Kennedy's new ECM

[DennisG01]

Just put in Kennedy's newest programming - holy cow! I had his older programming (when Wester's was actually doing it - but according to John's specs). I've only done some 0-60mph times, so far. But I did them back to back within about 15 minutes (the time it took me to drive back to my house and swap the ECM's). I did 3 runs with each ECM, same stretch of road and same starting procedure (for each set of 3 runs, my times were actually within .2 seconds of each other - not bad just for using a stopwatch!).

Old Kennedy (Wester's): 13.9 seconds average
New Kennedy (himself): 11.95 seconds average
:D:D:D

Shifts are MUCH nicer, too! Very firm, but not un-drivable.

[stingthieves]

Will the shifts be so hard as to cause damage if towing heavy?

[DaveBr]

2 seconds quicker is a huge difference. I'd be pretty happy with that kind of result. Just about time to start tinkering with the 98 as it seems to be pretty dependable.

[DennisG01]

Will the shifts be so hard as to cause damage if towing heavy?

From everything I've read and learned over the years, firmer shifts will actually be less likely to cause problems. Since everything is engaging much faster, there is less slipping... less wear and tear... less heat build-up.

Davebr: Yeah, I couldn't believe it. Plus, it's not like I was going from stock to this ECM - I already had a performance ECM.

I would suspect I can do even a faster 0-60MPH as I was only brake-standing to 1500rpm (about 3 psi). But, I was mainly interested in the comparison between the two ECM's, not so much the actual time.

Don't know if it's going to happen, but I'm going to try and get out Sunday morning to do a towing test - it's a "Pull-Off" type test that I've been doing for years whenever I make changes to the truck - same hill, same weight behind me, etc. This will be the real test.

[stingthieves]

Hope to hear more about your tow test result!

[DennisG01]

OK, here's the update. I have a 1.1 mile hill on a highway near me. 9,500lb boat behind me. I always start from a standstill, 3rd gear (not in OD), with EGT's at or just below 450*. WOT to the top. Both PSI MAX were 13psi.

OLD Kennedy ECM: Final speed = 60mph, EGT = 1090*. One problem, my copilot forgot to write down the ET (or maybe I forgot to tell her...). But, I *think* it was about 1:25.

NEW Kennedy ECM: 68 MPH, 1200 EGT, 1:13 time

EGT's running a little hotter, but I guess that is to be expected.

This new time/speed/EGT is almost exactly what my 21:1 engine would do when towing a 6,000lb boat.

I can't wait to get a better turbo on there to really see what this 18:1 is capable of.

[ronniejoe]

With more air, your EGT will come down and performance will increase.

[Kennedy]

I tried to make the shifts like a good old TH400 which is the way that they should be. A good bump/nudge but not a slam.

[6.5 Detroit Diesel]

Dyno test anytime soon? a two second drop is pretty good on the 60 run. my camaro pulls slightly under seven seconds, and is half your weight. what kinds of turbo are you thinking of? ATT?

[DennisG01]

You know, I kept meaning to do a dyno run with the old Kennedy tune but never got around to it. I guess it would be a "fun" thing to do with the new one, but without the old one to compare to it's not really of mush use. Plus, I don't know how valid it would be to compare my dyno numbers to someone else's, unless they were done on the same machine. Maybe I'll do it someday just for the heck of it.

[Diesel Don '98]

Does Kennedy do anything else with transmission control besides shift firmness?

[DennisG01]

Does Kennedy do anything else with transmission control besides shift firmness?

That's a good question. I'm not sure. I will say that it seemed like it holds gears a little longer when into the throttle with my boat... but that may just be my imagination.

Another plus: John builds in extra glow time (especially important for an 18:1). Had a 30* morning yesterday. Started up like it was 95* outside!!! I know there's other ways to do this, but it's nice to have it built-in. :)