kylenautique
I'm Awesome
ok, I will answer your questions..1. You're wasting time, money, effort, and enthusiasm converting to electric fans. Likely creating problems you wouldn't have with a properly-functioning stock fan system.
2. Removing torque management is a great way to screw-up a transmission.
3. I can't comment on the rest of the "Black Bear Tune".
4. Explain again, if fuel economy is important, what is the reason you're running lifted trucks. Seems to me that you're not in such a serious "off-road" situation that a lift is doing anything positive for you, but adds extra friction and wind-resistance, and makes life harder on the U-joints.
Electric fans are not a waste at all. They free up quite a bit of HP especially around town driving or climbing a hill when its really hot outside. Its not expensive and there is a reason lots of newer GM trucks use them. Mine are ECM controlled, and use a Trinary switch for the A/C and I'm using a stock GM fan off a 2006 tahoe. Fits perfectly, keeps the A/C cooler and it cost me $180 to install the whole thing, and it performs like GM factory.
Yes, removing 100% of torque management on a stock high mileage transmission might not be favorable, but it depends on how you drive it. My transmission has abuse mode turned off which removes TQ management from 0-2400 RPMs, then after 2400, I've left 15%, so if I have to stomp on it, it goes. No delay, but it still cuts a little timing to make the up or down shift less abrupt. I drive like a grandpa, and my 4L60e was just rebuilt and improved. Also, changing your shift points to offset different tire sizes makes a world of difference in how the rig performs.
Black Bear tunes are great. My only gripe with them is the turn around time between tunes. It was a fun process for me because I've done some tuning myself in the past with a previous truck and boats that I have converted to fuel injection. Justin is very good at what he does and all he does is GM stuff.
For fuel economy, I created this post because I'm very curious to see what people are getting with these 7.4 trucks. Yes, a lift and larger tires puts you in the wrong direction fuel economy wise, but, an ECM tune really can make a huge difference to bring it closer to stock numbers, plus the engine gets woken up. I have a lift on my truck because I go into the mountains a lot and will encounter lots of snow. Ground clearance is nice to have, and I even have the torsion bar relocators, so I actually have all the ground clearance created by the lift. I drive around on lots of beat up forest roads too, so again, the clearance is nice to have. I'm not rock crawling it, but I do go have fun with it. Its not a pavement princess.
Hopefully, that clears up things for you.