manual power mode

[Chiketkd]

It was a 5spd awd '92. SubaFreak ran a 14.77 @ 92.7mph. You can view the thread here: 14.77s 1/4 mile SVX

I know your trap speed was higher, but the awd must have given him a great launch. He cut a 2.0 60' time... There's a pic of his timeslip on the second page.

-Chike

P.S. I will hopefully enter the race in the coming months for the fastest NA SVX when I put in some 4.44 gears, add an STI intake, Longass's chip and an exhaust.

Originally posted by poweredx2
Thats what I like to hear.SVX running 14s on motor is a great task ,auto tranny two thumbs up was it a manaul or automatic.I have no choice because of my height about shifting gears.

[Tiamat-red]

So, did anybody ever answer the original question?
I've been the page many time where it describes "All you need to do is wire in a cut off switch to the tcu". But WHAT WIRE???

For whatever reason my car(92 ls-l) doesn't seem to want to go into power mode when I merely mash the pedal.
I have to be going like 90 before it kicks in when floored.
I can do the stab and stomp trick. I just don't want to

I already bought the switches(for awd lock up also), I just need to know what wires to cut!

[rmjjensen]

simply cutting the tps wire to the TCU does not activate power mode ......I tried this ......the transmission severly kicked down as though I wanted brisk acceleration, but no power light activation.

I think maybe you might have to send 4.5V to the TPS wire to the TCU, then rapidly drop it to that 0.5V WOT position

That's what power mode is. Power mode puts the car in the lowest possible gear at that speed.

[Tiamat-red]

Did we ever figure out how to wire a power mode switch?
Didn't some cars come with them stock?

Or would it just be easier to pick my hand up, move it all the way over to the gear selector, grab the gear selector, and put it 3rd?
Because that seems like a lot of work...

[Bwana]

holy old thread batman

[Darren]

Hi guys,

My JDM Alcyone has a power mode button below the shifter gate which lights up on the dash full time when its switched on.

So the answer to your question is possibly!
JDM & UK (possibly Europe) have different gearboxes to you guys in the US, but if you have auto power mode I would expect it could be converted full time on a switch.

[cbx-man]

In power mode the tranny shifts @ 6K rpm. If you put the gear selector in 1st gear and leave it there it shifts to each of the next gears @ 6500 rpm redline. Has anyone done this @ the track to see if it gives better e.t.'s?

[svxcess]

Originally Posted by cbx-man

In power mode the tranny shifts @ 6K rpm. If you put the gear selector in 1st gear and leave it there it shifts to each of the next gears @ 6500 rpm redline. Has anyone done this @ the track to see if it gives better e.t.'s?

That's how Harry Newman "newsvx" runs his car at the autocrosses. Puts it in 1st and floors it. When it hits redline, it shifts into second. as he slows a little it automatically goes back to first.

This technique has served him well.
.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by Darren

Hi guys,

My JDM Alcyone has a power mode button below the shifter gate which lights up on the dash full time when its switched on.

So the answer to your question is possibly!
JDM & UK (possibly Europe) have different gearboxes to you guys in the US, but if you have auto power mode I would expect it could be converted full time on a switch.

You are partially correct here Darren[mostly correct actually ]

I tried changing my UK car, there is a long thread about it. You would expect that feeding the 0.5V wot signal to the TCU gives permanent Power mode as per Terry MacLane's prediction, but this is not the case, it drops back after a set time. It can be achieved by modulating or breaking this permanent 0.5 wot signal, somebody has done this already. Once it sees this square wave signal [0 to 0.5v alternating] it is permanently re-starting in Power mode, so it never gets to the length of time where it drops out of Power.

Darren, the centre part of the 4EAT box is the same for US and Japanese boxes. They both have the external speed sensor 2 exiting beside the diff dipstick.

The US and JDM boxes differ from each other in that the US one has the "rear assist" take-off drive at the back using an electric clutch, rather than the full-time AWD setup that is on the JDM box [and our UK ones].

Transmissions for Europe/UK and Au/Nz are fulltime AWD at the rear section, but speed sensor 2 is inside the transmission, and feeds to the TCU through the lhs loom [Americans say harness ]

The reason it has proven difficult to wire the Power mode the way Terry MacLane says is the circuitry that is hard wired in the USA transmission computer is different from that which is inside the Japanese TCU. In the JDM set-up, it merely requires grounding a pin on the TCU to activate full-time Power mode. As the signal to the same pin on the American TCU is performing a different function, this trick does not work with the US or Euro style of TCU.

Using the method in paragraph 2 above, it will definitely work. It is just not as easy as connecting two wires or grounding a pin.

Joe

[svxistentialist]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the SVX drives much, much better with Power mode on all the time. I drove my Claret car for years with it permanently on.

In Power mode it reacts to kick-down more quickly, and it holds on to gears longer if you gas it. If you drive gently, it changes up quick enough, but not as fast as Normal mode. The difference in mpg was only one or two mpg heavier from non-Power operation, depending how hard you hammered it.

It also did not dither between changes as some people suggested.

Both USA and UK cars have the TCU software set up the same for economy reasons. Power mode only activates on demand within certain parameters. When in action, it drops off when signals such as TPS drop below a certain level, or after a set length of time. Way too soon IMO.

English cars have a switch you US guys don't have I think, an Econ switch. What Econ does is it de-activates the circuit in the TCU for switching on Power mode. In Econ mode, all overtaking is leisurely, no amount of aggression will activate Power mode. The car changes gear according to the Normal rules or parameters.

Manual mode does exactly the same thing as Econ, denies Power mode, with one minor difference. Manual mode also denies use of 1st range, the car always moves away in 2.

End of lesson

Joe

[Darren]

Cheers Joe

I wasnt totally aware of the such wide ranging differences! I come across it allot with some of the parallel imports but the SVX being a small production run I would have thought for the cost alone they would have kept a 2 market standard, hense why is was why over priced at new! lol

I drive with my power on around town & virtually anything but motorway or dual carrage way. I find its so much smoother and no searching for gears.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by Darren

Cheers Joe

I wasnt totally aware of the such wide ranging differences! I come across it allot with some of the parallel imports but the SVX being a small production run I would have thought for the cost alone they would have kept a 2 market standard, hense why is was why over priced at new! lol

I drive with my power on around town & virtually anything but motorway or dual carrage way. I find its so much smoother and no searching for gears.

Actually Darren, I have to agree, I have said a number of times it is hard to figure why parts were so different between markets.

It is said, true or false, that the reason the US got the FWD rear assist style gearbox was because the rear drive could be switched off to allow the car to be tested in some states which only had 2WD single drum roller testers.

The actuality could be more commercial and mundane; the very high price they charged in the UK allowed them to include all the goodies. In the US, they were trying to keep the target price down to compete with local product. Granted, the local hardware was basic in engineering terms, still is, comparatively, but the new SVX had to be priced right to win market share from them.

Same story with the plastic lights, the lack of headlight washers, lack of remote dip beam adjustment, lack of seat heaters etc etc.

People in the US still think of the '92 SVX when new as being an expensive car. Well, put in perspective when new in England they were £38,000.

I think that equates to something over $70,000. I'm willing to bet it was not quite that expensive in the US back in '92.

I drove mine in Power mode all the time. On motorways I found it better prepared to select 3 and move along when you want to change lanes.

With Power off, it had learned that you want to drive steady, and a big push on the pedal gave leisurely acceleration in top. You could make it downshift by flooring it, but then it went berserk . So you had the option of two modes; leisurely pensioner or quarter miler berserker.

I couldn't stand that, so I left Power on all the time. It's no different than the Sports mode in BMW autos. If I had one of them, I would leave it in Sports all the time as well.

Joe

[TomsSVX]

just put your foot to the floor... Power mode only adjusts shift points, it has nothing to do with the engine

Tom

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

just put your foot to the floor... Power mode only adjusts shift points, it has nothing to do with the engine

Tom

Yes Tom, mine operates accordingly. The previous reports are confusing to say the least.