MAX TOW owners HELP....

[XJ2JTChris]

Holy smokes! I had a revelation today regarding a possible "problem" I'm currently waiting on answers from my service dept about. Aside from an annoying harmonic type of vibration at specific highway speeds, I've been complaining about very abrupt downshifts, and less than smooth upshifts while driving around. I do not beat on my cars when daily driving, so it's most noticeable when slowing to stop signs, lights, cars in my way, anytime I need to brake essentially. So anyone with the max tow package, I'm wondering if this is just poor planning on Jeep's part? My F-150 had a button to press for "tow/haul mode". This would make the trans downshift the second I pressed the brake to aid in stopping, and would adjust upshifts to rev higher for max power. The jeep doesn't have a button....so I'm wondering if the software loaded into the max tow is different than the regular sport S I test drove before ordering mine, which would explain why I didn't notice the obnoxious head jerking shifts?? Any input?

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[CarolinaGladiator]

I can't say with any degree of certainty but I noticed this in mine as well when I first got it. Especially going from 3rd to 2nd (maybe 2nd to 1st). I'm just over 2k miles now and haven't noticed it in a while now that I think of it. Maybe the adaptive transmission is just learning your driving habits?

 

[Murgatroid]

I have a max tow and can't say I've notice the same problem. I feel mine shifts smooth, I've even towed about 2000+# with it.

 

[Raven]

I share your downshifting woes but I only really notice it when I’m coming to a stop while heading down hill. There is a stretch in my town where I really notice it but not nearly enough to make me take it to the dealer

 

[Malarkey21]

I have a Rubicon, but the trans calibration seems to use the torque converter lock up (an abrupt lock up) on decel for maximum engine braking. My 2018 Ram felt the same way while on the brakes. I do believe the transmission ECU "learns" your driving style and can "slip" more or less depending on how hard you like to press the skinny pedal.

As far as the Tow/haul mode. FCA engineers say that the Gladiator will "detect" that you are towing or hauling and adjust accordingly. My best guess is they monitor engine torque demand values (and some others) and when there is continues demand for more torque then normal driving it assumes you are towing or hauling something. In my limited towing experience, it seems to work well. I have not felt like it short shifted anywhere. In comparison with my 2018 Ram, the Tow / haul mode seemed to just lock it out of 7 / 8th gear, hold shifts longer or try to cruse in the power band, and was more aggressive on decel / coasting with the cruse control on to hold speed. So far, I have noticed mostly the same things when towing in my Gladiator.

 

[WXman]

Yep, no button because it's programmed to detect a load/trailer and remap the shifts accordingly.

Since April 2018 I've been complaining about FCA's terrible transmission programming on JL/JT. They got this world-class transmission design from ZF, and then the first thing they do is have their own monkeys screw with it and ruin it. It engine brakes WAY too aggressively, it holds 2nd or 3rd way too long when under heavily throttle and then releasing throttle, it clangs harshly on the 3-2 and 2-3 shift when reapplying throttle from a slow-down, it doesn't use 1st gear when it should on hill climbs, etc. The hardware is fantastic, the software is atrocious.

I wish I knew a good aftermarket tuner who could fix FCA's programming.

 

[Malarkey21]

I wish I knew a good aftermarket tuner who could fix FCA's programming.

It will be pretty interesting to see the difference between the ZF tuned ZF 8 speed on the 3.0 and the FCA tuned ZF licensed 8 speed on the 3.6

 

[Bobzdar]

Holy smokes! I had a revelation today regarding a possible "problem" I'm currently waiting on answers from my service dept about. Aside from an annoying harmonic type of vibration at specific highway speeds, I've been complaining about very abrupt downshifts, and less than smooth upshifts while driving around. I do not beat on my cars when daily driving, so it's most noticeable when slowing to stop signs, lights, cars in my way, anytime I need to brake essentially. So anyone with the max tow package, I'm wondering if this is just poor planning on Jeep's part? My F-150 had a button to press for "tow/haul mode". This would make the trans downshift the second I pressed the brake to aid in stopping, and would adjust upshifts to rev higher for max power. The jeep doesn't have a button....so I'm wondering if the software loaded into the max tow is different than the regular sport S I test drove before ordering mine, which would explain why I didn't notice the obnoxious head jerking shifts?? Any input?

The way most Jeeps work is they automatically switch to tow/haul mode when something is plugged into the 7 pin plug.

Check to make sure your Jeep isn't part of the recall....

 

[Rokon]

The way most Jeeps work is they automatically switch to tow/haul mode when something is plugged into the 7 pin plug.

Check to make sure your Jeep isn't part of the recall....

I have yet to see any real world confirmation that making a trailer connection activates a “tow” mode.
If indeed fact, can a dummy plug be made up that when inserted into the seven pin socket accomplishes this change? Might be handy towing with a trailer using the flat pin connector....

 

[Bobzdar]

I have yet to see any real world confirmation that making a trailer connection activates a “tow” mode.
If indeed fact, can a dummy plug be made up that when inserted into the seven pin socket accomplishes this change? Might be handy towing with a trailer using the flat pin connector....

I can go and try to find the documentation, but it was one of the features of the 8 speed auto when they put it in the JGC - they removed the tow/haul button as the trans is load adaptive and when a trailer is plugged in it automatically goes into tow/haul mode and further adjusts based on the detected load on the trans so it can adapt to an empty vs. loaded trailer.

If you tow with the flat pin connector it probably still picks up that a trailer is attached, but even if it doesn't it should automatically adjust to the load within a few miles.

As to the op's question, the max tow and rubis may get a slightly different trans program, unsure, but either way the trans should adapt to the load so if there's no trailer, it should adjust and not shift like there is one.

 

[tweak89]

Max Tow Sport S owner here and I have not noticed the things you are experiencing.

 

[mfran12345]

I can't say with any degree of certainty but I noticed this in mine as well when I first got it. Especially going from 3rd to 2nd (maybe 2nd to 1st). I'm just over 2k miles now and haven't noticed it in a while now that I think of it. Maybe the adaptive transmission is just learning your driving habits?

mine was exactly the same way. I live on a hill with a stop sign at the bottom and it was bad shifting while going down when coming to the stop sign. I’m a little over 2k miles now and don’t notice it anymore.

 

[XJ2JTChris]

Interesting, it sounds like for the majority of people, this is apparently "normal" based on Jeep's dumb*ss engineers. Why eliminate the button? Stop removing the driver from the equation and everything would be fine. This burns me up so much. All they are doing with all this techy bullsh*t is making the average driver lazier and even worse off in the skill dept. LET US DRIVE!

So on another note, some of you sound like this "adaptive" junk might still be the answer. I only have a 3 mile commute to work, so I'm still just around 1,000 miles on it. Maybe another 1,000 miles and my "smart" vehicle will start shifting as it should.

Ugh. Sickening. haha. Thanks for all the replies, you're all keeping me fairly hopeful that it gets smoother. I even shifted into neutral the other day just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. It was so much nicer to be able to stop the truck without my head lurching forward as it downshifted through each gear. haha.

 

[e36racer]

It's called 'adaptation' codes in the ECU. Like stated above, the computer needs to learn your driving habits. Or at least that is what I'm willing to hang my hat on. There are so many parameters within the adaptations it may take a while. Additionally, certain requirements must need to be met for the ECU to log adaptation data. For example, on a ZF slushbox in a BMW the car has to be at operating temperature for X amount of minutes, and have been traveling for Y amount of minutes at a speed in excess of Z before the computer will even look at the adaptation info. I'm willing to bet that those above stating they don't notice it anymore, if they have the dealer clear the adaptation codes in the transmission computer the problem will come back.

If you're constantly taking short 5 mile trips through residential areas and never touching the highway (not saying you are, just an example), it will probably take forever for the computer to learn the adaptations. I think the key here is to find out what the adaptation parameters are. Then you can specifically go out and drive it to meet those parameters to expedite the learning process.

 

[XJ2JTChris]

Thanks, that definitely makes sense in words. Hopefully it's really the way it works. And it makes that much more sense that i'm still having the issue because I do in fact only have a 3 mile drive to work, on back roads. I'll have to save a weekend day every week to take some road trips to help speed this idea up. I'll post back if it starts to get better with miles. Thanks again for the ideas!

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