Is the problem with adaptive learning that it is not "adaptive"? I mean is it rigid and expects the driver to drive identically every single time they are in the truck? Does it offer 1/2mpg better mileage so Ford can meet cafe standards?

I am going to ask for mine to be disabled or do it myself via forescan.

 

That's a very good question. Hopefully someone who knows can tell us. My theory is because the valve body is fully electronic the computer has to adjust to the unique characteristics of each unit and transmission. While resting it and disabling it may work for most, there may be outliers that need the adaptive process to make it shift correctly.

 

According to Ford, adaptive learning automatically adjusts the transmission calibration to compensate for clutch wear. You should not drive a certain way, just drive normally, don’t try to pedal the transmission or use any old school tricks. Just press and hold the pedal and let the transmission do its thing. For the 10R80, my shop has developed tuning that fixes many of the shifting issues with the OEM calibration that is not caused by adaptive learning.

 

Adaptability needs to use many function signal inputs to make logic decisions out aimed at target control.
Road speed, Engine rpm, Throttle applications, Temperature, Shift mode selection, Acceleration rates applied by the driver etc.
Thats a lot of logic Ands , Ors, Ifs and When's to make control decisions on.
Good luck.

 

Adaptive learning, always blamed as the culprit for drivability issues, does nothing more than compensate for wear. It should not be reset unless the transmission has been overhauled. If your unhappy with the drivability and have exhausted any available TSB's, get a tune that includes transmission programming. And no, disconnecting the battery doesn't reset it.

 

It cannot be disabled. Everyone drives in a certain manner the vast majority of the time. For example some people may drive conservatively, light acceleration and braking. On the other hand some people drive aggressively with fast acceleration, heavy braking and more throttle inputs. This is where the adaptive learning comes in. For the aggressive driver the computer will learn to hold lower gears longer and downshift sooner for faster acceleration. For the more conservative driver it will learn to upshift quicker and allow more accelerator travel before downshifting.

Adaptive learning isn't exclusive to Ford, all electronically controlled automatic transmissions today have some sort of adaptive learning in their programming. I also have a Toyota Camry that I use as a work car and it has adaptive learning that's much worse than Ford. I bought it used and the previous owner must've drove like a granny. It would upshift so quickly it felt like it would fall on its face when trying to accelerate. It would literally shift 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 every time I would pull away from a stop. It went into 2nd gear almost immediately and would have to downshift back to 1st for power then go right back into 2nd. I drove that car almost a year before I noticed that the adaptive learning finally learned to change its shift points for my more aggressive driving style. It's smooth as silk now and shifts perfect for me but my God that first year of driving that car was torture.

 

If you drive like an inconsistant moron, the truck learns to shift like an inconsistant moron.

 

Basically, the algorithm is broken and boxes the transmission into parameters that aren’t good for driveability. The entire tuning strategy is a mess and is contributing to a lot of perceived hardware issues (in my opinion). Ford seems to not care despite their exploding warranty costs.

 

Not according to this forum. Where are you reading that it can't be disabled? Ford will even disable it if you make enough noise.

I am aware that many vehicles have adaptive learning. I am trying to figure out why. Perhaps it is "because we can" meaning some engineer convinced a manager wow look what I did we should use this. Or perhaps it gives them half a mile better MPG during their EPA mileage test.

 

This is kind of a foolish response. You are saying anyone that doesn't drive exactly the same way every time they drive is a moron. That statement seems moronic to me.