Is your truck the same?

[wanted33]

For me it is quite aggravating in slower traffic, but as I found it's also the nature of the beast. I just put mine in "Sport" mode until I get out of the situation. If you feel the engine is running at to high of an RPM just upshift using the "shift button" on the side of the shifter. That's my M.O. When we're moving again I slip 'er back up into drive. As one of the wise old sages here said, "It's cheaper than an engine tune, and it doesn't hurt a thing". Right Dave @AzScorpion

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[Dr. Zaius]

For normal local trips, I almost always run mine as an 8 speed automatic by locking out 9 and 10.

This pretty much eliminates the lugging and it doesn't hold the revs so high like Sport mode does.

 

[Trigganometry]

This has been covered in a few other threads on here previously. When new or reset transmission it goes through a learning process. Your driving style plays into that. Personally I found for the first few thousand miles the shift points were all over the place. Then I learned to use the shift buttons and lock out gears I didn’t want to be in. Kept RPM’s at anywhere between 1800 and 2500. Now at 8800 miles it shifts predictably, rarely lugs and if it does shift down a gear so it’s happy.

Another bonus is in Sport mode. If you hold the button in ether direction for a few seconds it turns into a full automatic again with out manually changing gears or popping it back into drive.

Takes time and some patience and at some point you’ll arrive at predictable patterns

 

[Frenchy]

So I’m trying to figure out if I have an issue with my transmission or if it’s just a characteristic of our rangers.

when I’m cruising around town at speeds of say 25-40mph the truck seems to be lugging a little bit. It keeps the RPMs very low and I get a vibration/lugging sensation. It feels the same as driving a Manuel transmission in too high of a gear. It almost feels like the truck is bogging down until I give it more gas. No stuttering or jerking but just a low vibrating feeling and I can feel it in the wheel. It’s like holding an electric toothbrush but not as strong. At times it feels like the road surface changed but it didn’t.

sport mode is great but I find it hold the rpms too high. No vibration in sport mode.

I have no vibration on take off and no vibration when reving the engine in park. I only have it when the truck is lugging along in 7th gear and 1100rpms at 35mph. 2021 Tremor 520 miles on it

So first off if it was lugging truck would be bucking quite a bit and barely moving. You also need to understand that this has a little 4-cylinder. Yes it might have a Turbocharger but in reality it doesn't start building boost until after 1500 RPMs at best. This is a characteristic of the truck and there's nothing you can really do about it.

 

[Motorpsychology]

When I'm cruising in traffic around town and don't feel like being in sport mode, I lock out the top few gears and most of the lugginess goes away and the truck drives way better.

Exactly, if I'm in suburban type traffic- 30-50mph with stop lights ~every mile, I lock out 9 & 10 after a while, sometimes 8 & 7 if traffic is really slow. I haven't conducted a scientific test, but it would seem to me that lugging the engine is harder on the crankshaft journals, regardless of how well engineered they might be. Also, maybe the fuel metering is designed to compensate, but old school carburetor & single port efi engines would run really rich under lugging due to not enough air being drawn in for the fuel being atomized- "rollin' coal" syndrome, but not that visible.
Maybe contributing to fuel in oil?

 

[Bludrok]

It could be that I have a 5star tune, but my engine never goes below 1300-1400 rpms or so and I don't seem to have the described issue. I had to verify to be 100% sure. It usually only goes down to 1500, but can go a bit lower under certain conditions.

 

[SilverSlugger]

Have you tried 91-93 gas? There are many mixed opinions but I can tell you this: My ranger runs better overall with the 91+ gas. I can’t put my finger on it, just overall more smooth. I honestly believe the engineers kinda tuned it for the 91+ gas.
This is 100% my opinion I don’t have stats or hard proof.

 

[Bludrok]

Have you tried 91-93 gas? There are many mixed opinions but I can tell you this: My ranger runs better overall with the 91+ gas. I can’t put my finger on it, just overall more smooth. I honestly believe the engineers kinda tuned it for the 91+ gas.
This is 100% my opinion I don’t have stats or hard proof.

+1 for this. I have only ever put 91 in my tank.

 

[wanted33]

For normal local trips, I almost always run mine as an 8 speed automatic by locking out 9 and 10.

This pretty much eliminates the lugging and it doesn't hold the revs so high like Sport mode does.

Well that's a dang good idea Dennis. I didn't think of that.

 

[CO2Ranger]

It's interesting to hear others have this same issue with the vibration. I'm tuned with aftermarket tires and wheels and still get it at certain speeds. Typically around 38ish and 63ish mph.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Well that's a dang good idea Dennis. I didn't think of that.

Tow/haul mode locks out 9 and 10 by default I believe.

 

[BlackRanger01]

It could be that I have a 5star tune, but my engine never goes below 1300-1400 rpms or so and I don't seem to have the described issue. I had to verify to be 100% sure. It usually only goes down to 1500, but can go a bit lower under certain conditions.

Mine went below 1500 a lot of times while cruising down the street at 35mph. Everything is stock on truck

Have you tried 91-93 gas? There are many mixed opinions but I can tell you this: My ranger runs better overall with the 91+ gas. I can’t put my finger on it, just overall more smooth. I honestly believe the engineers kinda tuned it for the 91+ gas.
This is 100% my opinion I don’t have stats or hard proof.

I did put in 91 in my tank and i can still feel it. But then it's the second tank overall of truck. I'm at 808 miles atm. I'll just keep driving it and see how it goes....

 

[wanted33]

Tow/haul mode locks out 9 and 10 by default I believe.

Mines a lowly XL/STX. I'll have to see if I can even block out the the higher gears.

 

[BlackRanger01]

Mines a lowly XL/STX. I'll have to see if I can even block out the the higher gears.

Probably - when you put transmission in Drive. Click the back button three times (i think) and you'd see it on right screen.

EDIT: Oh wait, XL only have one middle screen in dash. So might be there.

 

[Texasota]

Tow/haul mode locks out 9 and 10 by default I believe.

No, that’s not true, it just goes into 9/10 less frequently.

But you did hit on the perfect solution to this problem. Simply press the tow/haul button when driving around town or other situations that cause the lugging. I find it completely eliminates the problem without the crazed beast behavior that sport mode unleashes.

Try it, I think you will be pleased.

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