ford v10 programmer?

There is a thread on the 5 Star Tune that has run at least a year on irv2. Lots of very good info. The complaint of down shifting on small grades and hills can be fixed.

I locked out OD and set the cruise at 58 mph. NEVER downshifts, and I have only had the cruise disengage once. It is a little bit slower, but the engine is right in the middle of peak torque (at least with my 4.30's) and seems to like the little bit higher rpm. I like my 5 star, but mine is so heavily loaded it would still downshift on a good sized hill.

If the reprogrammer wants to do things right for you, he will send you a cartridge to hook up to your OBDII connection for you to run your coach through a series of driving tests. This will show him exactly where the current ECM program needs to be changed. As with every engine, there is no one program that fits every situation.

For what it's worth, an engine is happier at a higher rpm (within design limits) than it is lugging. The pressures and stresses on parts are lower.

Not sure about the newer V10 transmissions but my 99 V10 trans did not upshift or downshift very well.(my opinion) I bought a Banks Transcommand and installed it myself.It was about a 2 hour job.I am VERY satisfied with the trans performance now and that was almost 10 years ago.I was told by a Ford trans engineer it would extend the life of my trans.I have 80k miles on it now,towing a trailer most of the time and no issues.I use synthetic fluid and the trans never runs hot.

rbeyer wrote:
We got the 5 Star tune a few months ago. It directly addresses the downshift challenge effectively. I feel it was money well spent.

Been thinking about doing this. I need to get in touch with the 5 star people I guess to see what I need from them?

senior-cit wrote:
There is another thing I have done when it shift,s down unexpectedly. Most of the times I am using the "tow-haul" gear and am on cruise. If I am pulling a long grade and it happens, I turn off the tow haul and the cruise and the tranny will drop out of that high RPM's. Don't know why it would do it on flat grades. Are you in cruise with tow haul on?

Yep towing my jeep. Which I know you aren't supposed to necessarily use CC when towing, but long distances get tiring w/out CC.

I have started just taking it out of CC and manually controlling the speed letting it get down to lower speeds in the hills.

Annoying thing about it though is that these are not big hills.. just overpasses on an otherwise flat terrain.

Ford builds the chassis one way. Things need to be tweeked to address the finished motorhome...truck...etc. Hence the shifting issues. Its more like the MH manufacturer should adjust the program when they build it.

I'm a V-10 owner and also get frustrated with down shifting! My answer has been, when approaching a rise or overpass to touch the brake thereby removing cruse control and controlling speed using the accelerator. Seems to work but a bit of a hassle

I'm not questioning the effectiveness nor reliability of methods described in this thread that are designed to alter transmission shifting points. However, I can't help but wonder why Ford designed the system to act the way it does. If there is a better way to go...why didn't (doesn't) Ford manufacture the V-10 transmissions accordingly? Would such a change void a new vehicle warrant or an extended service contract? / Larry

There is another thing I have done when it shift,s down unexpectedly. Most of the times I am using the "tow-haul" gear and am on cruise. If I am pulling a long grade and it happens, I turn off the tow haul and the cruise and the tranny will drop out of that high RPM's. Don't know why it would do it on flat grades. Are you in cruise with tow haul on?