Comfortable driving at 30mph?

[Karst]

I'm just going to keep prodding somewhere and asking mechanics until I find the answer or simply reach multiple dead-ends.

I shall report back when there's something worth reporting.

Who the blazes designed a gearbox for a workhorse on the British roads that does not like 30mph? What is behind that?

[knobby1]

I'm just going to keep prodding somewhere and asking mechanics until I find the answer or simply reach multiple dead-ends.

I shall report back when there's something worth reporting.

Who the blazes designed a gearbox for a workhorse on the British roads that does not like 30mph? What is behind that?

The gearbox you have is common to all the FWD's, they come in only two final drive ratios, 4.23 & 4.54. Plus it wasn't "designed" just for British roads...it was designed to work all around the world. You seem to be the only one who has an issue with it though.. There's many, many people on here with the same machine and they don't appear to have the same dramas.

Lord Knobrot

[andz327]

Buy a mk7 2.2...
happily purrs along at 30mph in 4th

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[ned]

I have had a thought, you know how transit speedo are wrong (mine is about 4-5 mph higher then the actual speed) so when your speedo says 30 mph is the actual road speed 25-6 mph?

You see if my speedo say 35mph it drive fine in 4th but the actual road speed (going off the prat nav) is 30 mph.

Just a thought.

[Karst]

Ok Andz, thanks for that. When I get around to buying my next van that is a useful bit of information.

Hi Ned, well what I heard is that vehicle speedometers are purposely set showing your speed as 5% faster than you are really going. That makes sense on mine because when the speedo shows about 31-32mph I am actually doing 30. And yes, the engine still growls!

Hi Knobby, what does the ratio mean in practice? According to FordEtis it's the axle ratio, so does it have any meaning for the gearbox?
It may have been designed for the whole world, but when you consider how many are/have been on the roads in the UK it would make sense to have an engine/gearbox/axle ratio suited to 30mph. More than that, the urban speed limit in most of Europe is 50kph which is 31mph!

I heard back from the chap who did my remap (he'd been on holiday). He says he passed the info on to the file writers to see if they can get more power out of the engine.

Thanks folks

[Karst]

Hi again knobby,

I know why all the other transit drivers don't have the same drama.... How many have you seen who drive at 30mph?!

[knobby1]

Hi again knobby,

I know why all the other transit drivers don't have the same drama.... How many have you seen who drive at 30mph?!

I often drive at 50kmh...in top gear, purrs along nicely...but I don't have a FWD 2.0 5speed.

Regarding the "ratio"...this is the "final drive ratio", or basically the diff pinion & crown-wheel gears....it will decide the engine rpm at any given speed in any given gear....the higher the ratio, the higher the rpm in any given gear.
As an example...if you had a 4.23 ratio and were driving at 60mph in top gear and your rpm is say 2500rpm....then if you had a 4.54 ratio, you be doing ~3000rpm at the same speed...just an example.

In general, a higher ratio is used on vehicles which are designed to carry heavier loads, tippers, campers, recovery vehicles and Luton's often have a 5.xx diff ratio to help with load carrying. It would be very rare to see a recovery vehicle with a 3.73 diff ratio. It's much easier to change ratios on a RWD than on a FWD.

Lord Knobrot

[Karst]

Thank you Knobby.

I've got the remapping fella doing it again tomorrow with a different or updated file.

[Karst]

Thinking about it, the final drive ratio is a secondary way to cure this problem. If it is made higher, then the uncomfortable speed will only be lowered to below 30mph somewhere. The real problem is still in the gearbox, the ratios are not crossing properly over from 3rd to 4th. I don't really experience problems like this in other gears, not to say they don't exist, but if they are there I don't really drive at the speeds where they appear. I could probably do with closer ratios and a sixth gear.

[knobby1]

Thinking about it, the final drive ratio is a secondary way to cure this problem. If it is made higher, then the uncomfortable speed will only be lowered to below 30mph somewhere. The real problem is still in the gearbox, the ratios are not crossing properly over from 3rd to 4th. I don't really experience problems like this in other gears, not to say they don't exist, but if they are there I don't really drive at the speeds where they appear. I could probably do with closer ratios and a sixth gear.

It's impossible to change the ratios in your existing gearbox, different internal gears just don't exist... it is what it is. I don't think the Mk6 FWD came with a 6 speed gearbox, they do a 6 speed for the RWD TDCi 135PS though.

Lord Knobrot

[Karst]

Oh yeah, I mean I get that, I don't imagine modifying my existing gearbox. Just the next time I think I have a bit of cash to spare I would try to find out about a different gearbox.

[bambi mk 1]

This will sort your problem http://www.motorparks.co.uk/upload/ford ... omatic.jpg

[knobby1]

This will sort your problem http://www.motorparks.co.uk/upload/ford ... omatic.jpg

Aye....that it will..!

Lord Knobrot

[knobby1]

Just the next time I think I have a bit of cash to spare I would try to find out about a different gearbox.

Good luck with that....! Not sure if someone has plonked a Mk7 2.2 FWD 6speed box in a Mk6 FWD 2.0..

Lord Knobrot

[Jim Archer]

Out of intrest, what Rpm is showing at 30 in 3rd and 4th?

Jim