My 2011 F-150 5.0 is my first real truck, not counting a 2001 Expedition with the Triton V8. I've noticed something I never noticed before, and the dealer tells me it's "normal". Looking for verification.

If the truck is sitting still, in Drive, it's in 1st gear, ready to go. If I put it in 3 ... it's in 3rd gear immediately. Accelerating does what you'd expect - I'm literally starting in 3rd gear - high rpms and lots of slipping until she gets rolling. Same is true in 2nd.

OBD scanner confirms the transmission is actually in 3rd when the shifter is set to 3rd, regardless of speed.

Is this normal?

 

goatsauce, this is normal. If you tell the truck to be in third gear, that's what you get.

If you want to go through the gears up to third, you need to lock out gears 4-6. Then you'll get 1-2-3 and it'll stop at 3. This would be in Drive, not manual. Press the minus sign on the shifter to drop (lock out) as many gears as you want.

It's not just normal, it's really a desirable feature.

 

Thanks! I'm not familiar with "locking out" gears. There's no minus on my shifter. :-( (2011 XLT 4x4) Now I'm really frustrated I seem to be missing a feature. If I have the same trans, would it be possible to upgrade the system with a different shifter that has the lock out feature?

 

Your shifter actually shows P-R-D-3-2-1? If so, you do not have the select shift transmission.

I don't know if popping in a new shifter is going to work without a pcm reflash. Maybe a harness or two.

What exactly are you trying for goatsauce? Are you trying to race someone or do you really need to row your own gears?

I tow and four by and I rarely use my select shift. The 6r80 is quite good just in drive.

 

As noted in another thread, I'm trying to get to the bottom of a frustrating performance issue that several dealers say is my imagination.

The trucks shift points are crap - it really loves to shift around 1500 rpms all the time. It shifts quickly, and won't downshift on hills until it dips down to 1k. When pulling my camper (4000 lbs) it struggles to maintain 45 mph on even the slightest of inclines.

At hwy speeds, 3rd gear is too low, but if I leave it in D it'll run all the way to up 6 then be a boggy fat pig with no torque and no desire to downshift.

I don't wanna race, but I don't wanna pull a trailer with all the luxury smooth ride of a 1984 Cadillac either.

Hence the frustration and hope I could do something to "fix" this "non-problem".

 

Get yourself a tuner. Stock sucks! I have been pleased with my tunes from 5 Star Tuning. The change in shift strategy alone is worth it.

 

And that's a perfect lead in to my next comment. I've read a lot of mentions of tuners but I don't fully understand what I'm getting in to for my $500 investment.

Can I take a tune on and off at will? Can I customize the settings myself or does this only allow me to apply/revert "canned tunes" that I buy? (I've looked at 5 Star but to a total noob it's not clear what I'm getting myself in to.)

In my perfect world (as a software engineer), I'd want a device I could take a template from an expert, understand it, apply it, and take it off if I didn't like it.

At a minimum, I'd want the ability to apply and remove different tunes at will - a gas mileage tune for my weekly commutes, then slap on the tow one for the weekends with the camper.

Is that what I'd be getting if I go for one of these devices?

 

"Yes" to pretty much all your questions. "Custom" tunes for your application are loaded on the SCT tuner (or other device of choice), as well as some "canned" tunes. There are some "user option" settings that you can play with. The "custom" tunes are set up specifically for your combination of engine, tire size, gear ratio, etc. For the most part, they are "plug and play" as they come. Their most popular tune is the Performance/Tow and is used for towing and more low end torque. This tune pairs well as a "daily driver". I call it my "set it and forget" tune. I don't have to switch when it comes time for towing my travel trailer. Most skip a Economy tune. I had one, but removed it. It tended to shift too quickly and was not fun to drive. All of my current tunes tend to give better than stock mpg results; when driven responsibly. 5 Star Tuning is good about making adjustments, when needed, to suit your needs. Email tunes can be sent and easily uploaded using their provided software. My truck has been tuned since before its first oil change and have not regretted the decision to do so.

 

try tow haul mode. shift points are higher and it doesn't shift into 6th at 60 kph.