Transmission Possibilities (What would you do?)

[comatose]

I have a 4R70W in my '99 with no problems from what I can tell, & 45K miles on it. After driving my friend's '00 Saleen I remembered how much I miss a 5-speed. Now its got me thinking about a swap.

I like the convenience of my automatic, but its not particularly great. I have firmed up the shifts with a programmer, but I still don't like how it shifts. It just doesn't feel very intuitive. I can't really use the higher RPM range unless I lean on it to keep it from shifting. Plus, the fear of destroying the overdrive band is constantly on my mind...

I talked to a guy I know who has a modified '99 who did a tranny swap who said it is not very difficult to do, and I see some good deals on transmissions out there. I don't need anything awesome like a T-56 or a TKO; I don't plan on going over 450/500HP anytime in the future.

Post your thoughts / suggestions. I need some clarity!

 

[Torinalth]

do yourself a favor and get a TKO... dont bother with a T5, t45, or god forbid the 3650... get a good, proven, strong, highly recommended tranny from the start... TKO would be lowest i go with. my 3650 is getting harder and harder to shift... synchros are going out and the forks are not too happy and dont let me in reverse without a fight.

get the TKO 500 if you want to save the extra 100 bucks... but get the TKO.

Torinakth

 

[comatose]

bump

 

[propellerhead]

If you had an Xcalibrator2, you could raise your part throttle shift points to make each gear hold longer. Mine almost sounds and feels like a manual trans. It doesn't shift till after 2500 RPM even when I'm driving easy.

 

[comatose]

bump, just trying to get a few more opinions...

 

[stangg01]

Think about how you spend most of your time driving. Be realistic. If you're in rush hour traffic a lot, shifting gets really old really fast.

Consider changing your program parameters as suggested above. It will be a lot easier and cheaper.

 

[2001sleeper]

get a programmer and a new valvebody.
it will shift harder and faster than any manual trans.

 

[GodAmGT00]

What about the possibility of re-working the valve body w/ a shift kit (i.e. manual shift vs. Auto-shift)??

I've got a manual valve body in mine, and I absolutely love it. EXTREMELY firm shifts that are instantaneous. Unfortunately, I bought the transmission like that from a private sale, so I don't know who did the work exactly, but it may be something to look into...



JT

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Keep the automatic... Get a diff torque converter or valve body or something.