when i first tested the top speed of my ranger i got to 90 and it acted like i had nothing left i would mash it and it would go a little more than 3000 rpm and then drop back down to rigfht at 3000 and it would not move off of 90. now i think i am running outta gear but could possibly running into the speed limiter. now i have a 4.0 motor with an auto and 4.10 rear end and 245-75-16 tires. let me know what you think it is

 

speed limiter is 93 i beleive...

 

the save your *** feature! works wonders!

 

I think it's 90-92mph on an 01+.. My 2000 had a stock limiter of 95ish, now I believe it's 120 with the xcal2

 

so it is the top speed limiter and i am not running out of gear?

 

yes its a govenor.......get a Xcal tuner and you can "take it to the limit" or 120....i have 33's and a 3" BL on my 03 and ive hit 115-120 a couple times

Rocky

 

Yes, the vehicle speed limiter is enabled in three progressive stages and is designed to have a "soft" threshold that feels like it's running out of power.

On a V6, 1, 2, or 3 of the cylinders are progressively disabled in a round robin rotation. Timing and A/F mixture are altered to soften power further and keep the cats from overheating when the limiter is active.

You're definitely not running out of gear. All late model Rangers are 5-speeds and they are geared to achieve over 92 MPH in fourth gear.

 

i personaly like and dont like the limiter. i like it cuz it keeps me from getting a really bad ticket and i hate it cuz when im passing im looking at the other cars and dont notice my speed till i hit the limiter.

 

I had a '93 and a '97 (both 3.0 motors) with limiters on them which would allow 101 mph. My current '01 with a 4.0 engine was set from the factory for 91 mph.
and I almost sold my truck before a programmer finally became available.

One thing I noticed on mine in the past - if you have a manual transmission, when it hits the top speed limiter, it will force you to slow down because it will jerk your truck back and forth. With an automatic trans, it just hits the top speed and stays there running smoothly.
The rev limiter feels just as harsh too - it feels like someone turns the key off at wide open throttle when you hit the top rpm limit, then it turns back on in cycles.

Ford sets rev limiters and speed limiters in their initial program from the factory, but I have no idea why they chose 91 as the top speed. Mine is barely shifting out of 2nd gear at 90, and I still have 3rd, 4th, 5th and overdrive left.

 

Earlier Ford speed limiters simply turned all of the fuel injectors off at the set MPH and turned them back on when the speed dropped 2~3 MPH. That's why you got the violent jerking at limiter speed.

Newer Fords have the progressive 3-stage limiter that I described in my post above. In most situations, it is very smooth. It is used on both manual and automatic vehicles.

The speed limiter in a Ranger is set to protect the driveshaft from whipping. In past years, long wheelbase Rangers had an articulated driveshaft made up of 2 short pieces and used a center carrier bearing. Short wheelbase Rangers had a short one-piece driveshaft.

The center bearing was eliminated on later model Rangers and they now all use a single driveshaft, regardless of whether they have long or short wheelbase. Whip comes on at a lower speed with longer driveshafts, so the limiter calibration had to be changed to a lower speed.

 

Thanks for that reply too, Bob, that answers several questions. This is my 8th Ranger in the last 12 years and I was curious about how and why the factory implemented the changes.
I am trying to hook something up in mine to record a video for youtube, showing the instrument panel as I take mine on a top end speed run..LOL! The speedo ends at 120 and I have had it bottomed out past that and still climbing, so I am going to take my GPS with me and see what it will indicate too as an actual speed.

 

On that note, would it be worth it to buy the tuner first off, or will it only benefit you once you have other mods done? And if it would benefit without any mods, which tuner to get, the Rogue X, or the Bamachips Xcal2?

 

Get the tuner after your other mods; that way, they will be accounted for when your tunes are made..

 

Just a note about top speed.

I'm not sure how far back in model years this goes? But I do know that the computer stores a code when your bouncing off the speed limiter. It says something about over rev or speed. It doesn't set the CEL but when you scan the computer you'll see it.

BW: Both my 06FX4 and my 01 caddy do this.

Rich

 

These limiter codes have been around for over 10 years. Since they are numerically below P1000, they should apply to all OBDII vehicles, not just Fords.

P0219 = Engine Over Speed Condition
P0297 = Vehicle Over Speed Condition