Thanks in advance.....

1st....my truck= 5.4L 02 screw FX4, 35x12.50, 4.56 gears and an Edge Evo.

I have had my EVO for about a year and a half. I remember reading posts like "The EVO will smoke your trans" way back then.

Well guess what, I just had to have my trans rebuilt. Having said that, I think its also fair to point out that the truck has 160,000 miles on it, pulls a boat in the summer, sees moderate mud and was driving those 35s' with 3.55 gears until I could save the coin to regear..SO maybe the evo is NOT to blame.

Now for the million dollar question(s)-

What is the optimum setting for shift firmness? I had been running the edge in stage 2 with WOT@ 1.5, tire and gear adjustment made and shift firmness set at -10, -10, -7

I know that the general consenses states that a soft shift is harder on the clutches than a firmer one but it seemed to me that even at -10 it shifted pretty hard. I mean when stomping it in 2nd gear...it would thump pretty hard.

I'm not a "gear head" so I dont know what is considered acceptable as far as shift firmness.

I'm hoping to get some feedback from those with similar setups to mine. PS-I never played with the shift points...only firmness..

PS-PS--make it plain and layman enough for a complete idiot to understand if you can! thanks!!!
I LOVE MY TRUCK!

 

I am running a +12 +12 +9 on mine and really like the outcome. I think there are a handful here that are running the same.

 

OP, I'm suprised your stocker lasted that long with those tormenting conditions... hopefully you're not installing a stock strenght tranny...

 

I ran +12, +12, and +9 for the time I had the canned tunes. It was very firm but not abusive. When I got the custom tunes, I told Bill I liked very firm shifts and he programmed it that way. I have 95,000 on it with no problem.

To the OP, I think all those other things you listed are harder on the transmission than the shifting. I can't imagine using negative adjustments. Also, 160,000 with those tires and gears sounds decent to me.

 

I meant on the OP's truck before he did the gear change

 

Gotcha! Then say that!

 

 

All money could afford right now was a stock rebuild..that alone was $1,400.

Wont the 4.56 dif take a lot of stress off the trans though?

PS. This all started after a flush. My service light went on with three codes. The shop found shavings in the pan. The official diagnosis was they came from the drum.

I cant believe you guys run +12 seems like that would slam me back into the seat it would shift so hard.

Doesnt that increase the pressure to much?

 

Keep in mind that trucks are different, but to answer your question, no, it was not too hard for me. Definitely hard, but I liked it. There are quite a few on the site that have run that. A guy I worked with ran +18. That was too hard.

Yes, the gears should help the tranny a lot. That and keeping it cool. Extra heat exchanger and take slippage out of shifting.

 

The new gears will take a lot of stress off your transmission. I think you'll like the result.

But, it sounds to me that you are confused about what shift firmness does on the Edge. It DOES NOT change pressure! It only changes the time between clutch release and clutch lockup during shifts. A negative setting causes a slower transition between unlock for the shift and lockup after the shift completes. A slower transition means more slippage during this period, which gives you a smooth, Grandpa type of shift. If all you do is normal part throttle driving, it's probably not going to hurt anything. Positive settings cause the bands to lockup faster, reducing wear. Too much firmness, of course can put a lot of stress on the mechanicals due to the sudden "jerk".

But, since you had your truck so badly undergeared, wide open throttle driving was probably going to be bad on the transmission no matter which way you went. You were probably getting a lurch at normal settings due to the engine having to unwind so far once the bands locked. And at reduced firmness, it just kept everything in the wear interval longer, while the engine wound up even more, only to have to come down a bunch once the shift completed.

Now, for even more fun, if you put gears in that are too big, you'll actually see less power due to Ford's idea of torque control and how it relates to power demand. The great big gears will tell the PCM you don't need much power at all, so it won't give it to you. Remember, everything is drive by wire, which means you can only "ask" the PCM for something. It doesn't have to give it to you.

Ford's torque control is setup on your factory tire size and gear ratio. If you increase one, like your tires, without increasing the gears to give you back close to the same effective gear ratio, the power curve in the stock or canned tune will not be right, because both are expecting stock tires and gears. Within, limits, custom tunes can correct some of the imbalance, but you really need to change both TS and GR to stay near the same effective gear ratio if you want the best performance.

I think you'll be pretty good with the new gears you are putting in. Too bad you didn't do that in the first place, you might still have the original transmission.

- Jack

 

$1400 would be a heavy duty trans from a reputable builder... I've been quoted a lil' more than for a re-worked 4r75 with a transbrake

 

update...Stage2,WOT=145%, gear/tire size adjusted, RPM limiter set @4800 and 5000 max and +4, +4, +3 on the shift firmness....

So far, so good..it has a nice quick/firm shift. clutch stack is gone...TC locks just right.

Havent really hammered it yet though...curious to see how hard it shifts with the foot to the floor....before, id get a nice hard slam and my belt would squeal like a stuck pig.

 

My F150 had around 160,000 on the odometer when I installed the edge. It now has over 300,000 and its still running as strong as ever. The edge hasn't broke it yet.