Just returned home from about a 3,000 mile road trip. Drove from Central California to Colorado and all over the state.

Few things I noticed. My gas mileage incresed the further from California I got. Worst tank was 10.17mpg best was 13.14mpg. Most of the trip was in the 11's. I haven't averaged it all out yet, but should be an average in the high 11's. Im not thrilled about the MPG I saw on the trip because I have gotten 15 before. The 13mpg was driving 65mph vs. driving 75-80mph. Driving 70mph kept the RPM's right at 2500 and kept me in the 11's. 80mph kept the RPM's at 3100 and droped me into the 10's.

Does anyone elses transmission do this while in cruise control? While going up a grade the tranny will down shift out of OD, but at the top or even flat area the tranny doesnt shift back into OD. Keeps screamin at 3500RPM's instead of kickin back up. Is that normal for the 4R100? Kinda bugs me that I have to hit the brake to knock off the cruise so it will go back into OD and then turn the cruise back on.

 

Hope you kept the kids occupied! On long or steep hills I dont use cruise control, it makes the truck do funny things trying to maintain a certain speed.You can do a better job with your right foot, also instead of hitting the brake to end cruise control use the stop button on the wheel.

 

Doesn't everything get better the further your away from California. Hope you did have a good trip.

 

Does California have those pollution additives, like MTBE (IIRC), i understand they comprimise MPG.

 

Yeah Ca. uses MTBE. And it does have a huge impact on performance and MPG. The kids were better than I thought they would be on the trip. Things were kinda rough on the ride back.

 

Quote"Keeps screamin at 3500RPM's instead of kickin back up. Is that normal for the 4R100? Kinda bugs me that I have to hit the brake to knock off the cruise so it will go back into OD and then turn the cruise back on." Mine works like that when pullng 8000 lbs. I can use my right foot and keep OD on much longer and and get it back into OD sooner(if ever) than the CC will. But mine does this only when towing a heavy load. Never when empty or small load.

 

I wasn't hauling that much. Family of 6, 4 bikes, and luggage for 10 days. I would say we were only hauling around 2,000 lbs.

 

I think the problem is that the CC is keeping the pedal pressed down enough to maintain speed outside of O/D. At 3500RPMs, and that pedal position, the computer doesn't want to upshift to O/D. My '01 does stuff like that too.

Pulling grades in upstate NY with a 1K load, it would hold 3rd gear after returning to a flat piece of road. Blip the pedal up a second, and it'll go back to O/D

 

Ya beat me to it, I do the same and it works for me. I've noticed after towing that my transmission thinks it's still hauling aload. The shift points are higher and it holds gears longer. So it makes sense that if you're running at 80-ish with lots of throttle application that the tranny would also learn to hold a gear longer too. But the slight lift off the pedal is all it takes, or a shift re-progammer. Ken

 

C'mon madmedic.Don't tell me you honestly expected decent fuel mileage running 75 to 80 mph. Couple that with the terrain you went through and the truck was about on par in the 11's. Glad you had a safe journey though.

 

My truck does the same thing, will pop out of O/D at the slightest incline and then takes forever to get back into it on the backside. Even on the downside slope it won't kick back into O/D at times. I just mash on the throttle a bit and then let off, let it shift into O/D and then the CC kicks back in.

You guys and your double digit fuel numbers, psh... I haven't seen those days in about 3 years now! ha ha.

 

I just got to say that I got used to the weird quirks of that 4R100 and then bango I had to get this new CC truck and I swear to you fellows and gals Fords best move yet is this 5R110w TorqShift trans... they finally got rid of the annoying cruise control hunt n shift and all the problems you are describing! on top of that they jumped the HP enough that I find my self getting in trouble more n more. This from an old dude that thought the 310HOP 2v V10 was plenty powerful!

OK really folks I am not trying to rub it in...just planting some more seeds of desire!

Aside form the trany annoyance it sounds like the mad medic had a great trip in a near perfect truck... I bet 20 years ago most of us would not dream of going 3000 miles in a gol danged pick up truck! My poor old 460 used to beat my family to death cuz I just had to take them camping to the most remote back country I could find (go figure...the Army made me go camping enough) But even on those adventures we stayed within 1000 miles. 3000 mile round trip makes me hurt just thinking about it in my old skool truck. But this weekend I will put an easy 2400 on the 05 just to go out to Fort Huachuca and watch fire works. My lady will sleep most of the way and my beat up old butt and back will climb out of the cab as if I had driven the road in a Caddy. Gotta love a Ford truck that can do that and smoke the tires also!!!!

 

Fred, it might be that the new V10, especially with the fly-by-wire throttle is more "integrated" so that the computer knows what the CC is up to, instead of seeing it as a guy behind the wheel. The old CC was just cables and such, no computer-ness to it at all.

The new fly-by-wire basically requires the computer to do the work.

It's not so much the new transmission as it is the "network" inside the truck

 

Over all it was an excellent trip. The 15mpg that I got before when I first bought the truck was with stock 265's and now im running 305's. So 13mpg was pretty darn good. It was a very nice trip in the truck, much better than the 86 250 or the 94 250 I have made the trip with in the past. Those trucks were both 460's and lucky to see double digits.

One funny thing, my wife had to drive the last 250 miles because I was wiped out. I havent filed up again so I havent calculated the mileage yet bu she only got 250 miles on 3/4 of a tank where I was getting about 310 out of 3/4's. She's got a heavier lead foot than I do. But I cant blame her she drives a Mitsubishi.

 

Hey, how about knockin it off about the 'old guy' comments. You and I are the same age, and anyone who still writes with glee over smokin the tires can't be an old guy, howzaboutit ?