SN95 Trans Thoughts?

ry94stang50 · Sep 21, 2013

Ok so now that I have my plans all sorted out for my engine, what trans should I pair my well built 347 with? I saw on latemodelresto I can get the tko trans for around 2200 $. Is that a price I should stick with? Is that what a good trans runs for? I was told to look for the tko or the t56 wich would be better for my application?
Now its strickly a street car. Will rarely see the track and if I did it would be once in a blue moon. I would probably go do some auto x style racing more and nothing even close to a compeditive level. So we will hust say its my dd. I only use it for my personal car. Like to go to work (less then 25miles each way) and to get to my second job (only a block away 1/2 mile) and a cruise here anf there. I would hardly ever really get into the throttle. So the car will be babied so I don't want a trans that is overkill. I plan on having less then 400rwhp. Or maybe even 400rwhp. N/A.
How long do you think the t5 I have now will last with the above conditions.. Its bone stock only a stage 3 clutch fromwhat I'm told

MikeH686 · Sep 21, 2013

Whats a bone stock 347?

A5literMan · Sep 21, 2013

You can also have your t-5 built up to handle the power you will be making. Astro or G-force are 2 company's that do it. The TKO is fine also. But with a 347 your stock t5 won't last long.

ry94stang50 · Sep 21, 2013

MikeH686 said:
Whats a bone stock 347?

Who said anything about a bone stock 347?

MikeH686 · Sep 21, 2013

Oh bone stock t5 is it a wc or nwc?

MikeH686 · Sep 21, 2013

Is it a 79-86 or 87-93m?

ry94stang50 · Sep 21, 2013

A5literMan said:
You can also have your t-5 built up to handle the power you will be making. Astro or G-force are 2 company's that do it. The TKO is fine also. But with a 347 your stock t5 won't last long.

I once read with the money its going to be spent to build the t5 up I might as well buy a tko, is that true? I think with all the money I'm spending on the motor I should swap the trans to iMO. Ther is thiughts about a turbo or supercharger way down the line. So j think I should upgrade when the new engine is ready to go in. But who knows about forced induction, I might not ever do it...

ry94stang50 · Sep 21, 2013

A5literMan said:
You can also have your t-5 built up to handle the power you will be making. Astro or G-force are 2 company's that do it. The TKO is fine also. But with a 347 your stock t5 won't last long.

I once read with the money its going to be spent to build the t5 up I might as well buy a tko, is that true? I think with all the money I'm spending on the motor I should swap the trans to iMO. Ther is thiughts about a turbo or supercharger way down the line. So j think I should upgrade when the new engine is ready to go in. But who knows about forced induction, I might not ever do it...

ry94stang50 · Sep 21, 2013

MikeH686 said:
Is it a 79-86 or 87-93m?

Its actually a 94.

MikeH686 · Sep 21, 2013

I have a 347 8.5 to 1 ratio pushing 370it to the wheels and im running my t5 granted im getting a tko600 but if you do that spend the extra money and have somebody work the trans tp get it to not shift like a dump truck and g5 is terrible reviews they still snap 3rd gear the a5 i havent heard them breaking third but its bound to happen its all in the construction of the case and how 3rd gear gets deflected on the shaft and starts stripping teeth or worse breaking gears

FastDriver · Sep 21, 2013

He's referring to your last line about the T5 being bone stock with a stage 3 clutch. I blew my T5 out with 330-340 RWTQ @ ~320rwhp. It lasted 2 trips to the drag strip and 15-20 pulls on the street before 3rd gear blew out and sent metal through the rest of the tranny. I was powershifting, though.

I don't have any experience with the T5 builds, but my TKO has been relatively good to me. It's been used in 2 different H/C/I 302 combos, a twin-turbo 420rwhp build for a few years, and now it's held up for 2 dyno sessions and a few street pulls behind more than 700 rwhp, even though it was the old TKO rated at 450 lbs-ft. The TKO 500 or 600 will do fine for you. So, based on my personal experience I think you are not going to break a TKO n/a.

A T56 is an even better option in my mind with smoother shifts and a lower O/D. But, it'll cost more, too. It's all in what you want. I wasn't really thinking about selling mine, but if your car ends up with Rick at the same time as mine, and I decide to go T56 Magnum (a TR6060 hard core upgrade), we might have something to consider. If and when we get to that bridge, we can chat.

I don't know current pricing. I can tell you that I bought my old TKO for $1,200 back in 2002 or so. $2,200 sounds like reasonable current pricing for the newer upgraded ones to me, though.

hoopty5.0 · Sep 21, 2013

I say for a N/A street car, a 3550 would be a good way to go, especially if you could find one with the 26 spline input shaft. I had one in a previous car and I think @jrichker runs one as well.

A5literMan · Sep 21, 2013

ry94stang50 said:
I once read with the money its going to be spent to build the t5 up I might as well buy a tko, is that true? I think with all the money I'm spending on the motor I should swap the trans to iMO. Ther is thiughts about a turbo or supercharger way down the line. So j think I should upgrade when the new engine is ready to go in. But who knows about forced induction, I might not ever do it...

You are prob better off going with the TKO 600 or t56 if you plan on making more power. N/A a properly built T5 will handle it. I personally would go TKO600. I was just pointing out the other options

reldla1996 · Sep 21, 2013

I've been running a 94 T5 behind my 369, but it's days are clearly numbered. It's been leaking fluid all over the underneath of the car, and grinds second under heavy load. Never had any issues with this same T5 behind my earlier 306. Almost done with the second season now with the 369, but only maybe 3000 miles over the past couple years (I only drive it on pretty days). Been on the dyno, and to the 1/4 mile strip several times. I plan to pick up a TKO, probably next year.

revhead347 · Sep 22, 2013

How much cam are you running in it? I would pass on building up a T5. About the only way to make it handle any power is to put straight cut gears in it, and then it whines like crazy. There is no way to stop the case from cracking, which they frequently do.

The 10 spline T56 and TKO500 are about the same strength wise. The TKO600 is a little stronger due to a slight change in gear ratio and a 26 spline input shaft comes standard. The T56 Magnum is stronger, ie bigger gears and bearings and shifts smoother. However, you can't shift it as fast, because the engagement mechanisms aren't designed for that. TTC increased the number of teeth on the engagement mechanism to make it shift smoother. Unfortunately, that also makes it shift slower, and makes it break easier.

You could also get away with an old 3550, which is what I'm using. It's not quite as good as the new TKO series due to a multi piece countershaft. I actually prefer the Multi piece countershaft, because it's a lot cheaper to change one gear than a whole countershaft every time I break one. For street driving, you will do fine with the 3550, which can be had for around $1000 used on ebay. The world changes as soon as you bolt slicks on the back. Think of your drivetrain as the rope in a tug of war. Driving around on street tires is like having 10 guys pulling on one side, and 5 on the other. With slicks, it's like 10 guys pulling on each side of the rope.

The only advantage to a T56 is the double overdrive. To really take advantage of that, you need to find one with a .50 sixth gear. A lot of people jump to getting a T56 because they just automatically assume it's the best. It really depends on your application. If you have a medium size or larger camshaft, the car is going to buck and chug so much in 6th gear at normal cruising speed that it isn't going to be usable. It's a lot more weight, and a lot more money than a TKO transmission.

I run a 3550. I bought it before the introduction of the TKO500/600. I've broken it about 3 times. It's actually fairly easy to work on when you break something. However, on street tires, I don't think you are going to have that problem. I would recommend getting a new TKO. I think for the price you are better off with having all new parts than gambling on an old transmission. On the street you can get away with a 28 spline output shaft. Don't get all wrapped up on which input shaft it comes with. A 26 spline input shaft costs $68 on ebay, and takes 10 minutes to swap out. Not only is the initial price point on the T56 higher, the price point on all the repairs are also 3 times as much. That same 26 spline input shaft for a T56 is $338.

3550 all torn apart

Kurt

GroverDill · Sep 22, 2013

I have had TKO, 3550, and T56 and of course T5

the TKO and 3550 are great units once you figure out the shifting oddities. They are tough and can be easier on your wallet.

The T56 shifts like butter, but as mentioned its spendy and with 3.27s in my car I NEVER use it so the .50 OD sounds cool in theory in reality its pretty much a waste.

madspeed · Sep 22, 2013

come on Joe, open that thing up for a top speed blast and see what that final gear will do!

GroverDill · Sep 22, 2013

lol not likely. I can honestly say I am glad I didn't have this much power when I was younger. The car would likely been wrecked and I would be dead.

revhead347 · Sep 22, 2013

GroverDill said:
I have had TKO, 3550, and T56 and of course T5

the TKO and 3550 are great units once you figure out the shifting oddities. They are tough and can be easier on your wallet.

The T56 shifts like butter, but as mentioned its spendy and with 3.27s in my car I NEVER use it so the .50 OD sounds cool in theory in reality its pretty much a waste.

I just put those fiber lined blocker rings in my 3550. It's supposed to make it shift faster. I'll let you know once the transmission breaks in.

Kurt

LarsD · Sep 22, 2013

I haven't read the other responses but I can relay my experience. I'm running about 400ish hp through my 347 with a TKO 600. It wasn't cheap (I bought it brand new from D&D), and after the first 300 miles of break in I had to pull the trans again to get it opened up because of a built flaw with the shifting mechanism that locked me out of all the gears. Fortunately I was in my driveway when it happened (the second time). When I called Tremec about it the rep knew exactly what I was talking about when I told them. They warrantied it, but it cost me a bunch of work (ie time) and $40 in Royal Purple fluid. TBH for the money I spent I was pretty annoyed, word was at the time Tremec knew about the problem and basically let the bad transmissions go out to roll the dice on who would have problems and who wouldn't. Since it broke in my driveway it was an annoyance. However previous to that it had done it briefly when I was trying to cross a major roadway. This COULD have gotten me seriously injured or worse as I couldn't grab second gear to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Fortunately it only did it for a second and I was able to muscle it into gear and get the car moving (yay for 400hp). At the time I thought it was a clutch cable adjustment that I messed up on. That was until of course I got stuck in my driveway later on for 20 minutes while I was locked out of every gear including reverse. Now, the transmission works fine. It is difficult to shift at high rpm like every other TKO, but I don't have to worry about it breaking. If you choose to get a TKO, I would HIGHLY recommend taking it to a reputable trans shop to have them go through it before you install it just to be safe.

SN95 Trans Thoughts?

Member

Mine is only two inches though.

At least it is lumpy...

Member

Mine is only two inches though.

Mine is only two inches though.

Member

Member

Member

Mine is only two inches though.

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

mechanicus terribilis

At least it is lumpy...

Member

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

GoldMember

Colonel Mustard

GoldMember

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency