Shift firmness and timing questions

orygunf150 · #1 Sat, February 14th, 2009, 12:36 PM

The first few of many questions... running in level 3 I adjusted the shift firmness to 5 and noticed it shifted a little better. Lookes like it goes to 25, is there an issue with this? Has anyone here tried it? I have a 67 Mustang with a c4 and trans go shift kit, it will bark the tires in second gear no problem. I'm sure the f150 wont do that but I'm wondering what it shifts like at 25 and if it's advisable.
Secondly, the manual (which by the way is pretty vague) says you can bump up the timing for every octane number you go up. Does level 3 already advance the timing or can I bump it up a little since I run 92.

***Jackpine*** · #2 Sat, February 14th, 2009, 04:53 PM

The 91+ octane tune DOES advance the timing, but since you are using 92 octane (where the heck do yu get this grade?) you cn add 0.5 degrees to the timing. I've seen people say they've increased shift firmness up to +10, but not particularly beyond that. You can try changing it as much as you want, but I'd do it in stages, not all at once.

- Jack

JWBFX4 · #3 Sun, February 15th, 2009, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

The 91+ octane tune DOES advance the timing, but since you are using 92 octane (where the heck do yu get this grade?)

- Jack

I am actually running 92 octane right now, good bit of places around here have it, shocks me to see.

04b&glariat4x4 · #4 Sun, February 15th, 2009, 03:28 PM

we have 93 octane purty much everywhere around here...

blackfx4ny · #5 Sun, February 15th, 2009, 09:31 PM

[QUOTE=orygunf150;3698] running in level 3 I adjusted the shift firmness to 5 and noticed it shifted a little better. Lookes like it goes to 25, is there an issue with this? Has anyone here tried it? I have a 67 Mustang with a c4 and trans go shift kit, it will bark the tires in second gear no problem. I'm sure the f150 wont do that but I'm wondering what it shifts like at 25 and if it's advisable. [QUOTE]

I have my WOT shift firmness set at +12 for the 1-2 and the 2-3 shifts. The 3-4 shift is +6. The only issue I have had so far with this is belt slippage shifting at 5200 rpm. I put a Gatorback serpentine belt on and this has alleviated the problem. I would listen to Jack's sage advice and only go up in small increments to find something that works best for you. I like the way it shifts at +12 so never bothered going any higher. It's firm but doesn't sound/feel like any damage is being done.

***Power Hungry*** · #6 Mon, February 16th, 2009, 05:50 PM

Belt slippage is all to common during full throttle shifts. Between the aggressive nature of the shift strategies (especially when customized) combined with the reduced/eliminated torque reduction during shifts causes the engine RPMs to drop so fast that the alternator pulley breaks traction and squeaks for a split second. Annoying, but not harmful. As BlackFX indicated, a new belt will eliminate that problem.

Outside of that, Jack indicated a .5 degree adjustment for each bump in octane. This is a good rule of thumb. Ultimately, you need to use your judgment. Some vehicles will run a full 5 degrees advance and run fine on pump gas, other can experience detonation running the basic tunes. It depends a lot on fuel quality, altitude, engine condition, and other factors. If you hear ANY detonation at all (generally under heavy load) then back the timing off 1 full degree at a time until it goes away.

Shifting is kind of the same way. It's a very subjective thing to describe shifting and each person has their own idea of what an "ideal" shift strategy is. In the end, do what works best for you. Some people prefer an aggressive shift while others just like a little firmer shift. Some like late shift points, others like early shift points. It's tricky to get the customer what they need.

We try to make the programmer as flexible as possible without giving too much room to cause a problem with the vehicle. Again, using your best judgment is the way to go. If you're still uncomfortable, we're here to answer those questions.

mellowyellow · #7 Fri, February 20th, 2009, 04:24 PM

sorry to jump in but i am new to this site . i have a ? about the timimng as well .i have custom tunes from bill and i am running the 93 performance .i want to know if i can adjust the timing up a lil bit without hurting the truck. i run 93 octane in it all the time

***Power Hungry*** · #8 Fri, February 20th, 2009, 04:45 PM

The timing all depends on the quality of fuel. In many cases, you can add a degree or two without problem, especially if you are at altitude. Just make sure to listen for any signs of detonation, particularly at low RPM/high load conditions where detonation usually occurs. If you stomp the throttle from a dead stop and get any rattling/detonation, then you have too much timing and need to back off the timing until the rattle stops... and then back off 1 more degree to allow for temperature fluctuations.

Obviously, this is not the best method to go adjusting timing but if you decide to make minor adjustments it is the best you can do.

Take care.

mellowyellow · #9 Fri, February 20th, 2009, 04:59 PM

thanks bill i adjusted it up by one degree and didnt hear anything

***Jackpine*** · #10 Fri, February 20th, 2009, 05:39 PM

How in the heck did I miss the post about belt slippage?

It's interesting, when I first got Bill's custom tunes and had a reason to do a WOT shift (during a passing maneuver) I heard the squeak and thought it was something in the transmission, not the serpentine belt in the engine!

I had never heard this squeak using the canned tunes that were in the Edge before it was upgraded to a Gryphon.

At first, I was kind of worried, but then decided maybe things were OK (since Bill wrote the tune and "he MUST know what he was doing").

- Jack