Loving/Hating the 4EAT power mod

So I decided to check out the mod and I'm love the extra that I'm getting but my MPG took a huge dump. LOL Was 27 MPG with full time power mode mod I was getting 19-20 MPG. I've got to install a nice lighted switch for my wallets sake.

Power mode isn't for regular driving, it's for when you want to pass someone or have a little fun. If you're driving around with power mode engaged all the time, then your MPGs will take a dive. Damn, 20mpg? Running a little rich there!

It takes away from your MPG's because it's more ready to drive at higher RPM's and part of that is that it never locks the torque converter.

Complaining that you permanent power mode mod is adversely affecting your car's fuel mileage is like complaining that your permanent afterburner mode mod is adversely affecting your jet's range, lol.

It takes away from your MPG's because it's more ready to drive at higher RPM's and part of that is that it never locks the torque converter.

 

This is an interesting tidbit about the TqC that I'd never heard before. I installed the power mod with a basic rocker switch, but I leave it engaged all the time. I mean, who doesn't want more power all the time, lol? I never noticed a large difference in gas mileage around the time that I installed it. About 22-23 MPG before/Power Mode off, vs. about 21-22 MPG with Power Mode engaged almost continuously. Once we changed from 205/55/R16 Toyo all-seasons to 215/45/R17 Michelin UHP All-seasons we lost another ~1 MPG, either due to the slight diameter change, rolling resistance change, or a combination of the two.

 

Even as much as I hate the auto, being my wife's daily driver, the 4EAT won't ever be swapped for a 5MT. I just hate the gol done thing due to the hard 1-2 lurch, the slippery 2-3 shift, and most of all, the complete lack of responsiveness. I press the accellerator in any other 5-speed vehicle (Scirocco, 4Runner, whatever) and the car goes faster right as the engine RPMs pick up. But with the GT's 4EAT, pressing the accelerator means waiting a moment for the engine to rev up, then after it does so, waiting even more for the engine RPM increase to translate to actual vehicle acceleration. Would you say that the Torque Converter's constant lack of lock when Power Mode is active has something to do with this disconnected feeling? For a Power Mode that came from the factory on certain models, that seems very counter-intuitive to me, but honestly I never felt it was any more responsive with the Power Mode off or before it was ever installed.

 

So I decided to check out the mod and I'm love the extra that I'm getting but my MPG took a huge dump. LOL Was 27 MPG with full time power mode mod I was getting 19-20 MPG. I've got to install a nice lighted switch for my wallets sake.

 

My Power Mode switch, a basic black 2-pole rocker with a little red LED, switches the Power Mode on and off quite easily, but I couldn't figure out how to make the LED light up due to the fact that the switch grounds out the TCU connection when active, and opens the circuit when off. I'm pretty sure I can't run +12V to the switch to power the LED, because that would send +12V to the TCU on that pin. That would obviously defeat the purpose of the switch and there's no telling what damage to the TCU might happen by doing so.

I got the light to work but it involved using a whole second relay which made for a mass of wires that I shoved above the head unit since my switch is mounted in the cup holder assembly

Well I've been putting off swapping out the EJ22 I have sitting in my garage at the moment but with a compression range from 130 to 180 I'd say I'm running rich too but a 7 MPG drop was a little more than I was expecting. Wanted to give it a try with full time so I could see just how much I'm losing in MPG when the switch is installed and flipped. I must say that it made climbing those windy mt. roads more fun.

I get 17-20mpg and go through brake pads every three months. What an awful car, lol

You need better brake pads and/or better driving habits, lol.

hes a mailman, im pretty sure they are on the brakes more than anyone on the road. i really want to do sport mode, but im pretty sure id rarely turn it on. and if i did, id likely forget and leave it on.

 

as for the tq never locking, i have a civic that has a bad duty solenoid and it never locks. lost 4-5mpg overall due to that. on the GT, im getting about 21mpg now instead of the 25ish we were getting, just from switching out to those 225/50 tires. im going 205 when they wear out tho.

hes a mailman, im pretty sure they are on the brakes more than anyone on the road. i really want to do sport mode, but im pretty sure id rarely turn it on. and if i did, id likely forget and leave it on.

 

That's a silly reason. You won't forget it's on because it is such a drastic change to the character of the car. And for that reason, you won't NOT use it either!

hehe youre probably right. i may do it to the wagon, the GT can wait. my son and daughter dont need to know about sport mode yet.

You need better brake pads and/or better driving habits, lol.

 

doing the WRX calipers soon, should reduce heat. cheapos last three, ceramic pads will last me 4 months, lmao

PM doesnt do squat on a 99 LGT. It was a waste of time and money.

This is an interesting tidbit about the TqC that I'd never heard before. I installed the power mod with a basic rocker switch, but I leave it engaged all the time.

 

I just hate the gol done thing due to the hard 1-2 lurch, the slippery 2-3 shift, and most of all, the complete lack of responsiveness. I press the accellerator in any other 5-speed vehicle (Scirocco, 4Runner, whatever) and the car goes faster right as the engine RPMs pick up. But with the GT's 4EAT, pressing the accelerator means waiting a moment for the engine to rev up, then after it does so, waiting even more for the engine RPM increase to translate to actual vehicle acceleration. Would you say that the Torque Converter's constant lack of lock when Power Mode is active has something to do with this disconnected feeling? For a Power Mode that came from the factory on certain models, that seems very counter-intuitive to me, but honestly I never felt it was any more responsive with the Power Mode off or before it was ever installed.

 

Okay.. I'll cover everything I know about the "Power Mode" mod.

 

Torque Converter: does not lock up, test this out on the highway. There is a 400-or-so RPM difference between when the torque converter is locked and when it is not locked. This is only to make the car more ready to accelerate (in it's CURRENT gear) as the gas is pressed.

 

The way the 4EAT changes gears is that it completely disengages during a shift and then re-engages, that's why it doesn't change speed during RPM increase (during a downshift) or decrease (during an upshift). It's the way it was designed to operate.

 

That being said, power mode doesn't actually make the shifts faster. It ONLY makes the car more ready to downshift when the accelerator is pressed. It has a different response in each gear and at different vehicles speeds. So, instead of having to press the accelerator 3/4th's of the way down to downshift to 3rd or 2nd it might only take 1/2 or 1/3 throttle to cause it to downshift. This as absolutely nothing to do with the torque converter. It's ALL in the valve body.

 

Now, to the valve body... Transgo makes valve body repair kits that will actually soften the 1-2 shifts and firm up the lazy 2-3 and 3-4 shifts. It also does more than that, and it a worthwhile upgrade. Look into it.

 

PM doesnt do squat on a 99 LGT. It was a waste of time and money.

 

I've also covered this before. 1999 vehicles with a PHASE II 4EAT do NOT have power mode programmed into the TCU. I tried it just for fun on my old 99 OBL 4EAT and confirmed that it did nothing. On my 96 LGT 4EAT it was night and day.

I tracked my mileage with power mode vs regular and found very little difference. I leave power on 24 7. Turn down for what.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

That being said, power mode doesn't actually make the shifts faster. It ONLY makes the car more ready to downshift when the accelerator is pressed. It has a different response in each gear and at different vehicles speeds. So, instead of having to press the accelerator 3/4th's of the way down to downshift to 3rd or 2nd it might only take 1/2 or 1/3 throttle to cause it to downshift. This as absolutely nothing to do with the torque converter. It's ALL in the valve body.

 

Now, to the valve body... Transgo makes valve body repair kits that will actually soften the 1-2 shifts and firm up the lazy 2-3 and 3-4 shifts. It also does more than that, and it a worthwhile upgrade. Look into it.

 

 

 

I've also covered this before. 1999 vehicles with a PHASE II 4EAT do NOT have power mode programmed into the TCU. I tried it just for fun on my old 99 OBL 4EAT and confirmed that it did nothing. On my 96 LGT 4EAT it was night and day.

 

Thanks for the insight. I turned off the Power Mode switch on our way home from an out of town trip today to see again what the difference feels like... and the overall driving experience is just worse in the 4EAT with Power Mode off, than with it engaged..

 

What I'd really like to do is swap for a '03-'04 BE/BH GT 4EAT and TCU with SportShift, and switch out the both center console shift selector and the steering wheel for a MOMO JDM steering wheel with built-in shift buttons:

http://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=26809&p