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merc
08-26-2008, 03:40 PM
I would like to thank Zack for a great transmission tune that saved the day for me. My problems started in February when we completed the new cobra motor install. We needed to have a local tuner address an idle air problem and tune the engine so it can running on the highway. We feared damaging the engine due to a lean condition. There was no anticipation of transmission software adjustments. We took the car to a local shop that had a repetition for fast fords. They managed the idle air problem and tuned the engine on the dyno where the A/F was finely adjusted. At the time the transmission ran ok, but the focus was on the engine performance. Weeks later I noticed the behavior of the transmission was not exactly what I expected. So again another tuning session was scheduled. At this point I dropped 650.00 dollars. Darrin (BC Automotive) was also involved by phone through the tuning process. In April the transmission failed at Cecil County Raceway.

Four months later and 1600.00 dollars I was on the road again, but the transmission software adjustments were the same as it was before. I called all the kings of SCT tuning and everyone wanted to see the car and spend additional tuning dollars. I was determined to resolve this problem, but I was running out of resources. I posted some frustrations about the tuning problem on the MCM site. Zack picked up on the thread and responded to my needs. I wanted someone to examine the SCT file and give me some direction. It was a simple request, but became very complex.

Zack not only took on my problem but he resolved the transmission tuning issues in 24 hours. This saved me a ton of money. One of my goals was to run a sub 12 second time in the heat of the summer. I came extremely close this weekend with a 12.081. I can tell you for a fact that I could not accomplish this goal with his tuning. I am sure others could have fixed the problem, but they didn’t. At Bristol in August my trap speed was 103 MPH due to 3 gear going neutral. 30 days later with Zack assistance my trap increased to 113 MPH. I estimated in the October/November time frame I should be at 117 MPH.

Most Marauder owners don’t think about transmissions until they break. Once you begin to raise your horsepower you shorten the life span of your trany. There is a major difference between factory shift points and schedules and those modified to transfer horsepower. Team Ford in Marietta GA tuned my transmission with the PI converter . Eric was able to bring joy to my eyes but that was 4 years ago. We have refined the art of the tunes since 2004.

My number one issue with any modification is service after the sale. I hate when I get a run around with something I spent my hard dollars on and get no satisfaction. Jerry Barns (Trilogy International) and Chris Vining (Blown3.8), Todd Fisher (Grand Muffler), and Charlie Sadowski (Defyant) all played a major role into my cars development. I have called upon there services several times. I have called and e-mailed Zack to make mirror adjustments and got dependable same day service. This puts a large smile on my face.

Bradley G
08-26-2008, 04:04 PM
Congrats on the tune

ctrlraven
08-26-2008, 04:27 PM
That's awesome Marc, glad to hear Zack brought your smile back. He did that for me this past fall.

KillJoy
08-26-2008, 04:28 PM
Like I have said before.... I have Zack's Trans Tune. I have also had a Lidio and DR Mailbox Tune.

I PREFER (and run currently) Zack's!

:up:

KillJoy

Zack
08-26-2008, 04:47 PM
I really appreciate this post Marc.
I must admit Im not good at rebuilding a 4R70W, but when it comes to 'being its boss'...
....id like to think I have all the bases covered.
Thanks again :up:

KillJoy
08-26-2008, 04:52 PM
I must admit Im not good at rebuilding a 4R70W


:depress:

KillJoy

PS - :D

Joe Walsh
08-26-2008, 05:00 PM
Glad to hear that you are back up and running strong!

Having the transmission behave correctly with the kind of HP & Torque that you are producing must finally give you peace of mind.

Not to hijack this thread, but I am curious about two aspects of our Marauder's automatic:

1: Can someone explain the locked vs. unlocked convertor in the
lower gears while accelerating?
What does the OEM program do with the converter in all 4 gears?
What does a proper performance tune do with the converter in all 4 gears and why?
I'm only familiar with keeping the converter unlocked until @ 50 mph vs the OEM 38 mph for better driveability.

2: Somewhere I read about the OEM computer not being able to calculate fast enough to provide proper shift management above 6500 rpm...
Anyone care to comment on that?
If true, is there a cure? (besides limiting rpm to <6500 rpm)

TooManyFords
08-26-2008, 08:50 PM
2: Somewhere I read about the OEM computer not being able to calculate fast enough to provide proper shift management above 6500 rpm...
Anyone care to comment on that?
If true, is there a cure? (besides limiting rpm to <6500 rpm)

That was me and it was above 7000 rpm that my transmission started to not shift when commanded. The shift management in the PCM low man on the CPU totem pole and ones the rpm's get so high it doesn't have enough time to run back around and handle the shifting duties. Mine would only shift if I let out of the throttle and got back in it when I set the shift points to 7500.

John

merc
08-27-2008, 08:11 AM
Glad to hear that you are back up and running strong!

Having the transmission behave correctly with the kind of HP & Torque that you are producing must finally give you peace of mind.

Not to hijack this thread, but I am curious about two aspects of our Marauder's automatic:

1: Can someone explain the locked vs. unlocked convertor in the
lower gears while accelerating?
OEM 38 mph for better driveability.


I got this graph from Lidio's site. One very cool feature we’ve unlocked on our Marauder tune is the ability to shut off the alternator at “Wide-Open-Throttle”. The Marauder is one of the few Ford vehicles that came from the factory with the ability to shut off the Alternator at WOT, but Ford choose not to take advantage of. By shutting off the alternator at WOT we found this alone to be worth 4-5 RWHP with no adverse affects on the vehicle.

At this time we are not recommending colder plugs nor cooler thermostats as we’ve found the detonation threshold to be the same between 185 - 210 degree F engine temps.

One of the most significant changes made with our tune and the Xcalibrator flasher are several enhancements to transmission operations. We have made a noticeable improvement in how the Marauder’s transmission feels when shifting at light load and part throttle loads, plus substantially firmer shifts at wide open throttle. A key calibration area we’ve focused on is torque converter lock-up. We’ve basically made converter lock-up inactive until speeds above 63 mph have been reached in 4th gear. This makes a Marauder feel much peppier at intermediate speeds in city driving. This change also eliminates the unnecessary, frequent “up-and-down-hunting” shift at intermediate speeds. To sum it up, these transmission changes make the car respond much more quickly and feel like it’s in the correct gear at all times during city driving speeds.

Full throttle shift points are raised slightly and made more consistent at 6100 rpm - which from our testing appears to be optimal for the Marauder engine. The vehicle top-speed limiter is also removed.
http://www.alternativeauto.com/images/marauder-tune-dyno01.jpg
http://www.alternativeauto.com/images/marauder-tune-dyno02.jpg
http://www.alternativeauto.com/images/marauder-tune-dyno03.jpg

red
09-07-2008, 03:09 PM
We’ve basically made converter lock-up inactive until speeds above 63 mph have been reached in 4th gear. This makes a Marauder feel much peppier at intermediate speeds in city driving.
The cost is additional heat and loss of efficiency. Generally, for cruising, you want the converter to lock and unlock as necessary.


This change also eliminates the unnecessary, frequent “up-and-down-hunting” shift at intermediate speeds.
I've not had problems with gear hunting and have the torque converter locking at intermediate speeds.


Full throttle shift points are raised slightly and made more consistent at 6100 rpm - which from our testing appears to be optimal for the Marauder engine.
Is 6100 the commanded WOT shift point, or are you saying that you've tweaked the shift points/schedule such that the actuals are occurring at 6100 (confirmed via logging)?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications.

red
09-07-2008, 03:22 PM
1: Can someone explain the locked vs. unlocked convertor in the lower gears while accelerating?
What does the OEM program do with the converter in all 4 gears?
What does a proper performance tune do with the converter in all 4 gears and why?
I'm only familiar with keeping the converter unlocked until @ 50 mph vs the OEM 38 mph for better driveability.
Locking is used to reduce heat and increase efficiency, which can improve mileage. Unfortunately, I've never logged the stock tune to understand the lockup schedule, but can assume that it makes good use of locking for mileage. Concerning performance tunes at WOT, locking the converter is more efficient and can result in slightly quicker times, though at the cost of wearing the clutch. Keeping the converter unlocked can have decent results without the clutch wear, but will generate more heat.

DEFYANT
09-07-2008, 05:58 PM
Thanks for the props Mark!

Good thread, I'm subscribing.

Richy04
09-12-2008, 10:30 PM
locking the convertor makes the engine deliver its payload to the trans 1 to 1. All of these factors change based on demand. If you go WOT, there are preset parameters for that, if your cruising around town there are parameters for that as well. It like fuzzy logic.
The purpose of locking a convertor was learned from manual transmissions which are much more efficent fuel wise being 1 to 1 at all times at the input shaft of the trans when the clutch is fully released.
The programming will allow some "slop" then it will lock the convertor for energy conservation, if programmed to due so, this can occur in every gear. But this will vary based on load and demand due to that fuzzy logic I mentioned.

Driving a bone stock Marauder, you will notice that your right foot controls the trans 90 percent of the time, the other factor being speed. It will upshift to drop rpms and conserve and a slight blip of the throttle will force it to drop the convertor lock or if its call for, a downshift.. With a tune, its based primarily on MPH and RPMs in one form or another. The original tune was quite annoying for sure which is why we are all here...

Richy04
09-12-2008, 10:39 PM
Red is right,

I believe most tuners would like to lock the convertor after the benefits of slippage are no longer necessary. I believe the Lidio tunes avoid any lockup below 63 mph. Although once the stall is used up, locking a convertor in the power band would be the efficient thing to do but probably not practical. I gotta look to see if it is even accomodated to that degree. Just my thoughts on this.

SWOOSH
09-12-2008, 11:15 PM
Just curious, how is the Zack tune better than Lidio, is this hearsay or are there proven results???

lecantotaylor
09-13-2008, 06:19 AM
Just curious, how is the Zack tune better than Lidio, is this hearsay or are there proven results???


for one, Zack is better looking! :D

Bradley G
09-14-2008, 03:35 AM
You can stop there. :help:

for one, Zack is better looking! :D

Zack
09-14-2008, 04:56 AM
You can stop there. :help:

Agreed. :puke: :puke: