I have not got the Fuel Sipper tune from Bill yet so I can't compare it to stock or the 80HP which Bill said Fuel Sipper is basically the lowered and modded shift points but is about the same as the 80HP tune after about 1/2 throttle.
I can't give you ANY advice on what to do about "fuel sipper". Personally, I can't stand the way "economy" tunes shift and I try very hard to have my transmission shifts perform in exactly the inverse of what economy programs are supposed to do. Typically, a mileage-based tune is going to have a responsive accelerator pedal and stock shift points. Since the APP is now lower for any given rate of acceleration and shift points are based on APP, the transmission shifts earlier.
If I make the Auto tranny act more like a manual tranny it should get better overall mileage. So to do that I am thinking of making the TC lock up pretty much in every gear on acceleration and up shift. I know it needs to slip under slower speed and under load to prevent it from lagging.
That is a very good way to do it. It's not always that easy though. Causing the torque converter to lock during upshifting will ALWAYS increase shift firmness unless other means are used to control firmness like torque reduction (I LOVE THAT) and shift pressure. Then you run into excessive slip times which is not good. Getting the torque converter unlock/upshift schedule perfect as to not cause a "bump" or "double shift" feel would be really difficult so the best option would be to lock the torque converter in 2nd, leave it locked, and find the best trade off in shift feel. Inversely can I let it unlock and coast when slowing down? does slowing or coast really make much difference on the MPG (I am thinking not really)
Actually, using the engine braking (or what bit of engine braking we have) SAVES fuel. It's definitely a negligible amount, but it saves fuel nonetheless. When you coast, the PCM will command about 4mS of injector pulsewidth. This is not enough time to open the injector and inject fuel. During coast, you've probably noticed that the injectors go silent until around 1300 RPM when they start clicking again. When the engine is allowed to idle, it's ALWAYS using some amount of fuel. If my thinking is correct then here are a list of questions on how to approach this
I do have the AutoEnginuity Ford enhanced and a Genisys scan tool so I can do plenty of montoring when I make changes.. Just want to get a better idea of what to look at (im using the VRAA6y3 AKA PMT1) for reference here...
1. At what speeds can i set the TC to lock up for each gear.
You can set the speeds in the torque converter lockup functions. It won't be an accurate setting and will require fine tuning. Also keep in mind that acceleration rate will wreak havoc with your TC lock speeds. Say for all intents and purposes that you have a straight (actual speed) lockup point of 35 MPH across the board. That doesn't mean that the TC will lock at 35 MPH under all circumstances. If I could guarantee that the TC would lock in 3rd gear at 37 MPH no matter what, I would do it.
2. Which parameters do i change and to what extent to get the TC lockup without crazy hard shifting like I dropped the cluch.
Torque table map (lower = softer), Torque converter lockup rate, etc.
3. would I need to make the TC unlock at higher throttle positions to prevent damage or lugging to the engine and tranny... if so what parts are at risk of failure and why??
Typically (and this is a BIG typically), it is common practice to make the TC lock earlier (lower speeds) at higher APP settings just because it keeps the transmission alive because excess fluid coupling slippage creates a lot of heat. Besides, the factory torque converters aren't exactly great for power transfer....but that was a measure for the engineers to save the transmission service life.
4. I see there is an option to set the tranny hot fluid TC lockup over ride. I was thinking I can set it lower to lock at about 250 or less and unlock say around 220 in order to protect the tranny during testing... (I just got my gauges this week including a tranny gauge) hopefully install this weekend.
If you hit 250 degrees, you've damaged the fluid. This is simply a "save the transmission" setting. It's certainly not something you're going to want to base your TC lockup scheduling on.
5. What is the setting for 3-4(cruise) and 4-3 (cruise) for and why is it different from the 3-4 and 4-3
I have yet to find a reason to change this.
6. Why no converter lockup in first or second gear below 50% (512) throttle?
It's meant for towing at this point. It goes back to the fluid coupling and slippage/heat. You can change the APP settings in shift functions to command TC lockup at any accelerator position. However, once again you're stuck with the laws of acceleration rate and actual lockup points.
7. What is the purpose/reasoning for the zig zag change in 3rd gear lock up that has 38mph at 400 TPP but then 29.5mph at 404TPP? Let me know if you need me to post the graph of it?
Same answer as above. Once you hit a certain APP, the PCM assumes you're under one hell of a load. Loads and slipping fluid couplings don't mix so locking the torque converter gets the power to the ground and gets rid of the heat.
8. How does the trans EPC adjustments play into the whole tranny game?
Electronic Pressure Control. Higher pressures, firmer shifting and more clutch holding pressure....basically. Don't go crazy here. There's no need to really command a solid state EPC setting higher than factory. The computer is going to make changes to that depending on your shift TV settings and torque table changes anyway.
Thanks
DJ