Optishift/US Shift Trans Controller

JD3020 · May 10, 2013

Anybody ever heard of these?

Overheard somebody talking about this the other day, as they were using it on a car and liked it. I currently have the PCS and US shift tuning software open on my laptop, and they are both

I'm sure the general consensus on here is to go with a PCS as it is the more sophisticated system, but i've only seen a handful of used PCS's sell for under $700, whereas one of these is under $600 new, with the wiring harness. And it seems like i may be able to find a used one for under $500, as they sold in group buys for less than $500. And to be honest i'm only looking for a transmission controller at this point, so i'm not really interested in the other features PCS has to offer.

Here's a link to their site.
http://www.usshift.com/compare.shtml

mandkole · May 11, 2013

Im no expert, but even though it says 97, its meant for an SD's 4R100. Unless its somehow modded more, not a lot of electronic control in an e4. Best to just run what you can through the pcm. Have you talked to an experienced trans guy?

Mark Kovalsky · May 11, 2013

Not a lot of electronic control in an E4OD? Only all the shifting, pressure control, and torque converter control are electronically controlled. What else could be added?

JD3020 · May 11, 2013

mandkole said:
Im no expert, but even though it says 97, its meant for an SD's 4R100. Unless its somehow modded more, not a lot of electronic control in an e4. Best to just run what you can through the pcm. Have you talked to an experienced trans guy?

An E4 is almost identical to a 4R...

Edit: Tree'd by Mark

mandkole · May 11, 2013

Come on Mark, throw a brother a bone... lol Yes, for basic operation the E4 has controls. To getting back to JDs question, would you really get the value from a standalone on an E4?

JD3020 · May 11, 2013

I want full control of the transmission so i can make it shift exactly how i want, when it want it, plus have a manual mode for when i'm towing/on the farm/playing around.

Plus i'm tired of how everything ties into the transmission somehow. Hell the other day i was dicking with my steering column/dash and unplugged the barometric pressure sensor. This sent the transmission into a limp mode of some sorts, began locking the converter in reverse, which my truck has done since I bought it, and i don't think there is anything original left in the transmission.

But i'm currently in talks with a guy about buying a PCS, so this thread may end up being useless. LOL

TrailerHauler · May 11, 2013

An E4OD is nearly identical to a 4R100, as far as controlling one goes they might as well be the same.

The PCS is great, I would spend the extra couple hundred and get that over the optishift/ US shift. You can literally almost do anything you would like to with the transmission using the PCS stand alone unit. If I remember correctly I got my PCS from BTS for around $850.
Do yourself a favor and search around the site a little bit and do some reading through the threads regarding the PCS. You will find many more people using the PCS controller in our applications over the other you mentioned. The extra options the PCS has may not seem like something you would be interested in right now, but once you get the truck set up and driving with it, see how easy it is to navigate the software, then you might want to explore some of the added options.

For example, I went from a manual to an auto and didn't use the column shifter. So the PCS gave me the ability to put in a switch for O/D lockout and I also added a switch for a second transmission calibration. I never thought I would add a switch allowing me to use a second transmission calibration. But since my truck is mostly a tow truck and sometimes a daily driver, I wouldn't have the trans. controller without that option.

JD3020 · May 11, 2013

I know PCS is the preferred option, and AFAIK everybody on here that has a standalone controller has a PCS. But if i were to buy new i think the Optishift would be hundreds of $$'s cheaper. And the PCS has a lot of features i don't need, as right now i'm just wanting to tune/control the transmission.

Even been thinking about getting Minotaur, but that wouldn't give me manual shifting which i really want.

Addicted4 · May 11, 2013

If you know who maddog is on compd or cummins forum he is running the one in his obs with a 6.7 cummins e40d. He said its a really user friendly unit and for the price it can't be beat, it's the one I want for my swap when I get to it.

Dieselboy. · May 12, 2013

PCS.

I have manual shifting. The PCS is very simple to get online. And the add ons are endless.

I have full manual mode and the up/down shift on a cruise steering wheel. My line pressure is ran off of Boost vs TPS. I have the ECT hooked up, a toggle that can lock or unlock my TC, OD on/off button. Calib B button.
Im using the PMW to control both stages of nitrous.

And there still is more I can do.

Search my name. Im sure youll be set on the PCS. Spend the few hundred up front and never look back.

JD3020 · May 12, 2013

Addicted4 said:
If you know who maddog is on compd or cummins forum he is running the one in his obs with a 6.7 cummins e40d. He said its a really user friendly unit and for the price it can't be beat, it's the one I want for my swap when I get to it.

I always thought he had a PCS, never realized he had a Baumann controller(same as the Optishift)!

Dieselboy. said:
PCS.

I have manual shifting. The PCS is very simple to get online. And the add ons are endless.

I have full manual mode and the up/down shift on a cruise steering wheel. My line pressure is ran off of Boost vs TPS. I have the ECT hooked up, a toggle that can lock or unlock my TC, OD on/off button. Calib B button.
Im using the PMW to control both stages of nitrous.

And there still is more I can do.

Search my name. Im sure youll be set on the PCS. Spend the few hundred up front and never look back.

I've read your posts, along with Charles', and many others over the years and i know a PCS is the best one out there, but i'm not necessarily looking for all the added features. What would be nice would be if i were to make a water/meth system, and have it controlled by the PCS. But to me its not worth the extra $2-300. I've got no plans to run nitrous or anything like that. Just wanting a transmission controller.

Which with saying that, I think that the Optishift does have something similar, although i'm not 100% sure. A nice feature about it though is that it has its own small display and control, so you can mess with it without having to have a laptop with you at all times. You can actually set it up without ever touching a laptop. Obviously you can't get it that dialed in, but you can get it up and running.

JD3020 · May 12, 2013

I'm going to throw another wrench into things, as i've been thinking today.

Now considering getting Minotaur as i'd love to be able to tune my truck myself, and in theory i could get my shifts dialed in with it just fine. I obviously wouldn't have the option of manual shifting it, but I could write a tune to do whatever I want. Another thing i don't like is how it seems like a bunch of random sensors seem to have some sort of control over the trans, which a standalone controller would eliminate, but could i disable them through tuning the PCM?

907DAVE · May 12, 2013

Minotaur is cheaper and you can do almost everything you could ever want.

JD3020 · May 12, 2013

907DAVE said:
Minotaur is cheaper and you can do almost everything you could ever want.

Thats what i noticed, i've already got a chip that i could keep or sell, and the whole package is $700, so in the end i'd have $500 or less in Minotaur, which is less than any of the trans controllers. I never really considered Minotaur tillknow because i thought it was around $1k. The more i think about it, the more it seems to be the logical option for me. :shrug:

907DAVE · May 12, 2013

Keep your chip and get a burner for it, it will cost even less.

JD3020 · May 12, 2013

If i buy new i'll probably do that, although i'd have to talk to PHP and do some figuring to see which route would be the cheapest for me.

But i may have just stumbled across a real good deal for a used Minotaur package, and i may just jump on it. If i don't like it and decide to go another route, such as a PCS, i'm sure i can sell it and get my money back out of it.

TrailerHauler · May 12, 2013

907DAVE said:
Minotaur is cheaper and you can do almost everything you could ever want.

How does that software compare to the PCS software Dave? I've gotten the impression it is a little trickier to navigate, not to mention the fear of setting something up wrong and grenading my engine.

907DAVE · May 12, 2013

With the newer .rdt files everything related is grouped together, like fuel, timing, trans etc. I don't have much experience with the PCS software but it appears that Minotaur software has a fuzz more flexibility when it comes to things like shift pressures, shift timing, torque reduction, TCC%, etc, etc.

As for setting something wrong and blowing your motor, you would have to really mess something up badly to do that. I mean really.

Dan, any input?

TrailerHauler · May 13, 2013

I might have to check that out some day.

Dieselboy. · May 13, 2013

907DAVE said:
With the newer .rdt files everything related is grouped together, like fuel, timing, trans etc. I don't have much experience with the PCS software but it appears that Minotaur software has a fuzz more flexibility when it comes to things like shift pressures, shift timing, torque reduction, TCC%, etc, etc.

As for setting something wrong and blowing your motor, you would have to really mess something up badly to do that. I mean really.

Dan, any input?

My biggest gripe with te pcs is the lack of control of the TC. As far as tuning shift points I like the pcs better then the Minotaur. "simplified" if you will. But. Again I will agree with Dave. The Minotaur has more things to tweak.

Dave. Try that custom file I wrote for you

you got crowers