SYSTEM FOR SELECTING A TRANSMISSION ECONOMY-BASED SHIFT SCHEDULE

The present invention discloses a system for selecting an economy mode shift schedule for a motor vehicle. The system includes a transmission having a torque converter and a plurality of selectable gear ranges. The system also includes a transmission control circuit that includes a control module which has the economy mode shift schedule stored therein. The transmission control circuit is configured to operably control the transmission. Also included in the system is an engine control circuit configured to control the operation of an engine which is operably coupled to the transmission. A communication link is configured to transfer information between the transmission control circuit and the engine control circuit. The control module further includes instructions stored therein for executably controlling the transmission control circuit to: calculate vehicle acceleration; determine a change in accelerator pedal position; compute a net tractive effort force of the vehicle for a current gear range of the transmission; compare the net tractive effort force to a maximum tractive effort for a desired gear range; select the economy mode shift schedule for the transmission based on the comparison; and control shifting between gear ranges of the transmission according to the economy mode shift schedule.