th350 vs 4l60 (bad raps)
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From: Chicago/Crown point
th350 vs 4l60 (bad raps) y is it that i hear all this bad crap about the 350 being put behind a lt1 with all bolt ons and spray..that it will dyno less and even be slower in e.t at the track, be crappier off the line even...what the hell is this crap is this true or not..people change over to 350 to supposedly be better and have better launch more consinstency and sometimes even cheaper...so with a stock 3.23 gear the 4l60 trans will be better in 1st gear than the th350 with a 3400+stall that will even need a 3.73 to be close to the 4l60....
so can anyone tell me why this is to be...is this true or not.
is the th350 a worse off trans to put in on a cam/spray car minus the gas mileage but who cares and its not an everyday driver.
so can anyone tell me why this is to be...is this true or not.
is the th350 a worse off trans to put in on a cam/spray car minus the gas mileage but who cares and its not an everyday driver.
4L60E has a higher ratio first gear, which is where
the off-the-line remarks probably come from. The
"big boys" (TH400 and 4L80E) have lower numerical
ratios than 4L60E as well.
But if you're burning all the way through first, that
steeper first gear helps you none.
I'll keep the overdrive though.
the off-the-line remarks probably come from. The
"big boys" (TH400 and 4L80E) have lower numerical
ratios than 4L60E as well.
But if you're burning all the way through first, that
steeper first gear helps you none.
I'll keep the overdrive though.
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From: Chicago/Crown point
ok but why do peeps say to stay away from the th350 when others say its great...for power and track times,more consistent and just all out better for a racecar (i guess track only not really street drivin)
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From: Chicago/Crown point
yeah but im not talking about the th400
im talking about the th350 compared the 4l60e trans
so with a cam/spray non streetcar will a th350 be better in all aspects than the 4l60e?
im talking about the th350 compared the 4l60e trans
so with a cam/spray non streetcar will a th350 be better in all aspects than the 4l60e?
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Launching!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 284
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From: Michigan
TH350 gear ratios are 2.52,1.52,1.00
Think about what happens when shifting from 1st to 2nd
Last edited by Michigan Skip; Dec 2, 2008 at 12:30 PM.
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From what i can tell with the :
4L60E shifting from 1st. to 2nd. to 3rd. you will have a slight nose dive threw the shifts
TH350 shifting from 1st. to 2nd. to 3rd. you will have a more equal transition throw all gears
to me with nitrous i would rather have the TH350, Dont want to have to much rpm drop thew the gears. This can cause back fires. Not saying it will but you would have a better chance with the 4L60E ,because of the wide range in the gear ratio
4L60E shifting from 1st. to 2nd. to 3rd. you will have a slight nose dive threw the shifts
TH350 shifting from 1st. to 2nd. to 3rd. you will have a more equal transition throw all gears
to me with nitrous i would rather have the TH350, Dont want to have to much rpm drop thew the gears. This can cause back fires. Not saying it will but you would have a better chance with the 4L60E ,because of the wide range in the gear ratio
Last edited by Randy WS6; Dec 4, 2008 at 03:06 PM.
1-2 is a pretty wide ratio, without a higher stall
speed converter you might fall back to 3500RPM
after the shift. But figure if somebody's going to
all the trouble, a stock converter is probably not
part of the plan.
With my 3500 it just screams along at 5000RPM
'til the tailshaft RPMs catch up.
speed converter you might fall back to 3500RPM
after the shift. But figure if somebody's going to
all the trouble, a stock converter is probably not
part of the plan.
With my 3500 it just screams along at 5000RPM
'til the tailshaft RPMs catch up.
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Joe's Randomass Transmission shop would probably have better luck building a TH350 to hold power because they're a much simpler build. The reason why 4L60E's have such a bad wrap is most people don't know how to build them up. It takes R&D, skill and lots of time and effort, so a lot of "builders" screw them up horribly and users go through a whole bunch of 4L60E's. That makes the trans look bad when it is in fact the builder that is simply too inexperienced with a much more complicated transmission. Because a TH350 is so much easier to build, there will be less builder errors, resulting in a much better reputation, even though that reputation isn't necessarily deserved.
I'll take a 4L60E FROM AN EXPERIENCED BUILDER SPECIALIZING IN 4L60E's ANYDAY over a TH350. The sponsors on this forum have plenty of 4L60E's in the 10's and even 9's because they actually know how to build these more complicated units. As long as you get a 4L60E from some place like FLT, Performabuilt or common places like Rossler and RPM that actually know how to build up these units, you'll have just as good if not better luck with the 4L60E, plus you'll retain overdrive. Your motor and wallet will LOVE that in the long run. A 4L60E build that will hold serious power will be more expensive than a TH350, but what's another $500 in the short term? The 4L60E will save you hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars in gas over the long run. Don't be shortsighted when pricing a TH350 vs. 4L60E build. If you ever drive above 40 miles per hour, the 4L60E is going to save you tons of money in gas and will likely be the better bargain in the long run.
I'll take a 4L60E FROM AN EXPERIENCED BUILDER SPECIALIZING IN 4L60E's ANYDAY over a TH350. The sponsors on this forum have plenty of 4L60E's in the 10's and even 9's because they actually know how to build these more complicated units. As long as you get a 4L60E from some place like FLT, Performabuilt or common places like Rossler and RPM that actually know how to build up these units, you'll have just as good if not better luck with the 4L60E, plus you'll retain overdrive. Your motor and wallet will LOVE that in the long run. A 4L60E build that will hold serious power will be more expensive than a TH350, but what's another $500 in the short term? The 4L60E will save you hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars in gas over the long run. Don't be shortsighted when pricing a TH350 vs. 4L60E build. If you ever drive above 40 miles per hour, the 4L60E is going to save you tons of money in gas and will likely be the better bargain in the long run.
the only bad rap I know of for the TH350 is the weak intermediate sprag which will cause you to lose 2nd gear. TCI makes a 32 element sprag for an extra 300 dollars that seems to take care of that weak spot, other than that I don't know of any issues, I had my TH350 built for $900 and the converter was only $450. With a 3.42 gear 3000 stall and 275/50/15 tire, it turns 2600rpm @60mph on the street, 5300 rpm through the traps NA and a little over 6000rpm through the traps on a 200shot. 1.73 60ft NA, 1.54 60ft on 150shot, 1.45 60ft on 200 shot.
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
I have a TH350 going into my track car in a few weeks. If you have a street car, and are worried about gas mileage, stick with the 4L60E.( I could never understand how some people want 500rwhp and 30mpg out of the same car) If you have a track car, you can go with a TH350 if you want. The transition from 1-2 on a 350 is a little closer. Launching!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
the only bad rap I know of for the TH350 is the weak intermediate sprag which will cause you to lose 2nd gear. TCI makes a 32 element sprag for an extra 300 dollars that seems to take care of that weak spot, other than that I don't know of any issues, I had my TH350 built for $900 and the converter was only $450. With a 3.42 gear 3000 stall and 275/50/15 tire, it turns 2600rpm @60mph on the street, 5300 rpm through the traps NA and a little over 6000rpm through the traps on a 200shot. 1.73 60ft NA, 1.54 60ft on 150shot, 1.45 60ft on 200 shot.
p/n 328900
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
Joe's Randomass Transmission shop would probably have better luck building a TH350 to hold power because they're a much simpler build. The reason why 4L60E's have such a bad wrap is most people don't know how to build them up. It takes R&D, skill and lots of time and effort, so a lot of "builders" screw them up horribly and users go through a whole bunch of 4L60E's. That makes the trans look bad when it is in fact the builder that is simply too inexperienced with a much more complicated transmission. Because a TH350 is so much easier to build, there will be less builder errors, resulting in a much better reputation, even though that reputation isn't necessarily deserved.
I'll take a 4L60E FROM AN EXPERIENCED BUILDER SPECIALIZING IN 4L60E's ANYDAY over a TH350. The sponsors on this forum have plenty of 4L60E's in the 10's and even 9's because they actually know how to build these more complicated units. As long as you get a 4L60E from some place like FLT, Performabuilt or common places like Rossler and RPM that actually know how to build up these units, you'll have just as good if not better luck with the 4L60E, plus you'll retain overdrive. Your motor and wallet will LOVE that in the long run. A 4L60E build that will hold serious power will be more expensive than a TH350, but what's another $500 in the short term? The 4L60E will save you hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars in gas over the long run. Don't be shortsighted when pricing a TH350 vs. 4L60E build. If you ever drive above 40 miles per hour, the 4L60E is going to save you tons of money in gas and will likely be the better bargain in the long run.
I'll take a 4L60E FROM AN EXPERIENCED BUILDER SPECIALIZING IN 4L60E's ANYDAY over a TH350. The sponsors on this forum have plenty of 4L60E's in the 10's and even 9's because they actually know how to build these more complicated units. As long as you get a 4L60E from some place like FLT, Performabuilt or common places like Rossler and RPM that actually know how to build up these units, you'll have just as good if not better luck with the 4L60E, plus you'll retain overdrive. Your motor and wallet will LOVE that in the long run. A 4L60E build that will hold serious power will be more expensive than a TH350, but what's another $500 in the short term? The 4L60E will save you hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars in gas over the long run. Don't be shortsighted when pricing a TH350 vs. 4L60E build. If you ever drive above 40 miles per hour, the 4L60E is going to save you tons of money in gas and will likely be the better bargain in the long run.
