Install and Review of Superlift Truespeed	Short Cuts
by: Stevan Gajic	Navigation Menu OutdoorWire Front Page Main Expo Center 4x4 Parts OutdoorWire Site Index Main Links Index 4x4Wire Front Page 4x4 Tech 4x4 Trails

Introduction

Once upon a time, changing a gear in your truck's tailshaft was all it would take to recalibrate your speedometer for bigger tires, deeper gears or any other modifications to the driveline. On todays modern 4x4's electronics monitor your wheels for ABS and speedometer, there is no more phyisical link. Oversized tires can affect how your truck goes, how it stops, the odometer will be off, and worst of all, you're more likely to get speeding tickets from not knowning how fast you're going. This is also true if your snow tires are a different size than your summer tires.

Fortunatley Superlift has the solution. An electronic ratio adapter, or ERA, which hooks inline between the ABS computer and the main computer. This is done to avoid affecting the ABS or RWOL, depending on which you have, but still to provide acurate information to the computer about speed and distance. Add to that the nice feature of being able to switch between 2 tire sizes if you use one size for off-road and the other for the street, or if you use one size for winter tires and another during the summer.

Installation

Begin by laying out the contents of the kit on your workbench. Make sure you have everything and understand how to hook it up and how to remove it later if nesicary Always follow the directions and if you run into trouble, the guys at Superlift will be more than happy to help figure it out. Find a place in your interior to mount the main box. You want it to be in a concealed, dry place that you can get at to adjust later. Find a hole in your firewall to run the wiring through, or drill one, and don't forget to make sure to have a gromet in there to keep from chafing through the wires.

Once you've picked out a mounting spot, attach the box with the provided velco strips. Figure out a good chasis ground location first. Run the ground wire (black), trim to fit and install the provided ring terminal. Bolt it down. Pick a heavy fuse from you block which is ignition hot and install the provided add-a-circut kit. A little plastic trimming on the fuse block will be needed. I chose the power window circut as the source because of the 40 amp fuse, the ignition hot wiring, and the lack of a constant load on that ciruct. Run the power wire (red) and cut off the excess length. Install the provided terminal and hook it up. Already half way there.

The contents of the kit include the ERA, an adjustment tool, a sticker, and a hardware bag.	This sticker is a nicety if anyone else drives your truck. Putting it behind the visor means you don't have to keep seeing it too.	The add-a-circut kit installed in the fuse block. It may take a slight amount of plastic trimming to fit it right.
Carefully select the mounting location to be out of the way but in a dry place. Also run the wires so they're out of the way.	The green and yellow wires splice inline in the ABS harnes and intercept the signal before it reaches the main computer and thereby the spedometer.

Now the fun part, run the green and yellow wires through the firewall. Unplug the ABS module harnes and remove the electrical tape holding the sheathing shut. Find the wire specified in the directions, it's diffent for different year models and vehicles. cut the wire and attach the input and output wires with the provided solder connectors. Use plenty of electrical tape and reassemble everything. Take the truck for a test drive and make sure the speedometer works. If not, check all your connections, and both the fuse with the add-a-circut and the inline fuse for the ERA Next use the chart provided to figure out how much to adjust the ERA to correct your speedometer, or if you know the percent change, 1/4 turn is 0.5% change in speed reading. Once you have the adjustment pots configured the way you want them, grab a GPS, or a friend with one, or a friend with a radar gun and take a ride to confirm your setting. If you don't own a GPS or know anyone that does, you can use your trip meter and the mile markers on the local freeway to confirm you settings. The ododmeter should turn exactly 1 mile per mile marker.