Downshifting

[Elgorr4]

The engine braking in towhaul mode is sweet for descending large passes/canyons out west. Just hit the brakes down to a speed and it will automatically down shift and try to keep you there. It's pretty smart and is much easier than trying to manually cycle through 10 gears. The little 2.3 doesn't have a ton of compression volume to hold you back though. It has to rev up to 5 grand to hold the nearly empty truck at 40mph going down an 7-8% grade. I can imagine that when towing a trailer you have to be on the brakes way more.

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[wanted33]

When I drop from like 60 mph to 25 mph it feels like the motor is laboring. It seems like it does not down shift to a low enough gear.
Has anyone else noticed this?

Jim, do you mean the engine lugs when you acclerate lightly at 25 mph? If so, that's what these things do. Fords programming of the 10 spd is to eek out every last bit of mpgs it can to meet CAFE standards. Mine does it, and I venture to say they all do. When in town I just lock out the top 3 gears with the button on the side of the shifter. That keeps the tranny from going any higher than 7th gear which is the sweet spot for mine in the 35 mph speed zones.

 

[Big Blue]

Reading through this thread I'm still trying to figure it out. Do you like/want it to downshift or not. Seems to be opinions both ways. The OP sounds like he wants it to downshift and others don't want it to. I think the 10 speed is a great transmission and really have no issues how it's programmed. I've driven out west in the mountains on 6% and 7% grades with and without my TT. Love the engine breaking. I also agree the ranger does not lug. I have driven manuals all my life and know how it feels when an engine is lugging. The ranger does not lug. What if any thing you are feeling is the necessary downshift or the slight lag as the turbo spools up.

 

[MountainGoat]

Except the Ranger does not lug. Unless the transmission has a major problem(wich it doesnt) it will not lug at all.

Mine likes to upshift until I'm turning barely 1000 rpm at 25 mph and then hesitates to downshift when pressing the pedal or when I hit an incline. With tow mode on it doesn't do that.

 

[adisidoro5]

Jim, do you mean the engine lugs when you acclerate lightly at 25 mph? If so, that's what these things do. Fords programming of the 10 spd is to eek out every last bit of mpgs it can to meet CAFE standards. Mine does it, and I venture to say they all do. When in town I just lock out the top 3 gears with the button on the side of the shifter. That keeps the tranny from going any higher than 7th gear which is the sweet spot for mine in the 35 mph speed zones.

What mpg do you see when you lock out your gears

 

[NotBudule]

Mine chugs , lugs , and duds if it drops below 1400 rpms , lugging can't really happen in an automatic , it's when at full throttle and too high a gear in a manual and the engine can't catch up... but whatever you call it my truck don't like it , tune or tow mode...

 

[Dakota]

What mpg do you see when you lock out your gears

How do you lock out gears?

 

[Frenchy]

Mine likes to upshift until I'm turning barely 1000 rpm at 25 mph and then hesitates to downshift when pressing the pedal or when I hit an incline. With tow mode on it doesn't do that.

Because when you are in normal mode the transmission is in "ECO" mode.more or less trying to keep it as economical as possible. You.may not like the logic but it is what it is.

 

[Big Blue]

How do you lock out gears?

In D press the + button to bring up the gear display. Then hit the - button and it will lock out gears fron 10th on down, one gear for each press. Pressing + again will add them back. Doesn't work in S mode. Does work in tow mode.

 

[wanted33]

What mpg do you see when you lock out your gears

Andrew, I'm usually in the 35 mph speed zones, so it doesn't seem to hurt. At 35 mph in 7th the engine in mine is around 1500 rpms. It loves it right there, and there's none of that danged lugging.

 

[wanted33]

How do you lock out gears?

In D press the + button to bring up the gear display. Then hit the - button and it will lock out gears fron 10th on down, one gear for each press. Pressing + again will add them back. Doesn't work in S mode. Does work in tow mode.

Jim, I don't have tow/haul on my truck. But, while in "D" I can just push the minus (-) on the little switch, and it locks the gears out. If you have tow/haul yours may be like Lee says.

 

[Dgc333]

Mine likes to upshift until I'm turning barely 1000 rpm at 25 mph and then hesitates to downshift when pressing the pedal or when I hit an incline. With tow mode on it doesn't do that.

This has been my biggest complaint with the 10R80 in the Ranger. I have had (3) vehicles now with the 2.3 Ecoboost engine and they are/were all the same. They are just not happy trying to maintain speed when the rpm is below 1500 rpm (wouldn't call it lugging but just not feeling relaxed). With my two manual transmission Mustangs it was easy, just down shift to a gear that keeps the rpm between 1500 and 2000 rpm. 1500 to 2000 rpm for cruising has given me the best mileage as well as having an engine that feels relaxed too.

You can use Tow Mode, Sport Mode or lock out gears to keep the rpm in the 1500 to 2000 range but for me that is not an acceptable solution. I have a custom transmission tune from Unleashed Tuning. Torrie has been very patient and supportive getting the tranny tune just the way I want it, I am on revision 4 and it will be the last. Now I can just put it in Drive and go without thinking about the transmission. The upshifts and downshifts are smooth and precise and the only time the rpm drops below 1500 is when I have my foot off the gas and I am coasting. Coming down from speed it will down shift to the appropriate gear to maintain the rpm between 1500 and 2000 rpm at any speed.

IMHO, this is the way Ford should have tuned the tranny.

 

[Big Blue]

Jim, I don't have tow/haul on my truck. But, while in "D" I can just push the minus (-) on the little switch, and it locks the gears out. If you have tow/haul yours may be like Lee says.

What do you have that does not have tow mode? I thought all Rangers had tow mode.

 

[MountainGoat]

This has been my biggest complaint with the 10R80 in the Ranger. I have had (3) vehicles now with the 2.3 Ecoboost engine and they are/were all the same. They are just not happy trying to maintain speed when the rpm is below 1500 rpm (wouldn't call it lugging but just not feeling relaxed). With my two manual transmission Mustangs it was easy, just down shift to a gear that keeps the rpm between 1500 and 2000 rpm. 1500 to 2000 rpm for cruising has given me the best mileage as well as having an engine that feels relaxed too.

You can use Tow Mode, Sport Mode or lock out gears to keep the rpm in the 1500 to 2000 range but for me that is not an acceptable solution. I have a custom transmission tune from Unleashed Tuning. Torrie has been very patient and supportive getting the tranny tune just the way I want it, I am on revision 4 and it will be the last. Now I can just put it in Drive and go without thinking about the transmission. The upshifts and downshifts are smooth and precise and the only time the rpm drops below 1500 is when I have my foot off the gas and I am coasting. Coming down from speed it will down shift to the appropriate gear to maintain the rpm between 1500 and 2000 rpm at any speed.

IMHO, this is the way Ford should have tuned the tranny.

Pushing the button or using sport is a small pain but at least we have it. My old Tacoma did the same thing even worse and there was no way around it. That truck was so dogs*** slow and the visibility was so terrible I sold it in 6 months. All that and the mpg was still much worse than the Ranger. Tacoma guys are on crack.

 

[JGF]

One thing I do dislike is when I use cruise and when going down a hill, it downshifts. I know it needs to to maintain set speed, but I'd rather get the gas mileage...

Pause cruise control to coast down a long hill and then resume once your speed matches your cruise control speed setting.

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