Originally posted by Steve Roseman
Those of you using the controllers on the ATS I have a question. When you are hauling a load while shifting in lockup, do you have a problem falling out of your powerband?
I know the torque converter will help to stay in the sweet spot when not in lockup, just curious.
I'm not sure I can answer your question completely but I’ll try. See my sig for details. I've never done a Dyno run so I can't say where I’m at HP wise. The heaviest I’ve been loaded since the ATS install was around 14K with camper and boat but that was mostly level ground on the way to St Mary's county on the eastern shore. This past weekend I went camping in Greenridge State Forest which has several unpaved roads that I shouldn't have been on with my rig, some hills so steep I thought the camper would break it's tie downs and slide out the back of the truck. The roads to the forest are some of the steepest in Maryland but nothing compared to what I’ve been on out west.
Unloaded I normally set the controller to lock up around 35-40 mph and run with OD off till I reach 50 or so. If I leave OD on during part throttle acceleration the TC will lock up at 40 (or where ever I set it) and the transmission will go into OD a second or two later. This means I can travel at 40 mph and ~1000 rpm, a high idle. This isn't bad if I don't need to increase speed 'cause at that rpm I’m burning no fuel but have no boost and thus no power. I try to be careful here ‘cause this isn't good for anything but the mileage. If I need to accelerate I just hit the OD off button, which causes the transmission to go into 3rd and the TC to unlock for about 1-2 seconds and then lock up again. Press the pedal to the floor at the same time I hit the OD button and look out! RPMs jump, boost comes on (about 35psi) and then the TC locks up again. This will often remove a bit of rubber from the rear tires. Loaded this would be a bad idea.
For hauling I treat things a bit different, much more conservative. Above ~50 mph the transmission will go into OD and the TC will be locked, just like it did stock, regardless of where I set the controller. The difference here is that I can disengage the cruise control by tapping the brake pedal and the transmission will stay in OD and the TC will remain locked, something the stock setup wouldn't do. Also the TC will remain locked when you take your foot off the go pedal and provide some small measure of engine braking. I don't have an exhaust brake (yet) but I can see this as being a bonus.
The thing to keep in mind is that the transmission will still shift at the same point it does stock and the controller ONLY controls when the TC locks up. It doesn't change shift points. If you fall out of your power band now, it'll do the same with the controller.
At slower speeds, <45 mph and part throttle acceleration, you'll see ~200 rpm drop when the TC locks up. Pulling away from a stoplight loaded, you'll want the TC to act like it does stock (unlocked) so you have some RPM's to build boost and hp and keep things in the power band.
With a load, I’m not sure you'll want to go from un-locked to locked with the pedal to the floor. The lock up is so solid and firm, something will brake, but it'll be something after the transmission I’m sure.
I’ve tried to explain to several folks how the controller works and it’s difficult to do without actually being in the truck and knowing how it worked when stock. I’ve never turned the controller off, which makes everything work like it did stock, but I find myself using the OD switch much more often. In stop and go traffic with a load I also tend to leave OD off and will rotate the controller knob when approaching a stop light so the TC remains locked longer. For some thing that sounds real cool, 50 mph downhill, OD off and TC locked will bring the engine up to ~1600 rpm. Talk about a great sound!!
I hope i answered your question. If not, let me know ... ...
Brian
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