OkaloosaFX4

1500 Mile update...

Model info: 2015 XLT 5.0L 302a FX4 3.73s

Loving the truck so far... Have observed something in "Sport Mode" with Advancetrack "Off" and wanted to see if anyone else had the same phenomenon occurring... I will try to explain it the best I can...

What is happening: 2nd gear is "holding" way too long for "normal driving"...

Definitions: - There are 3 main ways I would describe that i drive my truck... "slow" - just cruising around having no time deadlines on where i need to be... very slowly depressing the accelerator carefree, saving gas money... "fast" - essentially slamming down the gas with the intent to pass on a 2 lane road or just have fun at a red light. "normal" - spirited, getting on the gas a little, but not flooring it - driving with purpose; driving to get somewhere on time, using the empty lanes to get from point A-B in a timely manner, sort of in a hurry, but staying within the limits of the law... You get the point...

So it is in this "normal mode" where I sort of have this issue with 2nd gear "holding gear" way too long (Keep in mind - Sport Mode/Advancetrack OFF)... If i am slowly driving, the gears upshift nicely and hold around 5th gear if below 60mph and shift into 6th gear over 60mph. If I am driving "fast", the gears upshift and I can hold 3rd gear all the way to 60mph easily - which is what "Sport Mode" was probably designed for... But when I am driving "normal", sometimes when I give it a bit of gas, it will quickly upshift to 2nd gear and just sit there if i want to "quickly" get up to say 45-50 mph... unless i tap the Tow/Sport button again to get it to upshift to 3rd, it just sits in 2nd gear for like 5-6 seconds and im driving like 45mph... My trans temp will skyrocket to about 205deg-F from around the normal 180deg-F or so every time it happens (makes sense).

This never occurs unless i am in Sport mode... Is this something other 5.0 w/ 3.73 owners are experiencing? I REALLY ENJOY THE THROTTLE RESPONSE WITH SPORT MODE WHICH IS WHY I ALWAYS HAVE IT ON... But i am having to get creative with the gas pedal so i give it just enough to get up to speed "quickly" but also upshift to 3rd gear at the time I feel its appropriate... I told myself i wasn't going to get an after market tune on this truck, but there seemingly is not a good compromise between slow driving (where sport mode really has no impact) and ***** to the wall WOT (where sport mode has a significant impact). 90% of the time i am in that middle area where i want the throttle response but i'm not trying to maintain 2nd gear all the way to 50mph....

What's your take?

kedrin

I get my hypertech speedo calibrator tomorrow and I am hoping to get my shifting corrected using it. However, if it doesnt help then I will consider gear changes. Do you have larger tires ? What does your gas mileage look like with it on and off?

46233

Okaloosa,

I drive in the exact same three "modes", so your description is very helpful.

I haven't noticed this phenomenon in my 2016 5.0 with a 3.55 rear end, that just turned 1000 miles today.

However, tomorrow I will try to replicate your "normal mode" of driving to see if I can reproduce the phenomenon.

ls2c6vette

I have the 5.0/3.73 combo, sport mode does make it hang in a lower gear longer. It seems silly to have this in a truck, but the idea behind it is this.... It you were driving hard on a twisty road where you were accelerating and backing off the throttle for turns, and then back on it again as you exit the turn, the transmission will hang in the lower gear to keep the Motor in its power band. Then when you roll back on the throttle to exit it is one smooth motion. The intent is to prevent a downshift when you step back on it and possibly spin

130428

I just deleted my smart-*** reply for sake of keeping the peace... In short:
a) completely normal / working as designed
b) question asked many times
c) you may try Tow/Haul for these "I love Sport mode but I'm not in a Sport mode mood" days

schlim66

I have had the same thing with downshifts to 2nd gear straight from 5th or 6th. This happens only in Sport mode if I "goose" the throttle a bit when I'm going to to pass a car. It does not want to upshift and stays in 2nd until I also take it out of Sport mode. I've also notice sometimes when I get in and start driving, it will start reving out and I look and see that the gear indicator shows only 1st and I have not come close to touching the gear lockout buttons. It's like there is a Ghost in the trans that likes to mess with my head ;-) My truck is a 2.7Eb with 3.55 gears.

Schlim66

OkaloosaFX4

Right on. I have used Mike at 5star before so if I go the tune route, I will probably go that way. I have stock tires on 20s, and gas mileage is a wash between the two modes. Avg 16 in town on 87...


Thank you! Yeah it doesn't happen all the time, but more often than I like...


Makes perfect sense... I have a feeling that I could still be in a good bit of power in 3rd though - couldn't imagine the commotion I'd cause if I had an aftermarket exhaust on the truck LOL...


All good. I've been a forum member for quite a while and am schooled on handling trolls LOL... I have looked at other threads, but didn't really think my specific issue was addressed... I understand the science behind the sport mode and holding lower gears longer, but the amount of time the 2nd gear is holding seems out of bounds.... Using ls2c6vette's example, If I have to "back off" for over 5 seconds on a twisty road, that's not really a "back off" - that's me saying "ok i'm cruising now - go ahead and upshift for me boss"... Furthermore, I think the strategy would be just as effective if it upshifted to 3rd quicker and just downshifted back to 2nd if needed. Going 3 to 2 would be much easier for my butt dyno to deal with versus 5 to 2, for example... I think a 5Star tune with an "improved: shift strategy may be in order as the "canned" strategies from the factory aren't exactly meeting my needs, but they are close! I will certainly drive all day tomorrow in tow/haul mode and report back...



Yes, see this I don't mind at all.. This phenomenon more often occurs from a stop. I mistakenly left that out!! I think maybe once or twice it has happened while downshifting... Most of the time i'm rolling out of a stop sign and goose it a little but maintain constant pressure, and that sucker just hangs in 2nd gear all the way up to 50mph, but i'm not flooring it... That's the key to understanding where I am coming from... One would expect the 2nd gear hang to be there at WOT (e.g. drag racing the truck on a track), but it seems like the PCM reads pedal position early in the action and just assumes "oh wow that was sort of a goose - looks like i'm hanging here in 2nd until the pedal physically backs off for 5 seconds." But I understand what Ford is trying to do, and I think I am just coming to realization that it's a mismatch for my driving style... Tow/Haul mode tomorrow for live testing!


Thanks all!

Cotton24

Both my 2012 5.0 and my 2015 5.0 would hold second gear all the way till 60 mph when getting on it. I will say that my 2012 always felt like it was hunting gears and wasn't sure what gear to run half the time, where my 15 feels pretty much flawless. Both trucks have 5.0's, 3.73 gears, and 35" tires. (And this is all in normal driving mode. Not tow or sport.)

130428

well I can see you're a multi-quote expert, and I wasn't trying to troll ... I agree Sport Mode is probably a little extreme in most situations, but hey, it's what the name implies, right?...

srg963

Throttle position plays a large factor in how sport mode responds.