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2013 Chevrolet Suburban
Platform: GMT 400, 800, 900

AFM disable by Range

Old January 30th, 2015, 8:50 AM
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I have had it installed for the past week, MPG impact seems to be minimal at this time as I am still on the same tank of gas.. IF I were to throw a number out there based on what I see in the DIC, maybe .5 of a mile per gallon...

It really does keep the engine in full 8 mode. It has LED lights that cast a blue glow onto the floor, the lights change with various functions so the slight flicker of light at night is somewhat distracting, but that can be remedied with electrical tape

I am about to do an oil change here within the next couple of weeks as I am at 50%, Blackstone labs recommended I try a shorter oil change cycle from the OLMS system for my second oil evaluation, this is another story but I'll be able to better track any consumption in the coming miles after this change.
Old January 30th, 2015, 10:01 AM
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wait, so you have to leave it plugged in all the time?

When I used a tuner gizmo to adjust my speedometer on my wrangler (when I went from 32" tires to 35")... I don't have to leave it plugged in.

I programmed the Jeep, then that's it.

I also turned on the DRLs which aren't on in the US, but are in Canada.
Old January 31st, 2015, 10:16 PM
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Yup, just plug it in and forget about it. Its not a traditional tuner, which makes changes to the programming of the onboard computer. Rather it temporarily overrides the programming while the truck is running, so that if you pulled the unit out of the OBD connector, there is no evidence that you had disabled it ... somewhat useful for those concerned about warranty.

I have used the Range unit now for about 6 months, started due to oil consumption issues (2007 Yukon XL, bought new in Aug 2006). In conjunction with a few other things I did (without cracking open the engine), oil consumption has essentially stopped. I was using up to about a quart every 1000 miles or so, so I had to do something, and I was out of warranty.

I too noticed little difference in fuel economy. I did a road trip from MI to FL last summer before the range unit was installed and got 18.6mpg average down and back with a pretty well loaded XL. Later last summer I did a road trip from MI to Newfoundland, with the range installed, towed my motorcycle on a trailer, and got 17 mpg.

Benefits I saw were improved throttle response (no more laziness), and much better engine braking (mine is a 4 speed with the 4.10 rear end).

The range has been in my truck since I started my oil consumption experiment, and wont be coming out any time soon. I highly recommend, especially for those that have AFM related oil consumption issues.
Old February 1st, 2015, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by vgreid
Benefits I saw were improved throttle response (no more laziness), and much better engine braking (mine is a 4 speed with the 4.10 rear end).
I have to agree, it does feel a bit more responsive... good point on the engine braking, you kinda loose that feature when the AFM is active...
Old February 9th, 2015, 1:46 PM
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Ordered the same unit and it's been in the Tahoe for about a week. So far it does what it says, keeps it in 8 cylinder mode all the time. Engine braking is an added bonus also as was brought up earlier. MPG doesn't seem to be affected that bad so far. I drive 22 miles one way. It doesn't get what it was but so far the oil level hasn't moved. Performance wise, it feels the same. They claim it gets rid of the hesitatation but I can't tell a difference so far.

It gets an oil change this week and I'll clean the air filter and see what it does.
Not sure if this is related but, the Cruise Control stopped working today?
Old February 9th, 2015, 2:08 PM
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Originally Posted by magician
Ordered the same unit and it's been in the Tahoe for about a week. So far it does what it says, keeps it in 8 cylinder mode all the time. Engine braking is an added bonus also as was brought up earlier. MPG doesn't seem to be affected that bad so far. I drive 22 miles one way. It doesn't get what it was but so far the oil level hasn't moved. Performance wise, it feels the same. They claim it gets rid of the hesitatation but I can't tell a difference so far.

It gets an oil change this week and I'll clean the air filter and see what it does.
Not sure if this is related but, the Cruise Control stopped working today?


Going on about 2 weeks with my Range, just changed the oil this weekend so will monitor level... I am seeing some decrease in MPG, but that is expected as the AFM was designed to improve the mpg, and disabling it is going to remove those benefits, but if I can get longer engine life out of the deal then its a win...
Old February 9th, 2015, 5:48 PM
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Originally Posted by magician
Ordered the same unit and it's been in the Tahoe for about a week. So far it does what it says, keeps it in 8 cylinder mode all the time. Engine braking is an added bonus also as was brought up earlier. MPG doesn't seem to be affected that bad so far. I drive 22 miles one way. It doesn't get what it was but so far the oil level hasn't moved. Performance wise, it feels the same. They claim it gets rid of the hesitatation but I can't tell a difference so far.

It gets an oil change this week and I'll clean the air filter and see what it does.
Not sure if this is related but, the Cruise Control stopped working today?
If I understand "hesitation", what I found was that there would be a lazy response to throttle, particularly on the highway when in v4 mode. Typically, it always felt like it wouldn't hold speed in V4, and accelerating would wait until it cut back to 8 cyl mode. The Range solves that problem, at least for me, as all 8 cyl are running.

For Cruise, you can unplug the Range and see if that's it. My cruise conked out one time and it was the brake switch on the pedal that failed. $20 later, an easy swap, and back in business.
Old February 10th, 2015, 7:12 AM
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interesting.

Shame they can't offer it factory.

just a "disable V4 more" in the DIC somewhere.

then they can claim the improved MPG for the EPA/sale, but owners can just shut if off if they don't want it.

Actually, it would be pretty pimp if the Lock Pick offered this option... it already integrates with the DIC.
Old February 10th, 2015, 4:45 PM
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Originally Posted by vgreid
If I understand "hesitation", what I found was that there would be a lazy response to throttle, particularly on the highway when in v4 mode. Typically, it always felt like it wouldn't hold speed in V4, and accelerating would wait until it cut back to 8 cyl mode. The Range solves that problem, at least for me, as all 8 cyl are running.

For Cruise, you can unplug the Range and see if that's it. My cruise conked out one time and it was the brake switch on the pedal that failed. $20 later, an easy swap, and back in business.
Pretty much the same thing however my tahoe still has some degree of hesitation when it's been steady cruising for a bit. I've used HP Tuner software and played around with some of the spark tables as well as extended the duration the DOD would stay in 4 cylinder mode. This was an attempt to get better mileage at the time since I was traveling frequently. I think the truck still has some degree of hesitation but I will admit that since it's no longer going into 4 cylinder mode it is more responsive. I think there is a TSB out there that addresses this issue also? Not sure if my truck ever had that done?

I don't know if it's a good thing paying to much attention to what my tahoe does since its been tuned and has aftermarket exhaust and intake. Those things may skew results some? I do agree with others here, if it prolongs the life of the engine that has to be a good thing.

It goes without saying that the Range device however, does what they claim.

Also, I had to tape over the blue LEDs on it. The blue glow on the floor was just to distracting to me.

Still messing with the Cruise Control.
Old February 11th, 2015, 4:57 PM
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Unplugged the Range unit and cruise control started working again. Will plug it back in for the ride in tomorrow and see what happens?

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