What I am doing is common, there a bunch of aftermarket Transmission controllers, all costing about 1K. SO many are doing them when running a non-stock transmission.
All I am doing it just using a 7427 AS a transmission controller.
Other wise it is just like doing a old style TPI swap into a different car or truck and I have a couple of manuals on how to do that.
I can see NO reason to run a OBDII and perhaps allow in gas wasting programing.
I truly believe the 86 to 89 SBC TPI was a special Intake system.
One that was dropped not because it did not work but for the very reasons I am so excited about them.
And one is that they make low end power or torque, which when the engine is tuned for it I believe will make great LOW RPM power which can make great MPG.
The TPI introduced performance fans to the merits of electronic fuel injection, it was TPI that launched the modern EFI performance era back in '85. Unlike previous carburetors (including the computer-controlled varieties), the TPI system offered precise metering of the fuel under all operating conditions.
Fuel efficiency and emissions were optimized by balancing fuel delivery to each individual cylinder. Unlike carbureted, TBI, and even the Cross-Fire EFI systems, TPI provided fuel injectors for each port, thereby balancing power production (and fuel usage) in each cylinder.
Even fuel delivery is difficult (if not impossible) in a typical carbureted (or TBI) application, so the air/fuel is tuned to the leanest cylinder. Unfortunately, this also means other cylinders run rich. This cylinder imbalance decreases power while increasing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.
Designed to flow air (the injectors are positioned at the base of the intake to flow fuel only into the head port), control of just air (Called a DRY Manifold) allows the designers to move the air at its best ways without the dropping out of suspension of the fuel or puddling of fuel within the manifold."
This is always a problem with any manifold handling wet air, air and fuel together. And often means what is good for the air may not be good air and fuel.
The TPI systems incorporated tuned runner lengths to optimize power production at the lower rev ranges. With long, small-diameter intake ports, the TPI system enhanced low- and mid-range torque production.
To illustrate this point, torque production from a typical L98 Vette motor exceeded horsepower production by roughly 100 lbs-ft. Rated at 250 hp, the TPI system helped the 350 pump out an amazing 350 lbs-ft of torque.
This is done by a thing called Ram Air Injection, or even better Newton’s third law: A body (Or AIR) remains in motion at a constant speed until acted upon aother force. Air flow though the tubes want to keep flowing but the valves stop this even for a second and the air behind the valve PILES up and in fact make some positive pressure JUST waiting to get into the chamber.
It is RAMED Charged.
Naturally this overabundance of mid-range torque came with a penalty. The same runners in the TPI system that were designed to enhance power production below 5000 rpm, lost efficiency rapidly thereafter. TPI motors were all about instant gratification. There was never any waiting the cam to get in its power range of Come on, just plenty of torque to get things going in a hurry.
It is often forgotten that TORQUE is really what gets your car off the line, HP helps keep it moving.
Unfortunately, the long runner lengths quickly put an end to the party.
At lease for the High RPM HP people.
They say speed is what kills MPG and sure the faster you go the more gas you use. BUT is it truly the speed OR is it the RPMs of the engine??
My testing has shown low RPMs seems to be the best for MPG, this is a time proven fact, low gears, 2:73 always make better MPG on the highway over say a 4:11.
But the market in the automotive world is always for performance which is seen as higher HP and higher RPMs.
Those aims do not really make better MPG. They make speed.
But even Ford made their own versions of the Tune Port intakes for their 4.6 which I believe is why they make so much power out of a little 4.6 281 CI engine.
And before they retuned the 4.6 from 200HP to 240HP these engines could do 30MPG at 65MPH.
The jump to 240HP lost about 4 to 5 MPG reducing the MPG to 25/26. They did it by moving the power curve upward.
2000 Ford Crown Victoria
Horsepower 200 @ 4250 RPM Torque 275 @ 3000 RPM
Performance Improved w/dual exhaust option:
2003 Ford Crown Victoria
Horsepower 224 @ 4900 RPM Torque 272 @ 4100 RPM
SO 2000 30MPG with a Torque peak of 3000RPMs
2003 25/26MPG with a Torque peak of 4100RPMs.
Also like the SBC TPI The Ford version also is limited to around 5000RPMs.
Power takes Gasoline…
I have seen this all the time: More HP and Torque comes at a higher RPMs and means less MPG.
More vooom vooom….less MPG.
More:
I REALLY began to question the MPG on a road trip in the stock 93 TBI Van, around 2018 we took a trip to Sedona AZ which is near Flagstaff, Sedona is 4,350 feet above sea level, Phoenix is 1.086 feet above sea level. This is a serious climb, as I love to go fast I was keeping up with most of the highway traffic and doing 75/80MPH and a fair amount of that was at WOT and in Third gear.
The trip is 119.3 Miles and takes 2.2 hours.
I filled up before starting and filled up in Sedona and read the MPG: 14MPG.
I was OK that as it did not seem bad for hauling a big van up these mountains at 80MPH often is 3rd gear at full throttle.
We drove around a little, had lunch which include Rattle Snake, and hiked a nice trail. And drove back DOWN to Phoenix…
And I filled the tank at the same gas station and got WTF 14MPG!!!
Downhill and no change. 14MPG???!!!
OK Here is what I think, the car companies figured…everyone KNOWS trucks, vans and SUV have never gotten good MPG. Partly as I feel they were built to run a little rich just in case they are pulling a trailer or hauling a load.
Everyone KNOWS this.
So they (Car companies) can program the newer trucks PCMs to get those same historical MPG and no one will be the wiser…
So even if car with a new fuel injection system and an over drive can get 5 to 10 MPG just with those improvements, they program these Trucks, Vans and SUVs to get the same poor MPG and tell us IT’S A TRUCK. They are bricks you cannot get good MPG.
So one fix personally, I am planning on running a 87 Camaro 165 OBDI Computer was not as programed with this MPG killer program, and with these old ECMs they can easily be reprogrammed unlike the OBDIIs.
And these already are High Way Mode ready, which is better called Lean Burn Cruise, they just need to be turned on and programed for even better MPG than stock. I am going to run this on my 93 Van. Sadly, this cannot be done on hardly any other cars.
Lastly, IF the fact it is a van then it pushing through the air IS the main and ONLY fact then how did this van get 29MPG highway???
Rich
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