I know that hypertech is not the hand held of choice ,but I got one cheap from my nieghbor, I have a 99 A4 vert, just have zip tie mod, I was gonna order a 160 stat ,but wanted to install program to see how it is first, my question is what is a good starting point for my shift points and what percent should I set the shift firmness, and willl the stat make that much differance(I always thouhght you make HP with heated motor,) by the way tried to e-mail hypertech ,no reply,and called and the guy on phone did not seem very bright

 

Don't waste your time calling them. In general they know nothing about specifics on different vehicles. Well with the shift points I ended up with shift firmness 100%, (don't leave it this way, just for the race), and +2 mph on 1st -2nd and 2nd-3rd. Also you will need to set the rev limiter at 6600 so you don't bounce off it. I had a 315 rear end.

 

When I was using one on my 2000, I set shift points for +2 on the 1-2 shift and +5 on the 2-3 shift. I set the rev limiter to 6300, as I hit it a couple of times at 6200. 6300 gave me absolutely no issues and I never hit it. Stock is 6200, and higher than 6300 would worry me, as that rev limiter is there to protect your valvetrain and hitting it, though startling the first time you do it, does not harm the engine, it saves it. I set shift firmness to 75% and left it there. I also optimized the fan turn-on/off points for the stock thermostat. It worked great and is very easy to use. Just remember to uninstall the tune when you take the car to a dealer, so he doesn't flash over it, and then just reinstall it when you get the car back. Also, if you sell the car, or the Hypertech, uninstall the tune so the Hypertech can then be used on another vehicle. Good luck to you, you will like it! You absolutely can't beat it if picked up for a used price, and, you can sell it if you ever move on. How sweet is that!
I just had a heads/cam/intake/injector/longtubes/LS1Edit package installed, and do not need my Hypertech any longer. I had uninstalled the tune last fall so mine is for sale in full working order (for any 2000 owner reading this ). It is like brand-new, with box, instructions, decals, et al.
Ed

 

I forgot to add I have 3.15 rear end

 

The best thing to do is follow the recommended procedure in the hypertech book for finding your shift points. I can tell by reading the post above it is going to differ for different cars. Do you have the book? If not I can email you the procedure, it basically involves a day at the track for a test and tune.

 

ttt any body else with shift point settings

 

With your set up , I'd set firmness at 25% any higher and you will have idle problems, the car will want to push at idle.+3 and +5 are good for a basically stock car.Definitely get the thermostat, these cars run best in the 175-185 range. Do not raise the rev limiter higher than 6300 until you add a stronger valve spring.6600 is asking for valve float and damaged parts, even with an auto. I manually shift for fun at least a dozen times a week and you never know when some sneaky Mustang will attempt a ricer flyby.

 

Shift firmness has nothing to do with torque converter settings. It can be set at 100% and not affect idle or creep. Increasing the shift firmness reduces much of the clutch plate slip, that was programmed into these things for softer shifts, by increasing line pressure. The result will be a firmer, quicker (due to less slip), more satisfying shift. I used to run mine at 75% all the time and never had any issues except much better shifting action.
Ed

 

 

+2, +3, +4 = bull. Example: Your engine peak HP is at 5500 RPM. If you exceed that by more than 200 RPM you're going to lose power and ET. You have to determine your settings at the strip. Your car may run faster shifting at 5500 RPM. All engines are not created equal.

 

According to stock specs the peak is at 5600 but that's not important. What is important is that even thought hp is falling off as you rev higher it is still a lot higher than it is at the considerably lower RPM you will be at when you shift to a higher gear and when you add in the mechanical advantage of the lower gear then it's easy to see that you need to maximize the use of each gear before shifting

 

I stated an example. You do it your way and I'll do it mine. I run at least once a week and up to 3 events a week and I know my car.

He has to go to the track. He'll also find out I'm right. Not seat of the pants stuff. High revs gain you nothing with a stock engine.

 

When you shift to 2nd and you lose 100+ hp to the guy in the other lane who doesn’t plus you’re in a higher gear and you can still keep up? Everything else being equal it’s not going to happen. When he does finally shift then the rate of acceleration between you will be equal again until you shift again and drop 100+ hp plus give up gear ratio while he doesn’t and you fall back even more. This isn’t conjecture it’s simple physics.

Even without the math if you had ever tried it at the track and compared ET’s you would know this.

 

Bill, I totally agree with you. I thought it was an obvious fact to everyone. Guess I thought wrong.
Ed

 

That's how you choose shift points with a hypertech. I think it goes from -6 to +6. But you use mph not rpms. Then the book recommends a procedure where you start at the bottom isolating each gear at the track to come up with your best shift points. I ended up with +2 for both of my shift points giving me the best ET. So for a hypertech that means it is shifting 2 mph faster than it would stock at WOT.

 

Thanks Gary. Like you said, you HAVE to do it at the track. My physics instructor, SFVetteman talks about losing HP. Keeping it in the power band, TORQUE is what gives you your best ET.

Most stock engines will provide ultimate ET's by shifting around 200/300 RPM beyond the rated max HP rating of the engine. The more torque you lose, the slower you go.

 

Yea you do need to go to at least one test and tune day to do the hypertech III procedure for shift points. It was worth it though. When I first bought it I decided to just set the rev limiter at 6600 and set the shifts so they would go to the highest rpm just prior to the rev limiter. Then I decided to try the test and tune procedure in the book. I added at least a tenth to my time by backing off the rpms. I think I probably shifted around 6100 rpms for my optimal time. It is a combination of not running out of HP prior to the shift and also not shifting so early that you drop to low in the rpm HP range after the shift.