I pulled an 18 foot trailer with 2 razors and other miscellaneous stuff today on a 80% highway about an hour each way. I was running 70-75 most of the time. Until the hills if they were 6 or 7% grade I would lose speed sometimes down to 60mph. Now if I pushed the go pedal nothing happened untill it kicked down and was screaming and starting to haul a$$. Now my brothers 99 with a built trans, 100 horse injectors and an edge ez. Don't have this issue. He just mashes a little and rolls on.  Is it normal or something a tuner could help? Or am I asking for more than I should be? I ain't saying it was horrible just that it started to lose speed when I didn't expect it to. No loss of power or dead pedal just not picking up speed.  Sorry for the long post.

Edited December 23, 20186 yr by Unreal Summit

10 hours ago, Me78569 said:

@portlandareae28 

 

Use the Gearing calculator we built.

 

 

 

Doesn’t want to let me put anything in it on the ipad

My old 2001 with rv275s and mad ECM/smarty was a pulling animal. 

 

More than once I had 20k on the deck (mini hoe and skid steer) and I could pull out and pass people in 5th and be up to 70 yesterday.  In 5th gear...trucks pulling hard. 

 

I never ran 6th unless actual speed limit was 65 mph. 

 

That combo was bar none my favorite towing combination. More than enough juice for whatever you needed and you didn’t need to keep a close eye on the gauges. 

Edited January 5, 20196 yr by Ben

1 hour ago, Ben said:

My old 2001 with rv275s and mad ECM/smarty was a pulling animal. 

 

More than once I had 20k on the deck (mini hoe and skid steer) and I could pull out and pass people in 5th and be up to 70 yesterday.  In 5th gear...trucks pulling hard. 

 

I never ran 6th unless actual speed limit was 65 mph. 

 

That combo was bar none my favorite towing combination. More than enough juice for whatever you needed and you didn’t need to keep a close eye on the gauges. 

Can I ask about what the settings the smarty was on? 

I am curious as well, since I have the same setup.

 

- John

8 hours ago, pepsi71ocean said:

Can I ask about what the settings the smarty was on? 

 

8 hours ago, Tractorman said:

I am curious as well, since I have the same setup.

 

- John

 

The Mad ECM was smarty 9 except not quite as refined.  When Marco came out with the Smarty I got it and just ran it on 9. 

 

I never had any issues towing heavy.   I loved that combination. 

 

Eta- As morning coffee is taking hold and I’m thinking here (this was well over a decade ago) , I only ran rv275s with an edge ez and mad ECM. 

 

I got the smarty in 2007 when I moved to 150s and super b. 

 

Like I said, the ECM was the straight  Smarty 9 setting. 

 

I found an old dyno sheet in my archives comparing the 2 set ups. The “toe” box was bd’s rebadged ez. ?

Edited January 5, 20196 yr by Ben

@Ben I wish there was a way to see the colors better.  Can you expand on he two that start moving at 600rpm, I think that is the mad ecm correct?

2 hours ago, pepsi71ocean said:

@Ben I wish there was a way to see the colors better.  Can you expand on he two that start moving at 600rpm, I think that is the mad ecm correct?

 

Correct.  The red is mad ECM. 

 

Now.  Why the difference rpm wise I don’t know or recall. To me it looks like when the run started recording. 

 

Ill have ave to go through other dyno sheets with different setups to see if they are like that.

 

Edited January 5, 20196 yr by Ben

On another note regarding the Smarty. 

 

My experiences with it have only been manual transmissions. It allowed me to run my shifts out very nice when needed, past 2500 rpms it was still pulling. I learned to roll in the throttle so I could drive it relatively smoke free until I had some boost built up.

 

For me it was a huge improvement over the EZ drive ability wise.  

 

That being said, I have read over the years that the smarty and autos didn't play nice so this is just my experiences. 

2 hours ago, Ben said:

 

Correct.  The red is mad ECM. 

 

Now.  Why the difference rpm wise I don’t know or recall. To me it looks like when the run started recording. 

 

Ill have ave to go through other dyno sheets with different setups to see if they are like that.

 

 

If you do have the free time, I'd love to see if that is the case, since the SW9 starts right off idle, i have observed through my own testing with the fueling and responsiveness. So If that is the case then I could see that. if other dyno runs with the smarty show the same I would really find that interesting.

 

50 minutes ago, Ben said:

On another note regarding the Smarty. 

 

My experiences with it have only been manual transmissions. It allowed me to run my shifts out very nice when needed, past 2500 rpms it was still pulling. I learned to roll in the throttle so I could drive it relatively smoke free until I had some boost built up.

 

For me it was a huge improvement over the EZ drive ability wise.  

 

That being said, I have read over the years that the smarty and autos didn't play nice so this is just my experiences. 

 

Yes and no, the Smarty doesn't place nice and requires more fine tuning to run right on an auto. But this is also as I've learned can work well, just requires allot of patience. The smarty behind a built auto with a higher popped injector is a beast, especially in the towing arena.

@pepsi71ocean You are going to have to give me a bit. BUT, I do have a dyno sheet with the different smarty levels, however they were with 150's and a superB. As I recall, the differences were not drastic.

 

Aaaaaand, that dyno sheet is busy. Just to forewarn you. 

 

As I said in @Tractorman's post a bit ago, the smarty is all about your foot for the most part. 

 

That being said, it's awesome you are getting this done on an auto.

@pepsi71ocean

 

hope this helps. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 20196 yr by Ben

@Ben That is some really interesting stuff there. I'm really curious to see the engine rpm dyno on the different levels, but They seem to match what @Me78569 had for a while on his quesadilla post on injectors.  I think that the aggressiveness coming from the smarty is how fast it ramps on up. But even for me the revo is quite crazy for tune-ability and smoke control. Its hard to imagine how complicated this smarty is to understand. 

People don't still understand the REVO and it has been out for HOW LONG?

 

That has been one of its biggest drawbacks. All of this fun stuff was just thrown in your lap with someone saying have fun. Period. 

 

There was no breakdown anywhere that I have seen of someone from MADS (preferably Marco) going through every setting step by step saying this does what and this is what should happen. 

 

I messed with it when it was first available but just went back to 9. 

 

I could see the REVO settings being nice for an auto owner. But for a manual, 9 and run it. 

 

This being said, the MAD ECM with timing was the rawest/most aggressive version of smarty 9 I ever dealt with. I regret selling that ECM. A TST COMP and that old ECM....whaaaaaaaat. Manual of course. 

 

I have always been a smarty fan since day one and as far as I recall, the only one that has dyno'd that setup and posted it so much. 

Edited January 6, 20196 yr by Ben

29 minutes ago, Ben said:

People don't still understand the REVO and it has been out for HOW LONG?

 

That has been one of its biggest drawbacks. All of this fun stuff was just thrown in your lap with someone saying have fun. Period. 

 

There was no breakdown anywhere that I have seen of someone from MADS (preferably Marco) going through every setting step by step saying this does what and this is what should happen. 

 

I messed with it when it was first available but just went back to 9. 

 

I could see the REVO settings being nice for an auto owner. But for a manual, 9 and run it. 

 

This being said, the MAD ECM with timing was the rawest/most aggressive version of smarty 9 I ever dealt with. I regret selling that ECM. A TST COMP and that old ECM....whaaaaaaaat. Manual of course. 

 

I have always been a smarty fan since day one and as far as I recall, the only one that has dyno'd that damn setup and posted it so much. 

 

Revo is very confusing and I have gotten closer then anyone else has after 2+ years of trial and error with my set up, and changes of injectors and such, its a mess. But the Revo if you get it tuned right makes a raped ape truck. I think the Revo makes the other SW#'s even more versatile, granted I liked the SW#'s by themselves but the revo gave me allot of control over the engine that I didn't have with the regular SW#'s

This article I wrote is about as close to understanding what the different revo functions do.

 

 

And its not completed, but It is about as thoro as we can get without the help of MADS at all.

15 hours ago, pepsi71ocean said:

 

Revo is very confusing and I have gotten closer then anyone else has after 2+ years of trial and error with my set up, and changes of injectors and such, its a mess. But the Revo if you get it tuned right makes a raped ape truck. I think the Revo makes the other SW#'s even more versatile, granted I liked the SW#'s by themselves but the revo gave me allot of control over the engine that I didn't have with the regular SW#'s

This article I wrote is about as close to understanding what the different revo functions do.

 

 

And its not completed, but It is about as thoro as we can get without the help of MADS at all.

Correctamundo as thorough as we can get. 

 

I replied to that post but my experiences are from a different animal. 

 

Sad thing is Marco was so involved in the beginning and I give him a lot of credit for doing what really could not be done at that time frame. You had Jim Jessup's ECM's and that was it. 

 

Plug and play boxes were all a similar rehash then. 

 

The TS MVP is the only thing that comes close or stronger to how the smarty feels. But that box coming on at 7lbs boost is downright hateful. 

Edited January 6, 20196 yr by Ben

@IBMobile I was reading your article on the mystery torque converter lockup switch. Just out of curiosity what mods does the valve body need for 2nd gear lockup. I didnt see it mentioned. 

1 hour ago, 2000Ram2500 said:

@IBMobile I was reading your article on the mystery torque converter lockup switch. Just out of curiosity what mods does the valve body need for 2nd gear lockup. I didnt see it mentioned. 

 

there are some holes that need to be drilled. @Dynamic should be able to elaborate on this.

@Dynamic is the site transmission guru and probably has done it many times.  Lets see what he has on it.

 

I did fine this at the Cummins Forum

https://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94-98-performance-parts-discussion/573451-2nd-gear-lockup-would-nice-can-done.html 

Every valve body I build (47RE or 48RE) will lock in any forward gear (with external switch) and allow both locked 3-4 upshifts and locked 4-3 downshifts.

 

There is a signal that needs to be removed from the TCC lockup valve (and an exhaust hole added) to allow manual 2nd lockup.

 

Forward clutch oil needs to be provided to the TCC solenoid (and 2nd gear oil that was previously there removed) in order for there to be 1st gear lockup on a 47RE VB. A 48RE VB has the capability to lock in any forward gear from the factory.

 

A signal needs to be removed from the 3-4 timing valve to prevent immediate upshift to 3rd when lockup is commanded in 2nd gear.

 

The lockup timing valve needs to be modified to allow a locked 4-3 downshift.

 

All of these are accomplished easiest with a custom separator plate. I have the plates I use laser cut here locally. The plates I designed also allow boost valve operation in 2nd gear and higher, but that's another topic entirely...

 

 

@Dynamic Would you be open to people sending their valve body in for modification and if so what would be the approximant cost be?

So from the sounds of it i probably dont already have the ability to lock 2nd. I will have to ask a friend of mine who built it then. As far as i know i've got all Transtar internals with a transtar billet triple disc converter and a transgo shift kit (not sure if theres even any other brands of 47re shift kits)

 

Im sure i could ask him and see if he remembers exactly but there a busy shop. He's gonna stab me if i tell him i want to do another lockup switch. He swears thats what killed my transmission but i think its because i had to haul my other friends fully loaded f250 (powerstroke, giant camper, steel trailer, all of his things in his bed plus everything in else in my bed) back across Palomar mtn he was half way to Ocotillo wells when he lost a fuel line and my trans was still bone stock (absolutely no gauges at the time either but at least it was cold out). 

 

If memory serves me right, if i had a bone stock trans at the time but with a lockup switch and got cruising at around 20-22 mph (idk rpms) enough to actually shift into 2nd then hit the switch and had it react would that be a rough forced shift to 3rd and not 2-lock. I remember trying to do 2nd gear but its been over a year and a half ago now and i cant remember but i do remember a lower speed jerk into either lockup or the next gear and a check engine light because i did it the way where they say to remove the relay and hotwire the pins with a jumper wire and wire in a switch to ground for the torque converter lockup circuit.