What did you do WITH your Ranger today?

[TxOTRRanger]

this didn't seem worth creating its own thread for, but the longer i drive my ranger the more in tune i become with how it likes to be driven.

i've been doing some non-scientific testing with transmission response time to throttle input. when it comes to these modern 10 speed transmissions, and maybe just ford transmissions in general, the transmission likes to be what i call "loaded" prior to acceleration. i'll explain.

back when i had a 2011 ford edge i would mash on the gas and the transmission often had to think about what to do before downshifting and applying the horses to the driveline. while driving my ford ranger i noticed it has a tendency to do the same thing, but not always. sometimes it would shift and accelerate smoothly.

so my non-scientific testing involved me pressing on the accelerator to force the transmission to downshift a single gear. keep in mind, this does not dramatically increase speed at this moment, just jumps the RPMs. this is particularly effective when the RPMs are below 1500 and is what i call "loading" the transmission. it's like how batters in baseball wobble the bat while awaiting the pitch. the bat being in motion is easier to swing with higher speed than it is to swing a bat that is held still. once the transmission is loaded it's waiting for further input. if i then choose to accelerate, the truck effortlessly shifts and accelerates in a manner that is absolutely butter smooth. it works like 99 times out of 100. i haven't used a stop watch or anything (non-scientific, remember), but i'd bet this causes the responsiveness of the transmission to dramatically improve. it also seems to remove shifting harshness as evidenced by the butter smooth shifts.

a few notes:
- my truck is a stock tune. i've never gotten a tune of any kind on it.
- i'm in regular drive mode.
- i've got 92k miles on the truck, approx.
- i figure that the smooth shifting aftermarket tunes already know what i've written above and it's somehow factored into their shift strategy.
- i know, higher RPMs are obviously going to make the truck more responsive, but the key here is that i'm pressing the pedal in an ever so slight amount that doesn't actually cause the truck to speed up dramatically. i'm talking like holding speed around 55 or maybe it speeds up 3-4mph. the transmission also likes to hold the lower gear temporarily so i can manage speed for a brief period of time while the transmission is loaded before it will shift back into a higher gear.
- this method of loading the transmission really is something done by feel that i think will come easier to owners who have had the truck for longer and gelled with it. they know those little micro adjustments in the pedal that will cause the computer to make a single gear shift.
- using the +/- button on the gear shifter would work too, i figure, but doing it with my foot is way less clumsy.

anyway.. thought i'd share. i've been utilizing this transmission loading around the curvy country roads where i live and it really makes the driving experience sublime. i apply a lot of the same cornering strategies, with relation to carrying speed, that i employ while motorcycling. it's really neat to enjoy and challenge myself with while driving the truck. definitely enhanced how bonded i am with owning the truck since it feels like a new level of understanding.

anyway, throw spears at me and make fun of me, i swear it works! maybe it's just me.....

This is sort of the same style of driving that I do in my truck. When taking off from a Stop sign, Yield signs or a Red light. I gently apply pressure to the gas pedal and let it just make its way through the gears and it shifts butter smooth like you have mentioned. This is also in regular Drive mode. I use S mode mostly for passing or blowing the suit out of it to sound like my Dad lol.
I went by and visited with Dad after work this afternoon. We found more battle scars from the running into the deer episode yesterday lol.

Look below the corner of the headlight. We were laughing at this point. Our trucks are alot Tougher than most people give them credit for. And I gave it ftb before I headed for home.

Park lights are on, after having to have the headlights replaced within the last few months, I stopped using the automatic lights and went old school. The trucks I had prior to my Ranger and Dads F150 didn't have DRL, so I would drive with the park lights on. Rangers FTW!

Sponsored

 

[GhostStrykre]

Curious if you've tried driving it in S mode for a while to if see there's any difference? It seems to me that's a whole lot of work when driving in S will/should do the same and having it more responsive. When I'm driving on curvy roads and ones with inclines/declines I'm always in S mode and depending on the grade I'll use the +/- to shift to get better control.

yeah i've actually used S mode quite a bit. it's fantastic for me in limited settings, but it reeeeally hangs onto the low gear to keep RPMs up and that results in more engine breaking than i'd like. it's also a snatchy throttle so i don't love it for anything other than big acceleration pulls (e.g., entrance ramps for highways).

the way i'm using the regular drive mode is essentially borrowing from what makes the S mode so great, but i get to enjoy the smoother general attitude of drive mode.

i agree with you that the S mode is likely the simpler approach, but i'm just so clumsy with the +/- stuff. maybe that's my next mastery with this truck. trying to use S mode in a better fashion.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

yeah i've actually used S mode quite a bit. it's fantastic for me in limited settings, but it reeeeally hangs onto the low gear to keep RPMs up and that results in more engine breaking than i'd like. it's also a snatchy throttle so i don't love it for anything other than big acceleration pulls (e.g., entrance ramps for highways).

the way i'm using the regular drive mode is essentially borrowing from what makes the S mode so great, but i get to enjoy the smoother general attitude of drive mode.

i agree with you that the S mode is likely the simpler approach, but i'm just so clumsy with the +/- stuff. maybe that's my next mastery with this truck. trying to use S mode in a better fashion.

That last paragraph got my attention. I never use the +/- in S mode. Once by mistake but that was It.

 

[Ranger Mel]

That last paragraph got my attention. I never use the +/- in S mode. Once by mistake but that was It.

S mode works pretty well down shifting going downhill on logging roads for long stretches. Don't have to use the brakes much that way.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Aside from keeping your RPMs from getting too high, are there any other concerns with engine braking on this truck? I don’t fundamentally understand the forces at play through the driveline to confidently use engine brake.

 

[Ranger Mel]

Aside from keeping your RPMs from getting too high, are there any other concerns with engine braking on this truck? I don’t fundamentally understand the forces at play through the driveline to confidently use engine brake.

Probably not as much engine braking as a V8 but unloaded it does well. The back pressure through the valve train reduces engine rpm combined with gear selection in the transmission to slow down or prevent from speeding up on descents. Towing the travel trailer on the passes it also seems to do plenty at highway speeds. To be fair the brakes have to be used some but I've never had to ride them to maintain control.

 

[Titchadesh]

Celebrated the pup’s 5th birthday by doing what she loves most—camping. This time was near Bears Ears National Monument with a couple visits to Puebloan ruins. It handled about ~100 miles off-road over the weekend and put the new Icon setup to the test. I was very glad I upgraded the front stabilizer links a couple months ago…

 

[AzScorpion]

We drove up to Glendale, AZ early this morning to go to the Mecum auction. I get VIP passes for the week from my friends at Gold Eagle which of course is 303 products. We’ve gone every year except last year because we were in AR. The first couple days are usually the best because all the vehicles are still here. The last day ( Saturday) is when all the big ticket vehicles are sold but by then most of the others are already gone.

There’s some really nice classic cars here this year and I just walked by this Ranger Raptor which has a camo wrap on it. This is the first one I’ve seen up close and they let me get inside and it is really nice! Glad I didn’t signup to bid this year lol

First the money shot!

 

[Ranger Mel]

We drove up to Glendale, AZ early this morning to go to the Mecum auction. I get VIP passes for the week from my friends at Gold Eagle which of course is 303 products. We’ve gone every year except last year because we were in AR. The first couple days are usually the best because all the vehicles are still here. The last day ( Saturday) is when all the big ticket vehicles are sold but by then most of the others are already gone.

There’s some really nice classic cars here this year and I just walked by this Ranger Raptor which has a camo wrap on it. This is the first one I’ve seen up close and they let me get inside and it is really nice! Glad I didn’t signup to bid this year lol

First the money shot!

Everything I've seen on the Raptor shows these are groovy trucks! It would be fun.

 

[AzScorpion]

Everything I've seen on the Raptor shows these are groovy trucks! It would be fun.

Same here and I'm glad it wasn't going on the block until Saturday. That way there was no temptation to get my bidders card. lol

Although it didn't have a reserve so it might go for a good price and we have passes for the whole week.

 

[Ranger Mel]

Same here and I'm glad it wasn't going on the block until Saturday. That way there was no temptation to get my bidders card. lol

Although it didn't have a reserve so it might go for a good price and we have passes for the whole week.

Do it!! Do it!!!!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Same here and I'm glad it wasn't going on the block until Saturday. That way there was no temptation to get my bidders card. lol

Although it didn't have a reserve so it might go for a good price and we have passes for the whole week.

 

[Bob902]

Same here and I'm glad it wasn't going on the block until Saturday. That way there was no temptation to get my bidders card. lol

Although it didn't have a reserve so it might go for a good price and we have passes for the whole week.

 

[AzScorpion]

Do it!! Do it!!!!

Like everything today you can bid online. I'm not sure if there's a fee (or how much it is) to sign up to online bid. If it's not expensive it might be worth it and it will be interesting to see what it goes for with no reserve. I'd like to know what color it is under the wrap and the owner wasn't around but I should've looked closer.

 

[Chris M]

Like everything today you can bid online. I'm not sure if there's a fee (or how much it is) to sign up to online bid. If it's not expensive it might be worth it and it will be interesting to see what it goes for with no reserve. I'd like to know what color it is under the wrap and the owner wasn't around but I should've looked closer.

I'm surprised you saw it at all...

Sponsored