any difference in 2018 vs 2020 ECM/TCM calibration??

[Badgertits]

I had a 2018 w/ metal oil pan (later build I guess) that got totaled - in meantime I put bout 34k miles on it & it was essentially trouble free minus the cam phaser noise starting to occur on cold starts that didn't bother me enough to warrant bringing it in even (I'd hold gas for couple seconds on initial crank if it was REALLY cold) - had gearhead tune on it for bout 25k of those miles.

I never really had any issues w/ tranny either in stock or tuned form, it shifted lazily & skipped gears too much for my preference & held them awkwardly in some modes stock - but other than the occasional slightly rough shift/engagement when first started up & cold it was smooth - tuned was even more smooth w/ even less of any the occasional glitches.

When I brought it in for some warranty related issue (door handles freezing) I flashed to stock just b/c - and I distinctly remember thinking "this thing sucks compared to the tuned version I couldn't own an EB Raptor again w/o a tune" -

now - here's what is weird - my new 2020 I know have 1300 miles in it & lots of diffferent driving situations - highway cruising, around town, 4a, 2wd, put it in the rain & baja mode & now in deep snow etc.

what is strange is that the 2020 def felt a little "off" when brand new which I expected since it had old gas of who knows what octane & only 32 miles on it - needed to have the TCM "learn" & adjust etc. engine break in & adjust mapping as well etc. BUT - in terms of shifting seemed peppier/more responsive than my 2018 even w/ being brand new, then now as I am on my 2nd full tank of quality 93 octane fuel it is running excellent & def seems "stronger" than my 2018 did when stock running same octane. Def doesn't have that same pull @ higher speed that my 2018 did when tuned, & doesn't bang through the gears as quickly, but it seems noticeably stronger than the 2018 did all around & esp from 0-50

What gives? Both trucks on beadlocks

Now the other thing I'll say is - while the 2020 feels stonger, it has now exhibited a numbr of rough/harsh shifts that I didn't like - I'm holding out being concerned as it is still very new & adjusting, but a couple times I "felt" the very last couple downshifts coming to a brisk stop (no ABS kicker or anything just slowing down abruptly in traffic) & it def didn't feel right kinda like a shudder, I also felt the VERY hard bang type shift while in 4wd HI & sport mode today w/ TC off while driving around in snow but driving fairly normal & that was also coming to a stop - like I stopped just in between a gear shift & it slammed a 4-5 shift I think, made that classic "felt like I got rear end tapped" feel people have described

think it is still the tranny learning or is it worth taking in for a recalibration? Seems like a late build 2020 should be up to date?

Also - anyone else notice a different in feel over a 2017-2019 & 2020 or a 2018 t0 a 2019+ maybe? Truck also sounds louder too inside cabin & out, has a more aggressive tone??

 

[FordTechOne]

Not sure about power differences since they’re all rated the same, but I can tell you that the hard 4-5 shift in Sport mode is normal. There are no transmission calibration updates for 2020 models. Just remember that if you drive it aggressively, it will learn that driving style and modify shift timing and speed in response.

 

[Crunchtime2k]

Whats the MFG date of your 2020? There was a PCM / TCM update that came out in April 2020. I don't have a changelog or access to that data however. Maybe FordTechOne has access to ford internal data?

 

[FordTechOne]

Whats the MFG date of your 2020? There was a PCM / TCM update that came out in April 2020. I don't have a changelog or access to that data however. Maybe FordTechOne has access to ford internal data?

There is no service message or bulletin corresponding to a new PCM/TCM calibration released in 04/20 for 2020 models. If new software was released in IDS, it would not be related to a transmission concern.

 

[Crunchtime2k]

It is a IDS release, are you sure it does not contain any transmission strategy changes at all? Do you have access to a changelog?

 

[FordTechOne]

It is a IDS release, are you sure it does not contain any transmission strategy changes at all? Do you have access to a changelog?

It could certainly have changes, but without a corresponding service message it's unlikely that the changes will resolve any specific concern. As far as a changelog, that I do not have access to. I suppose the only way to know would be to apply the update and then re-evaluate.

 

[Crunchtime2k]

Thats why i was asking because i was able to tell a clear difference after updating , i even rolled back to the prior rom to make sure it was not in my head. slamming gears in sport mode was largely fixed in the april rom, along with some noticable warmup strategy changes it smells less rich when cold before the cats light.

 

[zombiekiller]

Thats why i was asking because i was able to tell a clear difference after updating , i even rolled back to the prior rom to make sure it was not in my head. slamming gears in sport mode was largely fixed in the april rom, along with some noticable warmup strategy changes it smells less rich when cold before the cats light.

this piques my interest. Have you ever tried manually shifting with the paddles? if so, does it shift any faster?

it would be awesome if it fixed some of the laziness. ( although I'll probably get the strangest looks from any Ford dealer if I brought my truck in for service. )

 

[FordTechOne]

Thats why i was asking because i was able to tell a clear difference after updating , i even rolled back to the prior rom to make sure it was not in my head. slamming gears in sport mode was largely fixed in the april rom, along with some noticable warmup strategy changes it smells less rich when cold before the cats light.

Interesting for sure. What hardware/software did you use to do the update?

 

[Crunchtime2k]

Forscan dev version or IDS , both will do it , forscan will allow back flashing to older roms. This is the non released dev version of forscan that support flashing.