Auto guru's help. Blue wire vs. TCU chip.

[dsmusmc]

Im new to autos and have been searching around for awhile as to what will be the best way to give me full line pressure when im laying into the throttle and not have it 100% of the time. Im in the middle of tearing apart and having my trans redone and have been stuck on my options on the valvebody. I have thought about a Translab shift kit but have heard it shifts hard even if just cruising around and its not really needed if you have full line pressure. I have a Roadsurge box but not sure if I really want to hit buttons to shift and watch everything else. My luck ill miss shift. That's why I have been throwing up the options of blue wire mod or TCU chip.

Im thinking on the blue wire but only if there is a way I can turn it on/off with a switch. I like the idea of the blue wire but its hell on the trans if cruising and don't want hard shifts just driving through town. If anyone has done this or a way to do this I would appropriate it. Iv looked over the way Kiggly has it on his site but you still have to shift it and I do better on visuals when doing this kind of stuff.

Also considering a chip from Dave at Foreign Muscle. I would like to hear from people having good success with then and with higher HP. Am I able to set my shift point at 9k for WOT and be able to shift at a lower RPM when im just cruising? I know that you can have line pressure at whatever % of throttle with this so would this be my better choice?

I'll have the 5 disk/end clutch rebuild, PI convertor, and a large trans cooler. Im running a 2.2 stroker with a Borg Warner s362. Im shooting for 650 awhp. Sorry this is long and thanks for the help.

 

[Bud92gsx]

I'm kinda not picking up on your question..You have the roadsurge shift box, but you think you will miss a shift..Its not hard to press a button up or down, and it has a digital display..Also you can turn the box off for everyday driving when you don't want to shift..I don't really see a problem using the shift box, it's a great peice of equipment to have..

 

[AWD_Launch]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...iews/286205-diy-1g-clutchless-manual-mod.html

Mine is hooked up to a switch so I can drive it normal like a dd then flip the switch and have full line pressure for the track

 

[dsmusmc]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...iews/286205-diy-1g-clutchless-manual-mod.html

Mine is hooked up to a switch so I can drive it normal like a dd then flip the switch and have full line pressure for the track

Think I read your thread but must have not understood it. Iv looked at quite a few in the past few days.

EDIT: You still have to shift it and im not using a DSM TPS.

 

[HighPSI TSi Guy]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...iews/286205-diy-1g-clutchless-manual-mod.html

Mine is hooked up to a switch so I can drive it normal like a dd then flip the switch and have full line pressure for the track

Why bother trying to protect it at the track when you're just burning it up on the street.

There's 3 smart ways to do it

1 - any of the "shift box" type solutions that run full pressure all the time
2 - Chipped TCU
3 - blue wire mod

shift box and blue wire mod obviously both require manual shifting. Chipped TCU can be raced in "D".

raising the line pressure under load is just as much for trans preservation as it is for performance value. It's not something that should be a "only at the track" mod.

Blue wire mod is tolerable, but a little rough, especially so if you run the black spring in the valve body.

 

[the_mork]

Do you suggest running the blue wire mod all the time for higher performance cars and drivers unconcerned with shift clunkiness? I've seen a number of people concerned with binding in the transmission from downshifts using the blue wire mod but haven't ever seen anything conclusive or even convincing to say that this is either true, or not worth the protection otherwise.



OP, you can run the blue wire mod on a switch easily. The blue wire mod only cuts signal from the line pressure relief solenoid so that it never runs. If the tcu didn't go into limp mode when it detected that solenoid being dead then just cutting the wire would be all that was necessary. Instead of just running the tcu side of the wire to your resistor and a ground then you can instead run wire from the solenoid, the tcu, and the new resistored ground to a two position three pole switch. One way is the same as stock, the other is 100% line pressure. I have also seen plans that use a pressure switch on the TB as well as any number of other options.


Honestly though the most elegant solution is a chipped tcu and a shift kit. The shift kit will adjust what the trans is capable of having for line pressure and the tcu will adjust the shift behavior and call for line pressure.

Also I should mention that filled motor mounts plus the black spring in the shift kit, and the blue wire mod will not only scare passengers (and perhaps yourself the first few times) but also pedestrians when your car slams from gear to gear under certain circumstances. Upshifts under load feel good, crisp, and fast, upshifts under moderate acceleration are a crapshoot of either nearly normal or jerk your around and chirp the tires. Downshifts will become pronounced but usually are fine. Monitor your motor mounts and get good ones so that you aren't breaking motor mounts all the time and asking for a broken diff. The motor mounts aren't so much because of the blue wire mod but because bad motor mounts are the number one cause of broken front diffs and the blue wire mod will cause dying motor mounts to die much faster.

 

[-red97rum-]

I have mine running full line pressure all the time. My car was a 5 speed so I'm not running a TCU so I just use a hurst ratchet shifter. It's not all that bad driving around with full line pressure, you get used to it and learn where it shifts best. On the 1-2 shift I just need to let the rpm's go over 4k and it's just a nice crisp (non clunky) shift. That and don't try and downshift to 1st gear until you're almost at a complete stop.

If I had the option to run a TCU I would, don't get me wrong. This was just the cheapest/easiest way for me to make my car auto. It's not a daily driver at all either.

 

[Bud92gsx]

That and don't try and downshift to 1st gear until you're almost at a complete stop.
QUOTE]

I recommend not going into 1st gear unless your almost at a complete stop as well..I did this one time on purpose and I chirped the tires and was a really hard shift it felt like..I also never go into first gear when I put it in drive..I keep the shifter in 2nd,then when stopped switch to 1st gear(That is for backing up)..And I also do it when heading forward, I keep it in 2nd for a second, then go into first gear..If you don't do this(and It could just be my car) when you grab 1st gear from park its a very hard shift and you might hear the clunk noise..

You also don't need a tcu if you shift manually all the time..But if you feel like turning the shifter off and driving normally, you will need the tcu..

 

[HighPSI TSi Guy]

You can shift into 1st with the shift box type stuff, but it's kind of an art of knowing exactly how/when to get away with it. It's a bi***. That's honestly one of the biggest pluses of running a TCU in my opinion. Not being able to go into 1st would make me crazy. One of my favorite things about the auto vs a 5 speed is that I actually have usable power at sane speeds without going double the speed limit. with the TCU I can nail it from a 20mph roll, and it builds boost as it downshifts into 1st, nails the 2-1 shift, spins the tires a little and takes the hell off, pretty smoothly. If I was running a shift box that woulda just been a boring "wait for it" 2nd gear pull.

 

[Bud92gsx]

The wait for it 2nd gear pull get a little annoying..Scratch that, Very annoying..Especially if you driving from stop signs n what not and you start in 2nd gear without brake boosting..

 

[-red97rum-]

Oh I meant don't downshift into 1st only on decel. I've downshifted into first from 2nd gear. I just stab the gas for a split second in 2nd and then ratchet it down to first - it takes off like a bat out of hell. I don't like doing it all the time but I've done it a few times and it was fine.

Although leaving it in 2nd is quite fun too.. gives the car your racing (at the track of course) some hope until the turbo comes on.

*Edit: I never take off from a stop in 2nd though, it freaking blows..

 

[Bud92gsx]

You got that right bro, taking off from a stop in 2nd blows..But you might want to edit the racing comment, before it gets deleted, or this thread gets closed..

 

[Dsm2g15]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...iews/286205-diy-1g-clutchless-manual-mod.html

Mine is hooked up to a switch so I can drive it normal like a dd then flip the switch and have full line pressure for the track

Me I would like to know how to do it could you tell me how to achieve it