Transmission Control

[cwsoules]

Tomorrow I'll have DTT TC, VB, Smart Box, exhaust brake, and EZ added to my truck. I'll soon be towing a 10K 5er. Some of you probably have a similiar rig. How to you use your Smart Box and Exhaust Brake when towing? What about when unloaded do you use your exhaust brake? I'm going to get a detailed briefing when I pick up my truck, but I wanted to get some extra input.



When I tow I will continue to try to tow in OD above 1900 RPM.



Before my smart box installation I used cruise control whenever possible going down a hill as if the hill was below a 6% grade the cruise control would keep the transmission loaded. Above 6% the rig accelerated and the cruise control unloaded the transmission leaving me with brakes only. Now with a smart box and exhaust brake, do you use cruise control going down hill?

 

[Shooter]

My experience is probably not the norm. But !!!!



You will need to adj the od drop out speed ( shifts to od lockout ) with a load and a grade. You will need to adj the throttle controlled tc unlock towing up grade as the truck reacts differently under load than m/t. the detent cable will also require tweeking with the trailer to adj loaded shift points - uphill and down hill.



I was able to dial mine in during my 2. 3k mi return trip from Bill K's in Abbotford. The other half was not quallified to help so it took me many tries: once dialed in it is wonderful.



Yes!! on the cruse control but you will have to feather the throttle pedal to control the e-brake activation and deactivation when your speed increases or decreases below your desired decent speed. The e-brake is controlled by a limit switch on throttle pedal arm. On idle activate and off idle deactivate. Have them wire in 2 switches -- one for e-brake and one for smart controller. Thaat way you can turn on the e-brake when you want to and just use the smart contoler for the majority of driving when a e-brake is not necessary.



The thing that took the longest for me to remember to do was to lock out od when first starting out and keeping od locked out below 60 mph ( 3. 54 rears ) On the tip back I was only able to engage the e-brake on one grade, the engine brakeing was adequate on all but one grade that I had to decended agressively so I could test out the e-brake.



You can turn the box off and you will default to OEM PCM controlled shifting. I don't as even in town ( e-brake off )

the engine braking in 3rd and manual 2nd is great in traffic.



Good luck



Jack

 

[cwsoules]

Shooter



You said

"On the tip back I was only able to engage the e-brake on one grade, the engine brakeing was adequate on all but one grade that I had to decended agressively so I could test out the e-brake. "



I read this to say that with the smart box on to lock up the transmission your engine braking was able to control your down hill trip. Were you in cruise control?



When you get to the bottom and resume normal towing do you go back to the smart box off?



I have been using OD when towing only when over 59 mph (1900 RPM), and I shift out when I sence that the controls are about to shift the transmission out of OD.



It seems the stick shift guys can use the e-brake all the time but we have to be much more selective. But the reason I went to all this trouble was to control speed down hill and not have to rely totally on my brakes on a long down hill slope. So if I don't have to use the e-brake except on the exceptional hills so what.