Quote:
It is hard to imagine how combining components that no one has put any effort into developing them to work seemlessly together giving better results.
Not when you look inside a Chrysler torque converter and see how many compromises have been designed in to keep the price down. Doesn't matter how good a tune is, it has to work with that tc hardware. Until you can define engineering criteria and comparison data for "better results" on a product that hasn't shipped yet, that statement is more hope than fact at this point.
I know that the sole reason for the existence of the Suncoast tc is not market expectations for a small number of an out of production diesel SUV. There wasn't a valid business case for it. It was because a friend of the founder of SunCoast who sold tuner boxes asked him to build a better torque converter. This was in 2006. I know the CRD SunCoast tc was tested, tweaked and debugged on a power box tuned CRD, both on their in-house dyno and road use until Ron felt it was optimum. That is not exactly what I'd call no effort to make it work seamlessly. This was long before the InMotion, RC or Kerma tunes were available. This is a case of an experienced diesel transmission design shop building to handle high power levels rather than tuning around a tc design/spec limitation .
Speaking of criteria, if its smooth power delivery per unit of hp/torque over a given rpm range, then both the InMotion and RC tune are ahead of the current GDE solution in my CRD and for the InMotion on at least 2 other CRD's that I have personally driven.
If it's working around a factory F37 era tc or even stock tc without vibration, then GDE wins hands down. But downshifting around a trouble spot on a factory tc isn't what I have in mind when I think of performance enhancements. When they ship their Euro tune and 3rd rev Chryler tc, let's see some data then on what it does. But even then, they're limited by the design of the "Euro" tc hardware.
That hardware, with a price point of $200 (online price), using a plastic stator, no torrington bearings, no billet cover/clutch surface, and most likely slotted stamped fins instead of brazed just doesn't impress from a performance standpoint. Honestly, I'd rather see GDE tune on a true performance TC or resell a performance tc of their own instead of tuning down to Chrysler quality tc's. Then compare dyno results and lets see what they can do.
In my case, 2 years and thousands of miles later, power delivery is still smooth, powerful, no shudder and without tuning workarounds and downshifting, using pre F37 TCM code. I can lug up any long steep hill I wish to and that diesel just hums and climbs like a mountain goat. It rarely downshifts even at 6000 foot elevations with 700 pounds on board and driven normally. It climbs a steep 5 mile section (Black Mountain near Asheville, N.C.) effortlessly, with EGT's around 900*F, that gassers with V8's were struggling with. Semi's average about 25 mph in their own lane on that section. Yet the CRD handled it with ease. Power delivery was smooth and vibration free. It was a pleasure to drive up that range. In that light, it's hard for me to imagine using a Chrysler spec tc and a tune working around that limitation.
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