Off season tow vehicle upgrades?
I know it's not the off-season yet, but it is for me since I'm a grade school principal and my summer is my time to get out and camp. This was my first season towing with a mostly stock V-10 Excursion...
Forum Discussion
Hemling wrote:
My only hesitation with getting a custom tune is the longevity of the transmission. I've heard it doesn't live long behind engines that make more power than stock. Or is that just for guys modding out their 7.3s?
A 5-star tune will improve longevity of the transmission behind the V10.
1) It doesn't add much peak hp, it mostly just makes the power available over a broader range, making it less "peaky".
2) It improves shift logic, so it won't "hunt", and also increases line pressure, reducing heat during shifts.
My 4R100 has over 445,000 miles. I've got the full Banks PowerPack, and a tuner, so it's putting out quite a bit over stock. I did upgrade the transmission cooler, but mostly because the grill guard and lights impeded airflow to the stock cooler.
You are correct about tuning a 7.3L however. Those tuners add quite a bit more torque over stock, and the 4r100 behind the 7.3L had much worse factory programming, allowing lots of "unlocked" operation to cope with the narrow power band of the stock 7.3L. That, combined with many missing the "in-tank" cooler, was a recipe for failures, tuned or not. The tuning just made the inevitable happen sooner.
