2006 F53 with the 3 valve engine, 5 speed OD transmission, 18,000 lbs. chassis. Normal rolling weight is around 16,000 lbs.
Installed last week and went out on our the first weekend trip thru the rolling hills of central Virginia east of the Blue Ridge. Did not take the toad along. Power and throttle response felt improved but the real change was the transmission shift points and the gain of fourth gear. Up shifts happened at lower RPM during moderate acceleration at around 2750 and dropped the RPM down to around 2250 for each shift from third up into OD. Hardly felt the shifts. Smooth and smoother. Picking up fourth made for a very smooth acceleration to interstate speed.
With cruise control engaged the coach pretty much stayed in overdrive all the time. My usual pace is to drive at 2500 RPM which is around 63 MPH. The before shift pattern that used to cause a downshift from OD into fifth for a few seconds then the screaming 4000 RPM drop to third never occurred. Much quieter and smoother without the prior downshifts when encounter a moderate hill or overpass. Coach did appear to hold set speed much closer than before. Much less loss of speed and the associated downshifts.
With hard acceleration performance was a bit improved but now with gain of fourth gear the up shifts were not as dramatic as before with the prior third to fifth shift. In tow/haul the shift points do appear to be a touch later as they were before 5 Star. Downshifts in tow/haul also behaved as before with hard downshifts when approaching a stop.
Fuel mileage gain will need a couple of trips and I don't fully believe what Scan Gauge reports. The trip out to the campsite was 7.2 MPG while the drive home via a different route Scan was reporting 8.5 MPG average. Way too much of a gain for a single trip to be accepted as what the new normal might be. Coolant and transmission temps appeared unchanged. Engine hovered around 200 degrees and the transmission at 160 with the early spring cool air temperatures.
We're heading out in two weeks for a week long 1450 mile trip taking us thru the Smokies Mountains and across the coastal plain of the mid Atlantic which will be a better scenario to judge the changes. What I'm looking forward to is the drive up I40 into the Smokies of western NC pulling the toad. Never used this route in the past but did drive I64 thru West Virginia last summer. Did most of the drive in what felt like third gear and 4000 + RPM climbing thru the Allegheny Mountains.
Overall the changes are a definite benefit. If I can pick up a couple of tenths of improved fuel mileage it might even pay for itself in 30,000 miles or so.
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