Locking out gears

[wrgrimes]

I have seen many comments regarding locking out gears on the 10 speed transmission.
I have a 2023 F-150 PowerBoost.
A few questions:
1. When do you lock out gears? Always, highway, towing?
2. Which gears? I have mostly seen 9 & 10
3. Why lock out gears? I have seen fuel economy, but I don't understand.
4. How do you lock out the gears? I can click the '-' button on the shifter and lock out gears, but after Park all 10 gears revert.
5. Lock out gears in all driving modes or selective?
I checked the manual and came up empty (probably wrong search terms). An internet search did not help much.
Thank you for the information

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[UGADawg96]

When towing, put it tow/haul mode or leave in normal. Use +/- selector to make 9 and 10 disappear. Some also lock out 8. The reason is to reduce use of the turbos. The turbos use more fuel than the engine at a higher RPM without turbos. It is only for MPGs. Although some may say to use the turbos less. I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[kevdog0710]

UGADAWG96 uses it the same way I do and for the same reasons.
There are a few annoying things that reset each time you park or turn the truck off. I have a WDH for my camper. You need to go into the settings each time you tow to turn off sway control. You remember you didn't do it pretty soon once you start driving with a camper behind you.

 

[sbi]

I always lock 5....yes, 5, when entering my neighborhood. Speed limit is 25 and with a few tiny up and down grades the stupid tranny kicks so hard when the truck slows down a bit it feels like it is actually shredding to pieces. 1 through 4 prevents it for some reason.
I read others lock 9-10 on the highway to prevent excessive up/down shifting.

 

[Natetroknot]

I did not realize the + / - button can lock out gears, thanks to the responders and thread starter!

 

[dhrandy]

1. Towing.
2. 9 & 10.
3. When on slightly rolling hills road to keep it from gear down every 2 seconds going up a small hill.
4. When in motion with buttons on stalk.
5. When in tow haul mode.

 

[wrgrimes]

When towing, put it tow/haul mode or leave in normal. Use +/- selector to make 9 and 10 disappear. Some also lock out 8. The reason is to reduce use of the turbos. The turbos use more fuel than the engine at a higher RPM without turbos. It is only for MPGs. Although some may say to use the turbos less. I'm sure others will chime in.

I have only recently changed display to monitor turbos, they have not fired up around town. I get 24mpg highway, I don’t know yet if the turbos are active.

 

[Aron]

I have only recently changed display to monitor turbos, they have not fired up around town. I get 24mpg highway, I don’t know yet if the turbos are active.

I’ve only ever seen them pressurize when I’m towing, or when I’m in Sport mode from a dead stop.

 

[UGADawg96]

I have only recently changed display to monitor turbos, they have not fired up around town. I get 24mpg highway, I don’t know yet if the turbos are active.

Put the pedal to the floor and you'll see them.

 

[DcnPat]

I’ve only ever seen them pressurize when I’m towing, or when I’m in Sport mode from a dead stop.

Try watching the guage doing 70 on a steep uphill grade (PA I-76 in the "mountains" for instance) or put some petal into it on your next freeway on ramp.

 

[Snakebitten]

I lock out 9,10 every day on my commute. (46 mile round trip)

I do it to keep the truck from cruising at low RPM. (pretending what gear I would be in if it was a manual transmission and it was ME shifting)

In Normal mode the factory shift strategy will literally attempt to cruise at an RPM as low as 1200? Like riding a 10-speed bicycle at low speed but a tall gear.

There's a long stretch on my commute where the cruising speed is 55-60. I will unlock 9th if traffic is light. But not letting the truck have it's 3rd overdrive at that pace.

I monitor a lot of what is going on in the combustion chamber. If you have a digital Boost gauge and you change the range from 0-20psi to -5<>20 psi, you now have a vacuum gauge.

So when in cruise control, you can experiment with which gear is getting you the best fuel economy and least strain, so to speak. A vacuum gauge is an old school Normally Aspirated tool for things like that.

Notice below that at only 50mph, I have to lock out 10th. It's crazy. It's already cruising at only 1300 rpms, but it WILL try to use 10th in Normal mode.
And 8th gear IS already Overdrive.

Yesterday's trip from South Houston back to rural home. Summer temps, of course

 

[sbi]

I lock out 9,10 every day on my commute. (46 mile round trip)

I do it to keep the truck from cruising at low RPM. (pretending what gear I would be in if it was a manual transmission and it was ME shifting)

In Normal mode the factory shift strategy will literally attempt to cruise at an RPM as low as 1200?

I am curious - other than having a constant up/down shifting, what's wrong with cruising in low RPM?

 

[Imtheweezel]

How do you display turbos?

 

[Snakebitten]

Have you ever driven a standard transmission vehicle? (not asked insulting)

Of course you wouldn't have the torque converter there to slip&slide when you shifted too early, but you would feel the objection of the drivetrain to your choice.

Admittedly Ford has done a fair job of tuning out much of the evidence that you are borderline lugging the motor, but it's a completely unnecessary load/strain on the drivetrain.

If they hadn't gimped the so called "Sport" mode shift strategy by disabling EV cruising, I would simply use that strategy and never have to intervene. It's far more representative of how someone would shift gears if they had a clutch!

The problem is that labeling it "Sport" is highly suggestive to the human brain, and it often influences how they drive and experience the shift strategy.

Try Sport Mode but ignore the suggestion. Drive "normal".
Sure, you have more throttle tip-in, so Ford can further market the label, but that simply means you can have a softer foot with that shift strategy.

In my opinion, Sport Mode is really the shift strategy that best represents what the 10r80 actually is. A 10-speed transmission with 3 overdrive ratios.
And it uses all 10 ratios with a great job of staying in the meat of the torque curve of the 3.5 Ecoboost. (on a Powerboost)

But because of Ford's ridiculous (my opinion) nixing EV in "Sport" mode, they dang well guaranteed that a Powerboost owner can't consider that shift strategy as normal use.

That decision was totally unnecessary. There's no legitimate reason to nix the Hybrid capabilities of the Powerboost just to market the silly name "Sport". It's just a transmission shift strategy.

 

[wrgrimes]

How do you display turbos?

Center of display scroll down to Settings
Configure Gauges
Select either Right or Left Gauge
Turbo Boost is one of the options

Snake bitten uses a plug in OBD monitor for continuous detailed info- too sophisticated for me.

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