Never Normal Mode

[rxryanm]

I personally use normal mode a vast majority of the time. My Mustang is my dd and I just don't feel the need in these cold winter months to kick it up to sport mode often. And most of my driving is to/from work, when I actually have to report to the office or to the grocery right now and it's close enough that the car isn't even warmed up by the time I get back to the house. Reset the adaptations cuz I taught it a couple of rough shifts at 3-4 and 4-5 and it's been great ever since.

But I do love a little sport action with the exhaust in track mode during the warmer months.

Personally, I prefer a linear response all the time. So, I've changed my Sport/Track table to the same model as the Normal one. And here's the result:

That's some great stuff you've been posting, Vlad.

 

[ZeroTX]

Hell I might as well be driving a Ford Fairmont.

Fairmont? What year? ;)

 

[MIDLYFE]

Fairmont? What year? ;)

Bad ass.

 

[MIDLYFE]

Rain & snow mode works in the opposite way.

The commanded position is always much lower than the actual position, except at (or close to) WOT.
And here's a scan to prove it:

I like your attention to detail, Vlad. Thanks for sharing.

Not sure if you know the answer to this but I'm wondering if (on the A-10 GT) the only difference between Sport+ and Track mode is that traction control is automatically shut off when switching to Track mode.

 

[BEERCHAMP]

On my 2020 automatic GT California Special, I only use normal mode on the first start-up of the day until the car is fully warmed up. Then, I switch to Sport+.
Otherwise, the transmission is too jerky and hesitant:(
Two things I do not like about normal mode. First, it is always in too high of a gear. Second, because it is in too high of a gear, it takes away sound from the loud exhaust

I was going to post the same thing! let the A10r warmup!

 

[MidwayJ]

Speaking of the difference in the throttle sensitivity between the various modes, I ran some tests, and here are the results.

First, let's see the stock calibration again:

In Normal mode the relationship is perfectly linear. That is, the pedal output is equal to the actual pedal position.
In Sport+ and Track there's a linear relationship up to 20%, after which the pedal output increases faster than the actual pedal position.

Now, let's see how a live scan of these parameters looks.
In the graphs shown below the white line is the actual pedal position, and the green line the "commanded" pedal position (i.e. what the PCM actually takes into account when calculating how wide to open the throttle). The horizontal reference line represents 20%.

So, we notice the behaviour described in the configuration tables. In Normal mode the commanded position mirrors the actual position exactly, while in Sport+ it's a perfect match up to 20%, after which the commanded rises faster than the actual.

Track mode is identical to Sport+, which stands to reason since it uses the same configuration table.

Interesting that sport+ and track are supposedly identical. Does sport+ have different shift points than track? (Part throttle upshifts at higher RPM?) It feels more aggressive to me.

 

[larr12]

Sport or Track mode for me.

 

[BEERCHAMP]

I go to a Cars & Coffee very early every Saturday morning, I have the Quiet Exhaust set until 7:00am, I normally leave around 6:00-6:30. Its a half hour drive to the show.
Car is in Normal for most of the drive, but I always switch to Sport + right before I get there.
I haven't used Track on the street driving.

 

[ZeroTX]

I go to a Cars & Coffee very early every Saturday morning, I have the Quiet Exhaust set until 7:00am, I normally leave around 6:00-6:30. Its a half hour drive to the show.
Car is in Normal for most of the drive, but I always switch to Sport + right before I get there.
I haven't used Track on the street driving.

Wow, they have a C&C every single Saturday? :O Those interest me, except for the ridiculousness of waking up at 6:30am on a Saturday. Why can't it be Cars and Brunch?

 

[obgod3]

When I DD I always use Normal mode, I do a 80 mile round trip and enjoy cruising and getting 25MPG, weekends and fun drives are a different story. But I dont drive like a race car on the street anyway.

 

[young at heart]

I go to a Cars & Coffee very early every Saturday morning, I have the Quiet Exhaust set until 7:00am, I normally leave around 6:00-6:30. Its a half hour drive to the show.
Car is in Normal for most of the drive, but I always switch to Sport + right before I get there.
I haven't used Track on the street driving.

Give it a try, you might like it!

Makes you feel a little rebellious!

 

[Vlad Soare]

Not sure if you know the answer to this but I'm wondering if (on the A-10 GT) the only difference between Sport+ and Track mode is that traction control is automatically shut off when switching to Track mode.

Sorry, I don't know that. I'm also very curious about it, but I can't seem to figure it out based only on what I can see in the VCM Editor. I couldn't find any table that defines the behaviour of the traction control in various modes, nor anything else that depends on the drive mode. I'd love to know whether the fueling and/or timing strategy changes in Track vs. Sport+ vs. Normal, but I don't know how to figure this out. If there is anything at all, it's not obvious. Maybe someone who's more experienced than I could figure it out by scanning various fueling/airflow/spark/etc. parameters while driving in one mode or another, but I'm not there yet. I still have a lot to learn.

Interesting that sport+ and track are supposedly identical. Does sport+ have different shift points than track? (Part throttle upshifts at higher RPM?) It feels more aggressive to me.

Yes, I find that interesting too. One would think that on a race track you want as fine a throttle control as you can get. And apparently Ford think the same, seeing that they gave the GT350 and GT500 a linear throttle response in Track.
Sadly, since my car is a manual, I can't see the shift schedule tables in the editor. If I look at my wife's Kuga, which has a six-speed automatic transmission, here's what I see:

I guess you'd see something similar for an automatic Mustang. If there's a separate table for Track, then it shifts differently. If it's the same table as for Sport, then it doesn't. But I can't see it, as the editor won't show me things that don't apply to my car.

 

[MidwayJ]

Yes, I find that interesting too. One would think that on a race track you want as fine a throttle control as you can get. And apparently Ford think the same, seeing that they gave the GT350 and GT500 a linear throttle response in Track.
Sadly, since my car is a manual, I can't see the shift schedule tables in the editor. If I look at my wife's Kuga, which has a six-speed automatic transmission, here's what I see:

I guess you'd see something similar for an automatic Mustang. If there's a separate table for Track, then it shifts differently. If it's the same table as for Sport, then it doesn't. But I can't see it, as the editor won't show me things that don't apply to my car.

Well hell, why didn't you buy an A10? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Well hell, why didn't you buy an A10? Thanks for the reply.

My left leg asks me the same thing every day.

Anyway, I've found a file from a 2019 A10 Mustang on the HPtuners forum. Here's how the shift scheduling page looks:

I see nothing about Track anywhere. So, I think it's most likely that Track shares its shift schedule with another mode - the only possible candidate for this being Sport.

Caveat: what's called Sport here may not necessarily refer to the Sport+ drive mode, but it could mean the S position of the shift lever. My wife's car doesn't have drive modes, and yet it has a Sport table and shifts differently in S.

 

[MidwayJ]

My left leg asks me the same thing every day.

Anyway, I've found a file from a 2019 A10 Mustang on the HPtuners forum. Here's how the shift scheduling page looks:

I see nothing about Track anywhere. So, I think it's most likely that Track shares its shift schedule with another mode - the only possible candidate for this being Sport.

Caveat: what's called Sport here may not necessarily refer to the Sport+ drive mode, but it could mean the S position of the shift lever. My wife's car doesn't have drive modes, and yet it has a Sport table and shifts differently in S.

Hmm 4x4 and 4x4 low implies a truck rather than a Mustang.