joe3906

I'm thinking of installing a B & M or Transgo shift kit when I swap my 2:59 for 3:54 gears. The Transmission guy adviced me to go with B & M instead of Transgo. I was kinda of leaning towards Transgo, but I really don't know. Opinions please. Also, the cost for a Transgo is significantly higher than for a B & M, is the quality the same? Thanks in advance.

Joe B.

Pete K

The way is has been explained to me the transgo kit reprograms the trans. It is much more complicated to do compared to the b&m. The b&m kit makes the shifts hard by fixing the accumulator pistons in a locked position. The valve body receives 2 mods that contribute to the hard shift. This kit is easy to install and easy to remove if you choose to. I have installed more than 10 b&m kits in the non electronic 4l60's. The transgo kit requires drilling holes in the worm track(among other things) making this kit a permanent part of the tranny.

mikenfl

No , go with B&M. You won't be sorry with the results.

Pete K

If memory serves, the transgo kit also comes with a new corvette servo. You obviously do not need this as you have one already. Servo is worth 20-25 clams. I agree, b&m (to me) is the way to go.

joe3906

Thanks guys. I'll be ordering my B & M kit this week.

Joe B.

chriswtx

I did a Transgo kit in a customer's C5. It is by far a better quality system than the B&M....

cprgmr

Trans-Go is the way to go (no, I'm not a poet)!

darkman5001

I also went with the TransGo kit. It was not all that easy, as I don't have much automatic transmission experience. But I finally got it finished, and I LOVE the results. TransGo is the way to go. It also is much better quality. I also did my research on this (do a search for transgo shift kit.) Also, TransGo is supposed to increase durability. There are also other things you might want to consider upgrading, such as your boost valve, and int/rev boost valve. You have to be careful with the way that you increase the firmness of your shifts. You want it to work without your transmission breaking on you. My recommendation is: Get a TransGo reprogramming kit, a .500 boost valve, and a large int/rev boost valve (I went with a .283 int/rev boost valve.) The boost valves are VERY easy to install. Also, I went with the high performance billet aluminum servos. The new billet 2-4 servo has 35% more apply power than the Corvette Servo, and the 4th gear servo has 40% more apply power. I can supply pics if you like of all the instructions, of the boost valves, new billet servos, and my valve body while I was doing the install. I also went with a deeper transmission oil pan, 2 quarts deeper. This helps to make sure that there is plenty of transmission fluid for the extra transmission oil pressure, and also helps keep transmission run cooler. I hope this info helps you out. Email me if you have any questions.

joe3906

I hate to ask the price for all including parts. I just wanted a bit more firmer shift, and when I spoke with the manager of Dr. Nicks (transmission specialist in NY) he stated that B & M was around longer, and easier to install.

Joe B.

85blkrose

our electronics tech at work just put the b&m kit in his car and said if he had it to all over again he would opt for the transgo. b&m wasnt wasnt he was lookin for. he wanted manual shift as well as the shift firmness changed. b&m doesnt do this

tjwong

Trans-go is the way to go. They were the inventor of the shift kits, long before B&M was around. Not to mention the excellent customer tech support if god forbid that you need it. You can actually speak to someone that knows the product and can give you an accurate diagnosis over the phone and 9 times out of 10 pinpoint where you messed up in your installation. Beleive me I know, because I had to call them twice on a 4L80E kit. The guy knew exactly what was wrong. Try calling B&M to get some help, good luck!

drumboytroy

I asked my transmission mechanic which one he prefered and after 20+ years of installing shift kits he said Transgo was the choice of most mechanics. I did some research and this seemed to be true. So I paid him $125 to install the Transgo. It's awsome. It is harder to install but is worth it. You have a choice of auto shifting, manual shifting, and a few degrees of firmness to choose from. I chose a hard shift but not the hardest. They can be set up to really bang hard if that's what you want. The B&M is eaisier and less expensive but it's not the shift kit the Transgo is.

darkman5001

You can get the TransGo reprogramming kit for around $80. But you will need to get the boost valves seperately. Maybe $20-30 for the two valves, but well worth it. It depends on what you want to get out of it, and how far you are willing to go. Transgo is more difficult to install, but that is because there are more parts included and involved. You get what you pay for, so if cheap is what you are looking for, then B&M is the way to go. But you want duribility along with a firm shift.

lite blue

Transgo

joe3906

What to do, what to do???

metropolis

I put the TransGo kit in my '93Lt1 Z, it came with an installation video, which helped a lot.

Kwik88

Transgo. Deal with Dana from ProBuilt. Start out with a nice clean area and take your time. It really is not all that bad.

MR.KIDD

PBA

The Trans-Go offers smoother part throttle shifts, along with firm WOT shifts, when setup & modified correctly. The B&M works for very few people, and is rarely if at all by recommended by any top notch transmission builder. Trans-Go has always worked with the accumulation system, where B&M has not. Working with accumulation will give you smooth part throttle shifts, and progressively firmer shifts with more throttle. You can not do this by blocking the accumulator, in the vast majority of cases. I have been building performance units going on 28 years, and have used Trans-Go products & their tech information from the very beginning, with "much success".

ben73

The Transgo kit address some problems with the trans to increase its lifespan and give nicer shifts at the same time. The B+M kit merely blocks accumulators to give hard shifts.. Anyone who knows anything about these transmissions wouldn't touch a B+M.
Like someone else said, deal with Dana at ProBuilt, he is the expert and will guide you if you have trouble. Ask his opinion of Transgo and let us all know what he says

You'll find him here www.700r4l60e.com