Automatic transmissions ain’t what they used to be. While we like a simple, built 727 just as much as the next guy, the modern trans technology of ZF 8HP70 and 8HP90 eight-speeds such as those found behind G3 Hemis has far outpaced older, pure hydraulic designs by way of shift times, torque capacity, and gear spacing.
However, when it comes to swapping one of these 8HP variants into vintage Mopar iron, many hit a speedbump with the controls. Aftermarket support has been slow to expand over the years, but the waters have finally started to part with help from folks like FuelTech and their FT700 ECU.
Tech expert Eduardo Arcondo took the time to go through some of the intricate setup details in a recent video. While his test vehicle featured a ten-speed 10R80 automatic, most of the same principles would apply to an eight-speed 8HP that’s equipped with FuelTech’s PCB board.
Now, any tuning task can be a bit daunting; what usually helps is a wide selection of well-labeled tables, a base configuration, and a little bit of “self-learning.” FuelTech has all of that in their Vision FT software.
Settings include minimum and maximum RPMs and speeds for each gear, valve activation times, and pulse width modulation (PWM) for upshifts and downshifts. There are even tables to enable the transbrake and staging functions.
If that’s all foreign to you, you’re not alone as racers and hobbyists alike are still coming up to speed on standalone 8HPs. But, with hardware, software, and tech support from FuelTech, we’ll all be stepping through the eight speeds soon enough.
