being the it reduces engine power by 30% at least at taking off and stopping by lower rpm with transmission shifts
I have a 2912 RAM C/V for the first 100,000 miles it averaged 35. mpg down shifted at the slightest increase in throttle. It seemed to adjust the valve timing when power wasn't needed. At 100,000 miles, I had a factory recall, They plugged a laptop computer into the diagnostic port under the dashboard for less than 15 minutes. It more than halved my mileage. I will never go back to that dealership again!
The van in the video when we first got it got like 28 miles to a gallon and then after we took it in to dodge for the airbag and steering column wiring recall they had to quote unquote reprogram the PCM to work with the new harness and it started getting 23 miles to a gallon
We can get 3-4 more mpg using the Eco mode on trips of 150 to 175 miles. There doesn't seem to be any improvement in city driving for our area. (Seattle Metro)
@@ckelly5141 real talk normally I wear my seat belt I drive 800 to 1000 miles a week for work and have it on all the time in the video I was on a county road with no traffic so I didnt think about it when shooting the video
The crazy thing is that this video has been up for a few years and u are the very first one that has said anything I figured when it posted the video I would get roasted for it
I tried both and only time it actually helped was when I drove in a big city over a month versus non eco mode but only with me almost never going over 35 mph. But it is limiting power and is not at all good for interstate or state highways outside of a city that doesn't have a bunch of traffic lights. So if you're not always in a city infested with short traffic lights, don't use the eco mode or you will be abusing your transmission and transmissions are very costly. My opinion only. God bless!
I have told everyone i work in transportation and have had 6 of these vans now a 12 14 15 tow 16 and a 18 Pacifica that does not have a drive mode opinion and out of all of them the Pacifica gets the best gas mileage and 28 mpg the dodges all under 26 and my big wheelchair ramp van which is a 16 dodge gets the worst at 18 mpg the eco mode button made no difference and I put about 5000 miles a month on them
And as far as people saying transmission issues if used all the time we just had to put a transmission in the ramp van and I have never used the eco mode button in it and I have put just over 100000 miles on it
I don't use the eco mode in my 2014 Grand Caravan because it causes the transmission to be totally confusing to me because it shifts up and down so much that it's totally senseless. The transmission shifts too much as far as I'm concerned even when not in eco mode. I used to have a 2002 before and that transmission was flawless
They say that is saving you fuel by keeping the engine rpms in that eco range but I have the 2012 white one in the video and a 2016 I use for work and they both seem to not drive as good in eco as good as with it off in have had the 2012 for 4 years and the 2016 for 3 and if will not use the eco mode
Well the hole idea is that its hard on transmissions I guess but I think that dodge just had bad transmission anyways drove a 2017 grand caravan for work and the transmission was out on it it 48000 miles
So mine is a 2011 got 204 thousand miles on it currently broke down due to the integrated power module which is the fuse panel under the hood the fuel pump relay is built into the panel they will eventually go out it'll start with fuel pump staying running after you shut the car off and then it'll start not working at all I love the van it drives great other than the power module I have had no issues with it where we can get it started it runs great the only other thing we have done with it within the time that we have owned it is replace the rocker arms because pin bearings on the Rockers go out causing it to knock and will eventually eat the camshaft that is not specific to this day and however it is a 3.6 L pentastar problem every Chrysler vehicle between 2010 and 2017 does the rocker arm thing 2017 supposedly Chrysler fix the problem but as far as a good comfortable van that it's roomy and nice to drive it's a good van if you can get past the mechanical stuff
The setup button on the left side of wheel pushing the setup button is Circle through the display options mileage trip mileage outside temperature MPG Etc on the little screen in the gauge cluster
You're energy is marked, but the information you've provided severely lacks. SE stands for #StandardEdition, not sport edition! If there's any important piece of advice I can offer as a seasoned #Mopar minivan owner, DO NOT use the #EcoMode unless you're goals to shell out for a total transmission rebuild!
Ha skip the video read the comments. Thanks though just bought chrysler this yr and was wondering about the button. I did notice a big drop off of power. I won't use it if it stresses the torque converter.
This is one of the first videos I did a long time ago... Very cringe-worthy and took a long time to get to the point lol glad the comments could help u out
I own a 2018, Dodge grand caravan. Good to know about the eco button. I dislike the throttle, i push it down almost half way before it Moves,then it takes off like crazy, squeals the tires...like a delayed throttle. 😢 i don't like it. 🤬
The pacificas also get 26 to 30 MPG without the eco mode button I have never gotten better than 25 out of any of the Dodgers with the Eco Mode on or off
haha what? I didn't finish watching the video but that is odd haha. I actually turned econ mode off while it was raining and while I was pressing the gas pedal down a little more. And I instantly felt the power difference of it being turned off. Edit... I fully watched this video and I didn't catch anything about "put the van in neutral"
![Easy Program Dodge Key Fob: Grand Caravan & More [ also Chrysler, Jeep, Volkswagen]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WC_4vvlcSFc/mqdefault.jpg)
Good thing I found this video. I am leaving my eco off
Locks the torque converter up at lower rpm's, limiting shifting and improving fuel economy slightly. The unfortunate thing is, for the people that use Eco Mode all the time, it is extremely stressful on the torque converter, and its how many of them fail. You're best is to leave it off and prolong the life of your transmission. Slightly better fuel economy does not outweigh transmission replacement.
doesnt it also limit the drain on the battery?
That I am not sure of it does not say so in the manual
My transmission is starting to act up, sometimes the eco mode turns on automatically for some reason 😢
I never use mine
@@angryw4nderer what year is your van? the one you have might be the earlier years with the optional eco light that comes on to tell you that you are driving in a fuel efficient way. it doesn't change the things like the latter vans.
just bought a 2013 today good review here thx
I purchased a clean 2013 Town and Country 3 weeks ago and have been driving with Eco on but was curious about it. I'm glad I found this video. I will turn it off and see how it goes. I'm retired so I won't be driving it much anyway but want to preserve the tranny if turning it off will do that.
The trans on these vans are definitely the week point other thne that the are good vans
But had saying that mine now has 208000 miles on it and the original transmission and its still drives like new so i guess its how you drive them
Good video my dude. They need to change that leaf to a little snowflake!! Thanks for what you do man! I'm subscribing! I own a 2015 Jeep Patriot as my daily driver with 101k but I also own a 2015 Grand Caravan w/ 30k and I appreciate this video
I bought a 2014 dodge grand caravan. The econ mode was already on. The econ mode throttle seemed sticky or something because I would be going 30mph and trying to go 35mph. I slowly push the gas pedal more and more and its still 30mph. Until finally the van wants to rev and then suddenly I am going 40mph... Same thing on the freeway. It would get stuck at 60mph and I slowly press and press the gas pedal until it revs up and then suddenly I am going 80mph....
So I find the econ button and turned it off and it drove so much better. After a couple months. I did some fun freeway accelerations 0-65mph, some with econ mode off and some with econ mode on... And that fixed the sticky econ mode! I no longer have to fight the throttle and can easily go from 60, to 65, to 70 smoothly... I started using econ mode for snow and rain. But I changed my mind about turning it on while raining because I had a near crash, and I was actually trying to throttle to avoid a crash and my van just didn't speed up at all as I was swerving over some lanes, and I didn't want the van to jump into sport mode and downshift to accelerate because of the rain. So now I keep econ mode off even in the rain.
I have a 2016 Grand Caravan. In November I switch to Winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak) and never have a problem with ice or snow. I have a video ploughing through snow with front spoiler when I was coming home from work. I had traction control off, Econ Mode off and manually selected 3rd gear.
I was using Econ Mode on flat roads only. If there are hills, the downshifting happens too late and is jerky. It also seems to jump a gear, maybe unlocking the torque converter and shifting at the same time. The gas pedal doesn't seem to respond fast. I find that even in normal mode, the throttle response is worse the faster I go. An old fashion cable or linkage would provide better response.
They do pretty good in the snow we have never had any issue with any of the ones I drove still drive one every day for work other then a few little issues 163000 miles and still going
ECON button = Off -> transmission lives longer. Also... When towing &/or cargo heavy weight loads, manually force transmission into 5th gear (instead of normal 6 gear). This works great for our 2017 DGC...
I have a 2017 van that I bought new in 2018 from the dealer (it was a left over). I found Eco mode didn't make much different fuel economy wise. In the city where you need acceleration to keep up with traffic often times, it was frustratingly slow. It shifted up through the gears fast and the van would bog down and you had to push the gas pedal hard to get it to accelerate. In the end I took it out of Eco mode and I was happy. In normal mode, this van is pretty snappy, has good acceleration, moves out smartly. So, no Eco mode for me, that dog just won't hunt.
It really dont make a difference is have had that van for years and other vans like it for 2012 to 2018 and they are all the same not much different
Good explanation. I have a 2014 and 2016 grand caravan and I completely agree with you.
Got a 2012 town and country. Love it but after 100,000 miles, repairs have become a nightmare. The heater cores went. Leaky evap hose. Broken flywheel. I just want to cry
I have a 2014 Town and Country we bought in March of 2022. I wonder how Ecomode would do on snowy roads?
I work for a company that has 6 vans like this and some of the drivers say that the Econ Mode makes easier to drive in snow witch kinda makes since being the it reduces engine power by 30% at least at taking off and stopping by lower rpm with transmission shifts
@@FluffyReaperGaming I thought it would, good to know, thanks!
I have a 2912 RAM C/V for the first 100,000 miles it averaged 35. mpg down shifted at the slightest increase in throttle. It seemed to adjust the valve timing when power wasn't needed. At 100,000 miles, I had a factory recall, They plugged a laptop computer into the diagnostic port under the dashboard for less than 15 minutes. It more than halved my mileage. I will never go back to that dealership again!
The van in the video when we first got it got like 28 miles to a gallon and then after we took it in to dodge for the airbag and steering column wiring recall they had to quote unquote reprogram the PCM to work with the new harness and it started getting 23 miles to a gallon
We can get 3-4 more mpg using the Eco mode on trips of 150 to 175 miles.
There doesn't seem to be any improvement in city driving for our area. (Seattle Metro)
Never mind eco-mode......what about seat belts?
Seat belts and brakes are for quitters and I sir and not a quitter
@@FluffyReaperGaming No....but being reckless isn’t exactly a good idea. Better to quit than to be dead. I’m sure your loved ones would agree.
@@ckelly5141 real talk normally I wear my seat belt I drive 800 to 1000 miles a week for work and have it on all the time in the video I was on a county road with no traffic so I didnt think about it when shooting the video
The crazy thing is that this video has been up for a few years and u are the very first one that has said anything I figured when it posted the video I would get roasted for it
I tried both and only time it actually helped was when I drove in a big city over a month versus non eco mode but only with me almost never going over 35 mph. But it is limiting power and is not at all good for interstate or state highways outside of a city that doesn't have a bunch of traffic lights. So if you're not always in a city infested with short traffic lights, don't use the eco mode or you will be abusing your transmission and transmissions are very costly. My opinion only. God bless!
I have told everyone i work in transportation and have had 6 of these vans now a 12 14 15 tow 16 and a 18 Pacifica that does not have a drive mode opinion and out of all of them the Pacifica gets the best gas mileage and 28 mpg the dodges all under 26 and my big wheelchair ramp van which is a 16 dodge gets the worst at 18 mpg the eco mode button made no difference and I put about 5000 miles a month on them
And as far as people saying transmission issues if used all the time we just had to put a transmission in the ramp van and I have never used the eco mode button in it and I have put just over 100000 miles on it
Put the vid in 1.5x to save ur time......
I don't use the eco mode in my 2014 Grand Caravan because it causes the transmission to be totally confusing to me because it shifts up and down so much that it's totally senseless. The transmission shifts too much as far as I'm concerned even when not in eco mode. I used to have a 2002 before and that transmission was flawless
They say that is saving you fuel by keeping the engine rpms in that eco range but I have the 2012 white one in the video and a 2016 I use for work and they both seem to not drive as good in eco as good as with it off in have had the 2012 for 4 years and the 2016 for 3 and if will not use the eco mode
Consumer reports did a test with fuel meters and the ECO mode made absolutely no difference in fuel milage.
Well the hole idea is that its hard on transmissions I guess but I think that dodge just had bad transmission anyways drove a 2017 grand caravan for work and the transmission was out on it it 48000 miles
Long term report on this van?
So mine is a 2011 got 204 thousand miles on it currently broke down due to the integrated power module which is the fuse panel under the hood the fuel pump relay is built into the panel they will eventually go out it'll start with fuel pump staying running after you shut the car off and then it'll start not working at all I love the van it drives great other than the power module I have had no issues with it where we can get it started it runs great the only other thing we have done with it within the time that we have owned it is replace the rocker arms because pin bearings on the Rockers go out causing it to knock and will eventually eat the camshaft that is not specific to this day and however it is a 3.6 L pentastar problem every Chrysler vehicle between 2010 and 2017 does the rocker arm thing 2017 supposedly Chrysler fix the problem but as far as a good comfortable van that it's roomy and nice to drive it's a good van if you can get past the mechanical stuff
Check ground under the fuse box relay. It worked for me
Thanks for the info I will have to look in to it
how do you get the outside temp displayed? i just bought the van.
The setup button on the left side of wheel pushing the setup button is Circle through the display options mileage trip mileage outside temperature MPG Etc on the little screen in the gauge cluster
You're energy is marked, but the information you've provided severely lacks. SE stands for #StandardEdition, not sport edition! If there's any important piece of advice I can offer as a seasoned #Mopar minivan owner, DO NOT use the #EcoMode unless you're goals to shell out for a total transmission rebuild!
Thank u 4 your comment
I wish I would have known this sooner. Tranny is acting up, I swapped out fluid 10k miles ago and seems like it's getting worse 😢
SE doesn't stand for sport edition, it starts for Standart Edition. SXT is the "Standard with eXTra edition"
Thank u 4 your Comment
Ha skip the video read the comments. Thanks though just bought chrysler this yr and was wondering about the button. I did notice a big drop off of power. I won't use it if it stresses the torque converter.
This is one of the first videos I did a long time ago... Very cringe-worthy and took a long time to get to the point lol glad the comments could help u out
@@FluffyReaperGaming No dis... I'm glad ya did. Thanks!
I only use econ mode for rode driving never around town.
Thank the Gov for pressuring the auto manufacturers to implement these silly fuel efficient systems , which actually damages the vehicle.
Thanks gov
Same as everything now days
I own a 2018, Dodge grand caravan. Good to know about the eco button. I dislike the throttle, i push it down almost half way before it
Moves,then it takes off like crazy, squeals the tires...like a delayed throttle. 😢 i don't like it. 🤬
You sound like Paul Heyman 😀
Never been told that before but I can kind of see it at least I sound like a celebrity
I dont like the eco mode, i think its hard on the trany
I never use it on any of the vans a drive the company I work for has 5 of them and 3 new pacificas the pacificas dont have it
The pacificas also get 26 to 30 MPG without the eco mode button I have never gotten better than 25 out of any of the Dodgers with the Eco Mode on or off
It's the ejecto trans button
Wow. Terrible explanation
Thank u 4 your comment
Absolutely no reason to put the van in neutral to turn on or off eco mode. Very silly.
I dont remember doing that but if i did it was not to turn off econ
haha what? I didn't finish watching the video but that is odd haha. I actually turned econ mode off while it was raining and while I was pressing the gas pedal down a little more. And I instantly felt the power difference of it being turned off.
Edit...
I fully watched this video and I didn't catch anything about "put the van in neutral"