Transmission Any Better with 2023's?

[Dereku]

Most of the "Problems" reported here are by design. Ford is HEAVILY constrained by the EPA, in particular CAFE standards. If they don't meet these ever increasing fleet average numbers, it can make the entire business a non-profit enterprise. Hence the extreme measures like Auto Start-Stop and the ... odd ... transmission programming.

They (Ford) are fully aware of the ... unsatisfying ... driving experience when the transmission is programmed to hyper-mile for you. This is why you end up with the engine turning 1200 rpm at all possible moments. Ford's work-around is to offer alternate transmission scheduling for special or enthusiast driving experiences. These modes cannot persist across drive cycles, so they must be selected by the owner on each drive cycle. "Tow-Haul" mode will raise the cruise rpm setpoint to 1800 or so, and eliminates the skip shifting, and enables engine braking. "Sport" mode takes it another step up, and biases the scheduling in the direction of better throttle response, higher cruise rpm, and offers a much "sportier" driving experience.

The bottom line is this: "D" mode is the default program, and it is programmed to get the most economical use of gasoline out of the vehicle, particularly with reference to the EPA Drive Cycle. That is what it is, and the driving experience is completely secondary to this.

For a stock machine, you can use Tow/Haul or S mode to make the drive more like most people expect it to be, and if you want more customization of the experience, the transmission shift schedule can be reprogrammed by several aftermarket "tuners". This can make any perceived "shortcomings" of the transmission magically disappear. It's all software, and the quirks are by design.

I always thought D stood for drive. Learn something everyday, its default. No that I Know this I am sure the transmission will be much smoother.

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[FunInTheSun]

I always thought D stood for drive. Learn something everyday, its default. No that I Know this I am sure the transmission will be much smoother.

If they put "E" for EPA, it would confuse people too much...

 

[RANGER_MARC]

I was pulling into the highway this morning wondering why everyone was going so slow... I was already going 85...opps...

"But officer, it's a Ranger, I didn't know it was going so fast..."

 

[Jhbryaniv]

"But officer, it's a Ranger, I didn't know it was going so fast..."

But, seriously.

My last truck was a Tacoma with a 5 speed... It was no where near this snappy....

 

[Theslim_spaydee]

I always thought D stood for drive. Learn something everyday, its default. No that I Know this I am sure the transmission will be much smoother.

The "R" is for Race Mode give it a try on the highway the performance difference between D and R is Crazy. FYI the "S" is for slow so don't use that one.

 

[Atitagain]

I gotta say, coming from a 4 speed auto to a 10 speed auto has been a learning curve...

It feels like it's always hunting for gear... And if the skinny pedal goes to the floor it feels like the tyranny drops and comes back together...

I was cruising along this evening at 26mph and it was in 6th gear... So strange.

Yes, gets to the point where I hear the engine start to bog, not a good sound or feeling. Seems I'm always having to kick it down into a lower gear because it won't do it itself. I'm 75 years old, my wanting a manual transmission for the fun of shifting up and down are over so I don't like using Sport Mode.

 

[D Fresh]

I'm 75 years old, my wanting a manual transmission for the fun of shifting up and down are over so I don't like using Sport Mode.

Just so you know you can drop down to S without manually shifting.

Also, tow/haul is great option to keep from lugging around town.

 

[txquailguy]

Just an observation from a Ranger performance fan.....some of you folks are WAY over thinking this transmission shifting stuff.....lol. IMHO as always......

 

[Atitagain]

Just so you know you can drop down to S without manually shifting.

Also, tow/haul is great option to keep from lugging around town.

In Sport mode when i come to a stop the trans goes to 1st gear right, got to shift up from there. Ill try the tow mode. Thanks

 

[D Fresh]

In Sport mode when i come to a stop the trans goes to 1st gear right, got to shift up from there. Ill try the tow mode. Thanks

That sounds like you hit the + or minus, which initiates manual shifting in S.

If you move it to S without ever pushing the + or - it should auto shift. If not something is wrong.

 

[Atitagain]

That sounds like you hit the + or minus, which initiates manual shifting in S.

If you move it to S without ever pushing the + or - it should auto shift. If not something is wrong.

I’ll try that, thanks

 

[Atitagain]

That sounds like you hit the + or minus, which initiates manual shifting in S.

If you move it to S without ever pushing the + or - it should auto shift. If not something is wrong.

Thanks for the help D Fresh, on the way home I tried the S mode without hitting the + or -. It up shifted just as you said it would. I live in a very hilly location with the speed limit at 25mph and the truck would lug when coming up my hill unless I tapped the gas to drop it to a lower gear. Didn't have to do that on the way home. Thanks again.

 

[D Fresh]

Thanks for the help D Fresh, on the way home I tried the S mode without hitting the + or -. It up shifted just as you said it would. I live in a very hilly location with the speed limit at 25mph and the truck would lug when coming up my hill unless I tapped the gas to drop it to a lower gear. Didn't have to do that on the way home. Thanks again.

For sure.

I'm not a fan of the low cruising RPM in D either.

S is pretty sporty, it keeps the RPMs up but it holds gears a little long for me for daily driving. Also, it is pretty hard on the fuel tank. Tow/haul is a about half as aggressive, it doesn't hold gears quote as long. But it does actively downshift more aggressive than any other drive mode.

Tow/haul returns the best MPG for my mix of driving, with D second and S last. I prefer to use tow/haul for my daily driving, D for longer highway cruising, and S when I feel like acting a fool.

Play around with it. You'll find your sweet spot.

 

[LostMy65]

Thanks for the help D Fresh, on the way home I tried the S mode without hitting the + or -. It up shifted just as you said it would. I live in a very hilly location with the speed limit at 25mph and the truck would lug when coming up my hill unless I tapped the gas to drop it to a lower gear. Didn't have to do that on the way home. Thanks again.

Making note of this.
I also live in a hilly area.

 

[BettaRanga]

For sure.

I'm not a fan of the low cruising RPM in D either.

S is pretty sporty, it keeps the RPMs up but it holds gears a little long for me for daily driving. Also, it is pretty hard on the fuel tank. Tow/haul is a about half as aggressive, it doesn't hold gears quote as long. But it does actively downshift more aggressive than any other drive mode.

Tow/haul returns the best MPG for my mix of driving, with D second and S last. I prefer to use tow/haul for my daily driving, D for longer highway cruising, and S when I feel like acting a fool.

Play around with it. You'll find your sweet spot.

I liked tow haul when I tried it, but the frequent harder engine braking threw me off a bit.

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