are their any upgrades for this transmission? id like a high rpm stall converter so i can hard launch this bad boy.
anybody?
JHM has a transmission program comming out sometime this year. It will help really wake up the car.
As for the stall you can’t do too much as the transmission has the computer inside of the transmission. That regulates the stall speed. In the past a few guys tried to put in higher stall Converters but the TCU just freaked out.
That being said. In the B6 and B7 S4 the JHM tuned transmission cars with the transmission tunes are just as fast as the manual cars who can launch at any RPM they want. The JHM tuned transmission cars are still getting 1.8 and 1.7 60’.
So thats something to think about.
Is this definitive? If so, I’m psyched! The transmission has to be one of my few complaints I have about this car.
There has to be a way someone can program the TCU to accept the high rpm stall converter. I’m guessing that is what JHM is developing as you said. If so I’d buy it.
I am with GRS6, if there were one thing I would love to see upgraded, it would be the transmission. As much as the tune wakes up the motor, the trans just doesn’t seem to do the car any justice. I won’t hesitate getting TCU upgrade, can only hope it comes out soon.
I know its coming just not sure the exact date. My car changed like night and day AGAIN after the JHM transmission tune. Its a real game changer.
As far as I’ve seen you don’t need a high stall. When you look at the fact that B8 3.0T S4s with the DSG launch at 3600RPM and go low 11s and that the RS7 launches in the low 3000rpm range and they go low 10s. Even the mighty RS3s are going 8’s and they are launching in the 3600rpm range.
Take the 5.2s little brother the 4.2. The B7 S4 with the JHM supercharger launches at 3400 after the JHM TCU tune and the B7 Automatic got a better 60’ than the B7 Manual cars. This was in the case with the JHM supercharger.
What a gathered from talking to JHMs tuner was that he changes the stater speed allotment and lets the TQ converter flash at a higher rpm.
The idea is that JHM is getting the most out of the current hardware. From everything I have seen across all the Automatic cars I just don’t think these cars need an aftermarket Tq converter when JHM can control the TQ converter lock up speed stall speed and shifting characteristics.
jonathanholik, I think the short answer of resolving your question is knowing that a “high stall torque converter” would be a “TCU software setting” rather than a “physical upgrade” nowadays with Audi.
Consider that any person who says that they can help you with a physical part is probably someone who is trying to learn by using your car as a guinea pig, and that person would be helping you get into an expensive nightmare. Achieving a high stall in a modern German car is not like slapping a high stall converter in an old Cutlass.
To “install a high stall torque converter” in your Audi, you don’t install a physical part and then tell the car to accept the new part. Instead, you instruct the car’s transmission not to lock up the factory torque converter until it reaches a higher rpm than the factory lock up setting. A few years ago, I tossed around this “high stall” idea with one of the senior/elite technical members of this forum. It is possible for JHM to change the torque converter lockup rpm. I’m not sure how far they went with that possibility, so reaching out to them would be a good idea. For anybody reading this with an older A6, if I recall correctly then it is NOT possible on older A6’s, but if I recall correctly, it’s a setting that you can change beginning with the C6 generation of A6/S6 and newer.
Also consider that when you get a TCU modified for performance, then your automatic transmission might seem a little more “snappy” instead of “soft and luxurious”. If a luxury car’s TCU is being tuned for aggression, then it will wanna “snap” in and out of gears instead of “easing” in and out of gears. I can’t remember the technical specifics of why, but I think the reasoning was to preserve the friction bands in the automatic transmission. It’s a subtle difference, but you might notice a difference in the ride.
Anyways, justincredible has posted great details to demonstrate that pursuing “a high rpm stall converter” would merely be a TCU software setting that you would wanna reach out to JHM about. And yeah jonathanholik please please abandon any ideas of physical parts being swapped out
Here’s an update regarding the JHM TCU tune:
At this time, they won’t be doing any TCU tunes outside of their own facility. Sucks because I’m over 2,000 miles away, but would love the opportunity to get the TCU reworked. The reason being is that the required equipment to perform the TCU tune is costly and wouldn’t make sense financially to supply or sell them to third party shops.
Being I’m in NJ, guess I’ll never see the TCU tune. Sure wish that wasn’t the case, it sure seems the JHM TCU tune would be the perfect compliment to the rest of the JHM upgrades. Maybe just as well, it’s time for me to get some maintenance done, that seems to be the key to keeping these cars happy.
Here is something to keep in mind. I know JHM HAS A Transmission program and that they are expanding it via a built infrastructure. The RIGHT NOW are able to flash the RS5 DSG and they OFFICIALLY say they don’t have anything currently out or available for that.
For the big scoop I would email the V10 Email addy. As the general sales guys probably are not able to say anything until they have or are close to releasing something.
This is true. I actually received some PROMISING info from that exact email. I won’t spoil anything because I’ll respect JHM’s right to privacy, however it’s worth asking for details. 
Apparently, that TCU tune is LEGIT. I’m still interested in that supercharger and possibly a IM upgrade. :
If anyone is considering a JHM tune for their TCU, but you’re too far away from JHM, and, if your car is not your daily driver (if you can park it for a week or two), then you might be able to pull the TCU and ship it to JHM to get flashed. You would have to contact JHM to confirm, but I imagine that they could flash the TCU on a bench. For those that don’t know where it is inside the car, the TCU just sits under ECU as far as I know (that’s where TCU is on the A4’s), so it’s not too involved or time consuming to pull it out.
This might seem like “oh maybe maybe maybe” talk, but, I do know that JHM can do some work on an ECU without a car. I had a coil pack short out on me, which simultaneously killed my ECU. Instead of paying mad money for a factory replacement ECU, I just pulled my ECU and shipped it to JHM. Part of my ECU was dead dead, but they were still able to clone it for me. Then they copied the killed ECU over onto a used ECU. Even my immobilizer info got transferred onto new ECU. All work was done on the work bench while my car was in another country. And total including shipping back and forth was wayyy cheaper than buying a dealer replacement ECU.
So maybe a similar solution is workable for the TCU, for it being copied while it’s not in the car? Might be worth asking JHM. If they have an in-house car with a transmission that matches yours, then maybe they can clone the in-house TCU onto your TCU.
But maybe they absolutely need an OBD port to flash the TCU with. Ok, so then maybe you can ship your ECU and TCU to JHM. If they have an in-house car that matches yours, then it might be possible for JHM to swap your ECU/TCU into their in-house car, then flash your TCU, and then send your ECU/TCU back to you.
Just spit-balling ideas for a workaround since most people don’t live in Cali. Does anybody know for sure whether this is do-able or realistic with a TCU?
I emailed JHM about shipping my TCU to get programmed, and the sales rep shot the proposal down. I then asked if any east coast support would be offered in the future, and he said they had no plans in the works for that either. Super bummed. Would any other tuner in the North east be able to handle a TCU tune, similar to JHM’s?
Respectfully
SB
Send an email directly to their V10 advanced tech support email. You’ll get a completely different answer (the correct one)
In a C6 S6, the TCM is integrated with the Mechatronic unit inside the transmission.
http://audirevolution.net/addons/albums/images/211290847.jpg
Bottom line. Your not shipping anyone the TCU unit from the transmission.
IF anyone wants the lowdown on TCU flashing from the only company anyone with an actual S6 or S8 would have. Email The link
Word.
Please keep us updated on a response. Currently where I am with my build, the transmission is the weakest link and faster shifting and some form of launch control would be awesome.