I have searched and searched and searched again and again thru several forums and millions of posts and finally I have given up searching for the answers to my questions. So here it goes .
I own a 98' 4x4 F150 which has 4.56 gearing, 6" lift, 35"tires, Gibson catback exhaust and K&N fipk. I just got the 1715 superchips max microtuner and am unable to adjust for the gearing and tire size. The dash has an analog speedo etc. and this is probably why I cant do the before mentioned changes to the system.
In any case, I have input the 87 octane setting and have set all of the shift points to the minimum setting so that the shifting would be quicker than the stock setting. I have put the shift pressure to the max setting which is the furthest away from stock you can get. This is if I understood the instructions correctly.
1) Does anyone know if the settings mentioned make up for not having the ability to change the gearing and tire size?
2) Do you have to have the ability to change the gearing and tire size for the microtuner to work effectively and efficiently?
3) Does anyone have any suggestions for the settings etc?

Any suggestions are appreciated

 

You would want to raise your shift points that way the engine is revving higher and staying higher in the power curve. Normally if you raise the pressure in an auto transmission the shift points will move up. (higher RPM for upshift)

 

First off thanks for your reply LastSplash! I thought that raising the pressure caused the transmission to grab each shift harder so that there is not as much lag in shifting. and that setting the shift points had to do with the time or mph that you shifted from one gear to another.

 

Shift points are not tied to shift firmness. They are completely different values in the PCM.

 

Thanks Ken, I thought that they were two separate things. I am not a guru and am up for any advice or information. I am still looking for the answers from the start of my posting or thread if anyone knows?

 

Have you called Supership's and talked to one of their reps? They have always been very helpful when I've called with a problem.

 

I did speak with Superchips and they mentioned that the tuner would not adjust for tire size changes or gear changes on my particular trucks year. Today I happened to have the day off and went to my mechanics shop and spoke with them. In my transmission there is a small gear where a speedometer cable would have gone but now it's electronic. That gear can be easily taken out without dropping the transmission or cracking it open. It will be replaced with another gear with more teeth, due to my tire size and gear ratio which should get the speedometer closer to factory. All of this should communicate the corrected information with the computer and assist in my truck shifting at the right speed. It was also mentioned to me that depending on the tire size and gearing the small gear in the transmission would have either more or less teeth. All of this information is figured out with charts etc.
I am a light weekend mechanic at best and hope that the information in this entire thread might help someone else if they have the same situation. If my information lacks truth, please inform me.

 

Couple things for you.
First, I am sorry I did not get a post for you earlier. I typed one up recently and the site went down for maintenance. Missed getting back to it.

The shifts are based on a TPS/MPH table. Correcting the Speedo will actually increase the shift RPMs even more. (Bad unless you want that)

I just went thru that with my 98. changed from 3.55 to 4.56s. 1-2 would not happen til 2800 or higher. Everyone thought I was racing them leaving the light cause it shifted from 3k to 4200 running with traffic. plus it banged shifts real bad.

I went with the Sniper special forces as it has more control. Bit more complicated. Found out it only did WOT as well, but 2002BLGT (on this site) used Snipers upper end software to set it where I wanted. He emailed the tune and I uploaded with my box.

Your slow shifts are primarily due to torque control by the PCM. It pulls out timing for softer shifts. 2002BLGT was able to take that out of mine which really improved shift time.

I also found with datalogging that my 98 was dropping timing back for no apparent reason. Like at hwy cruise. MPG suffers for it. Getting that lined up has brought out the torque that the 5.4 was supposed to have.

Here is an example of a shift table 2002BLGT sent me as an example. TPS volts range is about .9 to 4.5 volts. Hope it helps you.
TPS MPH
1st-2nd shift schedule 2nd-3rd 3rd-4th
.1 7.5 .1 30 .1 40
.2 7.5 .2 30 .2 40
.59 17.5 .59 30.0 .59 40.0
.78 20.5 .78 34.5 .78 45.5
1.56 27.5 1.56 49.5 1.56 55.0
1.95 30.0 1.95 55.0 1.95 79.0
2.52 32.5 2.52 59.0 2.52 81.0
2.53 35.0 2.53 61.0 2.53 84.0
3.98 35.0 3.98 61.0 3.98 84.0

Unfortunate that superchips cannot tweek your PT shifts.

 

The chart did not paste well.
TPS MPH
1st-2nd shift shedule
.1 7.5
.2 7.5
.59 17.5
.78 20.5
1.56 27.5
1.95 30.0
2.52 32.5
2.53 35.0
3.98 35.0

2nd-3rd
.1 30
.2 30
.59 30.0
.78 34.5
1.56 49.5
1.95 55.0
2.52 59.0
2.53 61.0
3.98 61.0

3rd-4th
.1 40
.2 40
.59 40.0
.78 45.5
1.56 55.0
1.95 79.0
2.52 81.0
2.53 84.0
3.98 84.0

 

Well, TimMoman thanks for your post and no need for apologies. When setting up my transmission during the lift of my truck it was mentioned that the 4.56 gearing would get the motor, pull, speed of the truck close to stock figuring that I have 35" tires. Close was approx 5 to 6mph slower than actual speed. I just changed the vehicle speed sensor gearing to 21 teeth from the stock 19 but have yet to be scanned by one of those road side police scanning devices so that I know where I am at. If the speed is correct, giving or taking a mile or two shouldn't be too detrimental. I feel that I should be back to the stock shifting points etc. In regards to the shifting rpms I would have to write them down as to when they seem to happen and what they are.
Please remember I am no engineer or guru, I do not fully understand the TPS/MPH table you sent. I assume TPS stands for throttle position sensor and MPH stands for miles per hour? I am ignorant of all of the acronyms but I do have a list of many so that I can attempt to understand and learn what is being said etc. Also what is PT shifts.
Thanks for your input and helping me to get a better understanding of the more technical aspect. As you mantioned (Bit more complicated) like all of the acronyms

 

Good point on the math with your 35s. It should work out well as is.
So just for further explanation...
You are correct on TPS and MPH. The TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) is mounted to the Throttle Body. To keep it simple The TPS provides a voltage to the computer telling it how much you have pressed the gas. It has a range from 0 to 5 volts. Installed, Idle is about .1 volts, and WOT (Wide Open Throttle) is above about 3.5 volts. 2 volts is about 1/2 throttle.
PT is Part Throttle. which means anything but WOT (Wide Open Throttle) to the computer.

Always glad tgo sharer what little I know. lol

 

Hey Tim.moman Thanks for the reply The information below is the 1st-2nd shift schedule that you sent to me with just a little modification to it( / ). I would like to understand it. Is the .1 the TPS reading and the 7.5 the MPH reading? How is it applied?
TPS MPH
1st-2nd shift shedule
.1 / 7.5
.2 / 7.5
.59 / 17.5
.78 / 20.5
1.56 / 27.5
1.95 / 30.0
2.52 / 32.5
2.53 / 35.0
3.98 / 35.0

 

you are correct again. So I explained before the TPS voltage shows throttle position to the computer, right. Lets use an example of pressing the gas and holding to leave the light and excelerate. And say this setting = 1.56 volts. The truck will shift at 27.5 MPH. With a little more math I also know that would be 3500RPM in my truck.

There is also a downshift table for each gear. oh and a TC (torque convertor) lock up table. All with same format.

PM me with am email if you want to see some charts and graphs. This might be easier for you with pics and screen captures.