Any downsides to using Range Device?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 560
Likes: 261
From: Magnolia TX
Any downsides to using Range Device?
I have a 2016 Z (A8) with 12,100 miles. The car has been flawless other than the “shudder” issue. My local dealer just completed the flush using the latest procedure (May 2019) and all seems well. Based on Range device independent reviews and the CF reviews, there doesn’t seem to be any downside to using it. When not being driven, the car is on the battery tender so battery drain should not be an issue. The car is still under warranty and I have the GMEPP for 4 additional years. The only downside I can see is IF it could cause warranty issues? Any insight or feedback would be appreciated.
Exception ID 10T
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 509
From: NW of Jacksonville FL
Remove it before you take it to a dealer for service, and don't mention that you have it. It does not leave a signature, so unless they see it or you tell them, they will never know you are using it. I sold mine to another forum member after I got an M7. First mod I did on the A8 that I traded in.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 952
Likes: 338
From: Cedar Rapids IA
There is a slight decrease in gas mileage if that is important to you. If I am going to be on an extended interstate trip, I will remove the range but otherwise it is plugged in except when at the dealer.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 717
From: Terrell North Carolina
Only other negative other than a slight dip in gas mileage, is if your car has a state inspection that checks for emissions, If so, you will need to take off the Range Device for about 200 miles so the computer emission monitors can re set so you can pass inspection.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,162
Likes: 338
From: Fair Oaks, California
2017 C7 of the Year Finalist
It raised hell with my Camaro.
Often put a steering fault on and would be hard to steer, quick restart would fix it for a few days.
Never plugged it in my vette
Often put a steering fault on and would be hard to steer, quick restart would fix it for a few days.
Never plugged it in my vette
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 560
Likes: 261
From: Magnolia TX
Based on what I’ve read and how well my car is performing, I think I will put the idea on the shelf. I use my Z for mainly long cruises with the NCM and our club outings. Don’t want to possibly impact the warranty either. Thanks for all the input!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 650
There's no impact to the warranty. As another poster mentioned, it leaves no trace in the factory programming and works like a charm. The AFM system causes a lot of clutching/de-clutching in the torque converter which is implicated as a factor in the shudder problem. Some guys had problems with ones bought an Amazon because they were older models that had some issues. Buy directly from Range and you'll be happy with the results.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 449
Yep there is no downside to this device if you purchase a current production model, say mid 2018 or newer (if you contact the manufacturer, they can tell you when the current model came out). There were some bugs in the older models that have all been corrected in the newer model. Do yourself a favor and do what the Lord (of war) has told you to do...buy direct from the manufacturer. Even Amazon could mistakenly peddle an older version to you. And for the guy who says he does mostly long distance driving so he doesn't really need one, he is the owner who REALLY DOES need one. The Range device simply prevents going into the cylinder deactivation mode which seems to be one of the issues that have created A8 problems...just buy the damn thing, it costs a whole $200 and is worth every penny!
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 45,383
Likes: 892
From: Texas
CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '10, '17
Hmmmmmm. Now that’s interesting. I have one on my Silverado and it failed inspection cuz it threw several emissions related codes. I thought it was because I disconnected the battery cables about a month ago to clean up the connections......wonder which one was the cause ?
Racer
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 342
Likes: 52
Bought mine a year ago from the factory. Zero issues, can sit for over 2 weeks without draining the battery (haven't had the opportunity to go beyond that). Passed emission test this year (extender plugged in) with no problem.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 528
Likes: 325
Hmmmmmm. Now that’s interesting. I have one on my Silverado and it failed inspection cuz it threw several emissions related codes. I thought it was because I disconnected the battery cables about a month ago to clean up the connections......wonder which one was the cause ?
when you disconnect the battery it re-sets all of your monitors
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 167
Likes: 23
From: Terrell, NC
I just got back from the Mass Inspection station and was rejected for Emission failures (OBD readiness readings were "NOT READY"). My battery is new last year and was on a tender all winter long. I've driven it multiple times over the last month and have intermittently used my Range Device, but not the tender for the last month. I have the Range cable with a power switch on it and when I park the car I always turn off the switch. My non running battery voltage was 12.6 and running it was 14.6, so those are perfect readings. The emissions report say's that the car went 52 miles since the codes were cleared. That's just about the exact mileage I put on the car prior to going to the inspection station this morning. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is the Range Device. So I've removed it and will put another couple hundred miles on it and then go back for a recheck. I'll update this post if everything is good. I hadn't heard about the Range causing issues like this, so I'm very curious to see if things are good after putting some miles on the car. I'll also add that the battery hasn't been disconnected since I put in the new one a year ago. So something else caused the reset.....
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 449
I just got back from the Mass Inspection station and was rejected for Emission failures (OBD readiness readings were "NOT READY"). My battery is new last year and was on a tender all winter long. I've driven it multiple times over the last month and have intermittently used my Range Device, but not the tender for the last month. I have the Range cable with a power switch on it and when I park the car I always turn off the switch. My non running battery voltage was 12.6 and running it was 14.6, so those are perfect readings. The emissions report say's that the car went 52 miles since the codes were cleared. That's just about the exact mileage I put on the car prior to going to the inspection station this morning. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is the Range Device. So I've removed it and will put another couple hundred miles on it and then go back for a recheck. I'll update this post if everything is good. I hadn't heard about the Range causing issues like this, so I'm very curious to see if things are good after putting some miles on the car. I'll also add that the battery hasn't been disconnected since I put in the new one a year ago. So something else caused the reset.....
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 167
Likes: 23
From: Terrell, NC
Read closer. I never disconnected any batteries. I removed my tender a month ago. And I flipped the power switch on the cord connecting the Range to the OBD port. My battery has been connected and never removed since the spring of 2019. So the only thing that could have done this was the Range being switched back on this morning before I went for the 52 mile drive. So yes, based on the comment from someone above, the Range appears to have caused this since nothing else has changed. And my battery is strong.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 449
bbdmac,,,,yep, your right. When I read your thread the first time, I thought you said that you disconnected the battery which would clear all the systems memories. I have a Range device (bought it in March, 2019) and it's been completely flawless since I installed it. I'm no wizard on the electrical systems in a Corvette, but it just doesn't seem likely the Range will clear all your historical codes and memories. There's been a fair amount of talk on this Range device and never once have I heard anyone say it cleared the system, like disconnecting a battery would. I guess the possible exception are a few comments I've read where the owners have said the device sucked a lot of energy out of the car's battery and they had to replace or recharge the battery. For me, at least, your story doesn't add up...not saying your not telling the whole story, just that the information does make any sense, at least to me.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 167
Likes: 23
From: Terrell, NC
I agree that it’s very strange and I never thought that the Range could do this......until I read post #4 above. I’ve been using my Range for the last three years without issues, but my inspection sticker is normally due in March/April and I’m typically just putting the car back on the road at that point. So the Range had always been disconnected all winter while the car is on the tender. It could be that I never had the Range plugged in previously before going for my inspection and emissions check. That’s the only difference between this year and previous years. So as I said before, if disconnecting it and putting a couple hundred miles on the car then allows me to pass, then I’ll be convinced that the Range definitely played a part in this. But I agree that I wouldn’t have thought of this before reading post 4 above.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 449
That's weird. I've never experienced that problem....but, in my state, you are emissions exempt if you drive the car less than 5000 miles per year. Regardless, the Range device erasing your computers memories? Tough one to buy into for me, but maybe it's true.....anybody else victim to this malady? I wonder what the Range boys would say to this....if they're listening?
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 167
Likes: 23
From: Terrell, NC
Just found this after a quick google search. This is exactly what my emissions report is saying. And this is from the Range tech support team.
The Range module doesn't affect emissions but because we take control of the AFM system, the vehicle may have an OBD2 Readiness monitor show "Not Ready" because it wasn't allowed to run (no V4 mode with the V8 module, for example).
The Range module doesn't affect emissions but because we take control of the AFM system, the vehicle may have an OBD2 Readiness monitor show "Not Ready" because it wasn't allowed to run (no V4 mode with the V8 module, for example).
Range Technology Support
After more searching there are numerous results saying the emissions check will show not ready if the Range is removed just prior to the check. So I’m now convinced that this was the issue.Last edited by bbdmac; Apr 14, 2020 at 09:04 PM. Reason: More information added
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 167
Likes: 23
From: Terrell, NC
Quick update....I put 175 miles on the car without doing anything other than remove the Range device. Then I went for an emissions check and everything was fine. So it was definitely the Range unit that caused all the “not ready” readings for emissions. So make sure you remove the unit a few hundred miles before going for an emissions check. I had forgotten all about it and the tech at the garage removed it to plug in his monitoring equipment and that caused the failure. Lesson learned......