"Excursion's 4R100 four-speed automatic transmission also improves towing, especially on hilly terrain. Rather than a simple switch to reprogram shifting patterns, its automatic tow-haul feature employs a computer module to help adjust transmission shift patterns for hills, changes in altitude or when towing heavy loads."


I found this quote in the specs of the Excursion... can anybody elaborate on this. I am just curious if this is BS or if this is actually true and what exactly happens in a more technical description?

TIA

 

The 4R100 does have adaptive shifting

 

Really? Where????????? I have towed with 2 other Fords with the 4r100, didnt notice anything helping get up them hills but foot to gas

 

That's the description for the TorqShift transmission. The reference to the 4R100 is an error. The 4R100 never had a tow/haul mode.

 

I wondered if it might have been a mistake? I found it in the description for the specs on... I believe the '02 or '03 Excursion on this site...

If the 4R100 does have some form of adaptive shifting... could Ford have glorified it for marketing purposes... Seems like an automatic tow/haul mode would have been big news.

 

This comment is for V-10 operators - (obviously, those with diesels can brag about their greater torque, more sophisticated heavier-duty transmissions with more gears, etc....! )

transmisson shop foreman at my local Ford dealer cant see what is so complicated about this - "just use common sense"..he says.

Especially if you have "high" gears (meaning lower numerical ratio) you should not be running around in overdrive at lower car speeds - LOOK at your eng. tach - the whole story is right there in front of you ! Thats what tachs are for ! My personal preference is to keep the engine rpm up to at least 1,500 rpm for normal driving; min. 2,000 rpm when heavily loaded. To do that, the overdrive is locked out.

 

I have a v10 X (with the 4.30's) and I try to stay below 2000 rpm around town. If I drive it much harder than that, the gas mileage plummets... Im already only getting like 10 mpg I figure I don't need the extra power around town that the higher rpms create in city traffic. Towing is a completely different matter though

and if my memory serves me, the 4R100 is a learning transmission. Apparently, it 'learns' your driving style and programms itself accordingly, but once its set, it stays where its at. Im not sure though. I was reading in the manual that unhooking the battery wipes the trans memory, so if you don't like how the trans is shifting, jsut try unhooking the battery for a little bit... I'm not 100% on that, but it cant hurt.

btw, my 2000 X came with an overdrive lockout, but no tow/haul mode, although I thought I heard they changed that on later models... Is this true?

Isaac

 

No, that's not quite what it does.
The trans learns how long it takes for each shift to complete from when the computer tells it to shift until the ratio change is complete. It then adjusts the pressure to make the shift the right length. It does not learn anything about any driving styles.

No, it is not true. All 4R100s came with overdrive cancel, and most 5R110s came with tow/haul. For some very odd reason, the 6.0L diesel vans with the 5R110 has overdrive cancel, all other 5R110s, gas and diesel, have tow/haul.

 

The 4R100 does have an adpative learning strategy, just unplug your batteries or reprogram it with a chip or tuner and you'll see. At first you'll have a few harsh shifts, but once it compensates for the weight of the vehicle as well as how you accelerate, things will even out. As far as the Tow/Haul feature, it does exist to an extent. I towed a few things with my X and at first it shifted hard because of the extra weight. Within a few miles, it compensated for the extra weight by firming up the shift pressures and adjusting the shift points to get the job done. After I unhooked the trailer and drove a few miles, things readjusted to the way they were if not better. While it wasn't a glorified feature on the 2000-2003 Excursions, it is there.

 

Thanks Casey that makes sense... measuring shift timing then compensating as necessary by adjusting line preasure.

 

Toreador_Diesel is right, the 4R100 has adaptive shift. 2 weeks ago i unplugged my battery because the radio would not turn off for the night. The next morning i plugged it back in and drove it. The tranny shifted different, not that it bothered me. An hour or two later the transmission was shifting to the way that i usually drive.

 

[QUOTE=While it wasn't a glorified feature on the 2000-2003 Excursions, it is there.[/QUOTE]

What happened in '04... did it change?

 

[QUOTE=While it wasn't a glorified feature on the 2000-2003 Excursions, it is there.[/QUOTE]


didnt the adaptive tranny go all the way up to 05? The reason to why i say this is because the excursuion never got the 3v.

 

In 04 and 05 it stayed the same with the gas motors as they still had the 4r100's, diesel's got the 5r100 with tow-haul mode

 

What about the gas models?