how do you install a B&M shift improver kit? i'm talking about the kits that look like gaskets.
Do you have to disassemble the transmittions?

I have a hypertech and i've improved the shift firmness with that, is it any different?

Is it really worth it todo the shift kit?

 

hmm....i'm interested in replies

what are you hoping to accomplish with the shift kit?

 

I bought a Hypertech tuner for my C5 automatic and it was ok enough and did shift firmer but it cut out alot at wide open. I took my car to England Green for a street tune and it was a big differance. Jason and Stephen do exellant work and i highly recommend them.
They are here in Houston.

www.englandgreen.com

 

look at us houston boys only replying lol.

what I wanna know is there a difference in transmition performance if I did the shift kit

 

No need to install a trans kit, Have a tune done, It will really wake up the A4 in more ways than 1.

 

I don't know if this is the same but they showed installing an automatic shift kit on the powerblock, the took apart the fluid reservoir and replaced some small bearing size ***** and metal pins and springs, nothing big. I would bet a shift kit looks like a bunch of gaskets and a hand full of small parts.

The shift kit on powerblock changed shift points, and firmness by modifying fluid pressures in the mouse maize. Mechanical differences made on an older automatic. I don't know if those differences can be replicated by the computer in newer transmissions.

 

Oops. I guess i didn't exactly answer your question. The street tune does the same as a shift kit and you can adjust the firmness. The benefit of the street tune is
1. No need to tear into the tranny
2. You also get more hp and performance

 

There may be a few small things that could be changed in the pan to help but you can do almost everything you'd want to modify the shifting of the auto with proper programming software. Find a good tuner to set it up.

Peter

 

awesome, perfect answers guys. thank you very much

 

There's a night and day difference between doing a shift kit and playing witthe computer and its shifting habits (atleast in a mustang - i had a transgo kit in mine).

(Atleast with the transgo) there were 3 settings - the first two arn't that much better than stock, btu the 3rd....damn, it shifted unbelievably hard. I was barking the tires going into 4th gear in a basically stock auto mustang. When it snaps, it SNAPS into gear - tuning computer can't do that.

Doing gears (for faster revs) and the transgo shift kit made my auto slushbox almost as fun to drive as a manual ...... almost (but nothing can be done to replace the fun of rowing the gears).


For those saying a tune will do the same thing, I have to question if they've even done a shift kit in any auto car they've owned; and if they have, if they pussied out and left it on the easiest/street setting, or went all out to the hardest setting. Chances are not.


edit: (again, atleast with the transgo), the tranny comes apart and you have to drill holes and do a few things.....better make certain the installer is competent, or your tranny's going to be toast very quickly.

 

find a good tuner and have them remove torque managment. instant shift kit

 

i got a shift kit installed when my tranny went out. LOVE IT! have to be careful shifting into 2nd or else you get side ways plan on getting tune once i get the A&A vortech supercharger whooo

 

go with bilstein sports too for cheap susp upgrade

 

Thanks for the kudos Tom! I'm pleased that you liked the changes!

However, a transmission/engine computer tune does not equate to a mechanical shift kit. A shift kit can do far more than can be achieved through software.

Back when I was modding Grond, I installed a B&M shift kit and then took that out and installed a Transgo kit. Transmission tune was after that.

Now I'm running a RPM Level V A4, and it is night and day different from the stock A4 and much better than the homebrew B&M/Transgo I installed. RPM use the Transgo kit.

Stephen

 

I have rebuilt plenty of automatics at home and installed a few shift kits. I had a friend tell me to set up his 72 Plymouth for "full performance" shifts and he almost soiled his pants when it slammed in to second gear. I was immediately called to redo it and tone it down a bit. In the old mechanical tranny days, this was the optimum fix, but I will tell you you will QUICKLY locate the weakness in your driveline if you get crazy. I recall driving around with "spare" u-joints in my Charger back in the day. If I were you, I'd leave the tranny sealed and tune it.

 

I remember my first time I nailed it with the shift kit....in a parking lot....

It was funny driving around in lots actually - it would shift at the wrong times and I'd be barking the tires when it'd up and downshift just barely rolling around


I kinda wonder whatever happened to the car after I sold it - I mean, as you know, it SLAMS into gear. There's no way that can be good for the driveline of the car longterm.

 

So a mechanical shift kit makes for quicker and harder shifts?

Is this something thats an "on or off" or do these kits offer some sort of variability for fine-tuning?

 

incorrect.

No need to guess on the C5; there's plenty of us here that have hands-on experience with this.

And programming can do one additional thing that a shift kit can't...

disable torque management.

 

No comment about torque management (I thought that was only in C6s?), but unless you've driven a full out shift kit you can't begin to compare. When it slams into gear it SLAMS into gear. There's NO programming that will mimic that. It will harden the shifts, yes, but there's a big difference between shifts being hardened and SLAMMING into every gear.

 

will a shift kit "slam" under light throttle/acceleration?