I'm thinking about modding my transmission, only I don't know very much about it. I have an automatic and I'm looking for some info on the following things:

- shift kits
- tranny coolers
- torque converters

Basically... what are they, what do they do and approx. how much will they cost?

Also what would you recommend doing? This is NOT a care I drive daily, but I do drive it alot, so I don't want to do anything that will shorten the life of the car, or hurt my gas milage, etc...

Thanks!


[Modified by Bradley3, 12:49 PM 9/7/2001]

 

Ok, first off, we need to know what year your car is so we know if it is a 700R4 or a 4L60E. There is a big difference in what you can do to the two transmissions. The 4L60E can be upgraded simply with electronics, and the 700R4 has to have valve body upgrades. The simplest electronic kit runs around $150 and you plug it into the tranny connector and you pick from 3 different shift firmnesses.

You can add a tranny cooler to any auto if you want. Why not, it helps your tranny last longer. Cost on this is $50-75 or $100-150 installed.

Torque converter is going to run you from $150-1000. If you want the best, go with a Vigilante which you can get for around $700. A decent aftermarket with a higher stall (around 2600-2800) will run around $300-400. Installation on this requires removing the tranny, so you can expect about $200-300 installation. A higher stall torque converter isn't going to lock up (go mechanical) until a higher rotation speed. A higher stall will help with launching as well as gunning it (especially from a roll). Another thing to look at with a torque converter is the torque multiplication factor. Vig has the highest (i believe), and would therefore help you get more torque to the rear wheels.

If you get a higher stall converter, you are going to be creating more heat because the converter is going to be spinning more, so you will definitely want to add a tranny cooler.

Some of those prices might be a little high, but it's always better to over estimate than under.... ya got tax on that stuff too anyway.

I would also be careful doing any modifications to a tranny with more miles on it, like mine. I have 130k miles on my vette, and I'm not sure if they are all on the tranny or not, but I am not going to do any extensive upgrades to it until I rebuild it. (same with my motor unfortunately)


[Modified by Glock'94, 12:52 PM 9/7/2001]

 

Well my car is a 92

I think i'm going to go w/ a shift kit. But first let me check to be sure that I'm clear on what a shift kit does. Shift kits change the speed and location of your tranny shifts to optomize the power you get from your gears right?

Also I get the impression that these are simple installs I can take care of at home?

Thanks

 

A shift kit changes the pressure at which a shift occurs. With your Turbo700, the shift points cannot be controlled without rebuilding the transmission. A shift kit will make the car kick a lot harder, spend less time shifting, and generally slam the valve body around a little. For the most part, a shift kit is good for a transmission, but the slamming can cause failures.

Tranny coolers will make everything last longer, but before you get a cooler, a temperature guage would be a good idea...If your transmission doesn't get over 220, a cooler would be a waste of money, In my opinion, and without a higher stall TC, or racing the car, your tranny won't get hotter.

As for brands of shift kits, B&M shift kits will KILL your transmission, stay away at all costs. Trans-Go makes some nice setups and I highly recommend using their products.

 

if you want to change the shift points, you need to change the weights and springs in the trannies govenor..b&m sells a kit (this kit is ok) Stick with transgo for the shift kit, it will also fix some flaws in the tranny