Engine RPM’s in Normal Mode

[Bigman32hockey]

We have a ‘21 Outer Banks with about 13k miles. It’s my wife’s daily driver, so I rarely drive it. However, when I do, I find that in Normal mode, the engine RPM’s go so low that the engine seems to lug unless I give it enough gas that it drops a gear and brings the revs up a bit. I said something to my wife about it and she said she never drives it in Normal for that very reason. She puts it in Sport every time she drives it. I do agree with her that when in Sport mode, it drives much better.

A) Is this normal for the 1.5L engine? Do others out there experience this?

B) Will driving it in Sport mode, where RPM’s are always higher, cause long term damage to the engine?

Thanks for the help.

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[Alistar]

We have a ‘21 Outer Banks with about 13k miles. It’s my wife’s daily driver, so I rarely drive it. However, when I do, I find that in Normal mode, the engine RPM’s go so low that the engine seems to lug unless I give it enough gas that it drops a gear and brings the revs up a bit. I said something to my wife about it and she said she never drives it in Normal for that very reason. She puts it in Sport every time she drives it. I do agree with her that when in Sport mode, it drives much better.

A) Is this normal for the 1.5L engine? Do others out there experience this?

B) Will driving it in Sport mode, where RPM’s are always higher, cause long term damage to the engine?

Thanks for the help.

I felt the same and drive it in sport mode in town (it's also deactivated the motor auto on/off thingy that I hate), it's feels way better. I wouldn't use sport mode in the highway though do to gas consumption.

 

[Mark S.]

I wouldn't use sport mode in the highway though do to gas consumption.

The mode selected won't matter on the highway because you will be cruising at a fixed RPM in the highest gear.

Sport mode is less efficient than normal around town due to changes in throttle response and upshift RPM. Sport mode delivers more power with less throttle movement and holds upshifts until the engine is at a higher RPM. This makes the car feel less sluggish. You can get the same power output in normal mode by simply stepping harder on the accelerator pedal, but the computer will still upshift at a lower RPM.

But unless you use manual mode on the transmission or otherwise keep the computer from selecting the highest gear (lowest RPM), the mode selected will not affect fuel efficiency on the highway.

 

[christopheru]

The mode selected won't matter on the highway because you will be cruising at a fixed RPM in the highest gear.

Sport mode is less efficient than normal around town due to changes in throttle response and upshift RPM. Sport mode delivers more power with less throttle movement and holds upshifts until the engine is at a higher RPM. This makes the car feel less sluggish. You can get the same power output in normal mode by simply stepping harder on the accelerator pedal, but the computer will still upshift at a lower RPM.

But unless you use manual mode on the transmission or otherwise keep the computer from selecting the highest gear (lowest RPM), the mode selected will not affect fuel efficiency on the highway.

Sort of. The car locks out 7th and 8th gear in sport mode even at higher speeds. It also remaps the throttle a bit. I have also found zero issues smacking the throttle and hitting red line in normal mode if I feel an urge to do so.


@the op - sport mode will not damage the engine.

 

[Osco]

Sort of. The car locks out 7th and 8th gear in sport mode even at higher speeds. It also remaps the throttle a bit. I have also found zero issues smacking the throttle and hitting red line in normal mode if I feel an urge to do so.


@the op - sport mode will not damage the engine.

Living in sport mode… well race car engines only last a race or two because they are in sport mode. A Indy car gets 1.8 mpg at best….
What if I change my mind and not trade in after six years, what if I choose to go for a quarter million miles ? I won’t make that in sport mode.
I drive my 1.5L in normal and even in traffic it never feels underpowered. I can be first off the light all I want.
I can pass and change lanes in traffic with no problems.
Very quick by even four cyl. Standards.
When below turbo rpm,
Say 1500 rpm I’m rolling in the 35+ mpg range. With a quick foot motion my dragon engine drops a few gears with no drama. The turbo spools up very quickly.
I like the fact that it don’t snap my neck back. :’D
I get ( on pipe) we used to call it, on turbo @ 1700 rpm’s and the eight gears gives me three gears to, ‘gitty up with’,,,,,,
Sorry I just couldn’t help myself with that one…..
,
FWIW my 2004 Escape is at 209,000 miles with an ice cold a/c and runs perfect.
Bought it four years ago for a thousand at 197,000 miles on the odo. Only spent $900 in repairs and maintenance spread over FOUR years.
It’s a keeper, it’s my winter beater, I don’t push it.
I may make my 2021 Bronco sport my beater one day and replace the Escape with the big Bronco.
Just sayin….

 

[Mark S.]

Sort of. The car locks out 7th and 8th gear in sport mode even at higher speeds.

Can you share your source for this information?

It also remaps the throttle a bit.

Yes, this is the "throttle response" I referred to. The accelerator pedal is a "power demand" control. The more you press the pedal the more power the engine delivers. Changing the throttle response means the computer interprets your power demand differently depending on the mode selected. Normal mode is standard; the computer delivers normal power for a given amount of pedal movement (power demand). In Sport mode the computer increases response to pedal movement by delivering more power earlier. For example, a pedal position that delivers, say, 25% of available power in Normal mode will deliver 40% of available power in Sport mode (these numbers are made up; I don't know the precise difference in mapping). You still get all available power with the pedal on the floor, so if you want more power in Normal mode just step harder on the accelerator.

 

[Bigman32hockey]

My issue isn’t a lack of power. I understand what Sport mode is doing. In Normal mode I find the engine RPM’s to be so low when cruising at a constant speed that it feels like the engine is lugging. Yes, I can step on the pedal for more power, but the engine still shifts at a much lower RPM than when in Sport. This is why I feel it drives better in Sport. You never get that “lugging” feel. No one else here notices the engine lugs in Normal mode?

 

[Bigridge83]

My issue isn’t a lack of power. I understand what Sport mode is doing. In Normal mode I find the engine RPM’s to be so low when cruising at a constant speed that it feels like the engine is lugging. Yes, I can step on the pedal for more power, but the engine still shifts at a much lower RPM than when in Sport. This is why I feel it drives better in Sport. You never get that “lugging” feel. No one else here notices the engine lugs in Normal mode?

Oh yeah ours lugs like a bastard in normal. I also noticed that since we’re not having to run the a/c anymore that the cyl deactivation kicks in ALOT! I don’t drive the car everyday, so it is definitely noticeable. I tried to ease around in sport mode when we were looking at Christmas lights the other night. It helped with the cylinder deactivation, but I thought it was ridiculous to be turning 3k at 15 mph just to keep it from kicking in. So I just put her back in normal and let it shudder!

 

[Mark S.]

In Normal mode I find the engine RPM’s to be so low when cruising at a constant speed that it feels like the engine is lugging. Yes, I can step on the pedal for more power, but the engine still shifts at a much lower RPM than when in Sport. This is why I feel it drives better in Sport. You never get that “lugging” feel. No one else here notices the engine lugs in Normal mode?

Yes, I mentioned this in my post:

Sport mode delivers more power with less throttle movement and holds upshifts until the engine is at a higher RPM. This makes the car feel less sluggish. You can get the same power output in normal mode by simply stepping harder on the accelerator pedal, but the computer will still upshift at a lower RPM.

If I understand you, what you mean by "lugging" is that the engine is operating at a low RPM. That's not really the definition of lugging. Lugging is attempting to accelerate while keeping the engine at a low RPM, which can cause abnormal wear on internal engine components.

Keeping the RPM low while cruising at a constant speed is exactly what you want to get the best fuel economy. What you DON'T want is to keep the engine at a low RPM when trying to accelerate. To prevent abnormal engine wear, the computer will downshift when you demand power to accelerate no matter what mode you operate in. It's just that it will downshift sooner depending on what mode you use.

In Sport mode the computer assumes you are willing to trade fuel economy for better performance. As such, it will downshift at a lower power demand (less pedal movement) and wait longer to upshift (RPM goes higher) than in Normal mode. This makes the car feel "peppier," but fuel economy suffers.

The computer will also downshift in Normal mode, but it requires a higher power demand (more pedal movement) and will upshift sooner (at lower RPM). Switch to Eco mode and the computer requires a still HIGHER power demand (more pedal) to downshift, and upshifts even sooner than in Normal mode. Eco mode trades performance (that peppy feeling) for better fuel economy.

Normal mode is meant to deliver acceptable fuel economy without sacrificing too much performance. The EPA tests the car in Normal mode, so Ford likely programmed the computer to favor fuel economy a bit over performance. If you are used to cars with more powerful engines the 1.5L EcoBoost may seem sluggish when in Normal mode. If you don't like the driving dynamics in Normal mode then stick with Sport mode. You won't hurt a thing except your fuel economy.

 

[Bigman32hockey]

Thanks for the info. I guess my use of the word “lugging” was a little off. I meant it to mean that feeling where the RPM’s are just so low that you can feel it in the drivers seat. I don’t drive the vehicle much, so it’s not a huge concern for me. I understand Ford wanting to go for best fuel economy in Normal mode, but in MY opinion, the RPM’s seem a bit low for comfortable driving. Who knows. Maybe I’m just more sensitive to that than most others here. My daily driver is a 6.6L Silverado 2500 with absolutely NO effort at fuel economy, so maybe it’s understandable. LOL. My biggest concern was whether my wife running it in Sport mode all the time was bad for it. Other than the person comparing our Bronco Sport to an Indy Car, sounds like it’s not. Thank you all.

 

[Mark S.]

My daily driver is a 6.6L Silverado 2500 with absolutely NO effort at fuel economy, so maybe it’s understandable. LOL.

Indeed. If you're used to a 6.6L, which has pretty much instantaneous torque at any RPM, then a 1.5L turbocharged engine is going to take some getting used to!

Ford lists no restrictions on the use of Sport mode in the Owner's Manual, and I can't think of any use scenario where prolonged use would be detrimental. That's assuming, of course, you're not wrapping it up to redline RPM on the regular.

 

[christopheru]

Can you share your source for this information?


Yes, this is the "throttle response" I referred to. The accelerator pedal is a "power demand" control. The more you press the pedal the more power the engine delivers. Changing the throttle response means the computer interprets your power demand differently depending on the mode selected. Normal mode is standard; the computer delivers normal power for a given amount of pedal movement (power demand). In Sport mode the computer increases response to pedal movement by delivering more power earlier. For example, a pedal position that delivers, say, 25% of available power in Normal mode will deliver 40% of available power in Sport mode (these numbers are made up; I don't know the precise difference in mapping). You still get all available power with the pedal on the floor, so if you want more power in Normal mode just step harder on the accelerator.

My source? Nope. But I think it may well have been this forum or it’s associated FB group. However, I am at a loss to explain why it revs higher at highway speed than the other modes do if it is in its highest gears. That simply wouldn’t be possible. I don’t mean sport mode’s irritating propensity to rev hang either, but rather when cruising in sport mode it revs higher than in other modes - that is it not shifting into higher gear so power can be grabbed faster without waiting for a shift.

 

[Osco]

I’ve never felt my engine lugging.
@ cruising speeds if I need to go faster I press on the accelerator,
When Running cruise control I toggle up one bump and simply gain 1 mph.
All I’ve ever felt was the computer giving me exactly what I ask for with as little fuel as possible.

 

[ZeroCool]

These must be 1.5 problems because normal is perfect in the 2.0. I don’t need sport mode it’s just fun. I use it for highway merging but honestly wouldn’t need it if it wasn’t there.

 

[Mark S.]

These must be 1.5 problems because normal is perfect in the 2.0.

I don't know that I would call it a problem. The 1.5L engine simply produces less power than the 2.0L, so it's never going to feel as peppy. OP says his daily Chevy is equipped with a 6.6L, an engine which produces 75% of its maximum torque just above idle (1000 RPM). A 1.5L four cylinder loping along at 1500 RPM is always going to feel sluggish in comparison.

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