Built 4l60e's
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Boise, ID
Built 4l60e's Has there ever been any type of conclusion reached on how reliable the built 4l60e's are for street/strip use? I am about to buy one for my heads/cam/intake/exhaust/bolt-on 4th gen camaro but I hesitate when I hear guys say things like, "I have been through 5 built 4l60's and they dont last as long as the stock ones".
How reliable are these things for a 440-480 rwhp street car? I dont go to the strip much, but it would be nice to know the thing could handle it if I wanted to....
Also, I have plans for a built ls3 that will be 500+ rwhp... can these trannies handle that type of power?
How reliable are these things for a 440-480 rwhp street car? I dont go to the strip much, but it would be nice to know the thing could handle it if I wanted to....
Also, I have plans for a built ls3 that will be 500+ rwhp... can these trannies handle that type of power?
When they're built by someone who knows what they're doing, they can. My trans has been problem free for more than 2 years of street and track (twice a year) driving. My car isn't babied, either.
i agree, it depends on the builder. i went through 4 "700hp transmissions" and when the last one went i had someone local build it (cause i didnt want to do the R&R). a year after it was built (shortly after my 402 went in) i destroyed the input drum. they went back through it and beefed it up here and there and its running fine now.
We have built units that have been out there a 2-3 years running in the 10s and 11s as do the other sponsors here,
However I will say, saying the stocker lasted longer than a built unit is really not very fair. Its certainly not apples to apples as they say.
1- I would bet for ever one post you see here for a broken unit there are 100 people that didnt.(apearance in forums is decieving because people dont post that the trans didnt break lol)
2- Compairing stock to built, well think about this when most people start modding there car it has the stock trans and its lasted 80000-100000 miles with the car stock or close to it.
Then they mod the car and buy a "built unit" and start racing and turing 9 and 10 second 1/4 miles with 1.3 and 1.4 60 FT and a big stall and some times the built unit will break. It happens. Luckily for us builders of performance transmissions it does not happen very often or we would all be outta business from doing warranties etc.
But one thing is guaranteed when one does break everyone will ALWAYS post about it. The ones that dont break which is the vast majority dont because, Well how many times have you called sears to tell them how good there washer works?
As for the ones who say they have been through a few. well thats possible they would fall into two groups. There is of course the guy making 700 rwhp on slicks hitting spray and racing all weekend every weekend and they are more likley to break more often. Then and luckily there very very few that just aparently have bad luck.Since the majority dont have this issue.
3-Theres also the numbers game. For instance we have at present well over 1000 built units out there. Now consider this if 1 person per week every week posted that our transmission broke then that would be 52 units per year. or about 5 percent using 1000 as the base number that would give a real failure rate right about 5%. Not at all bad IMO with what these trans are put through. However, not knowing the total number and just looking at post you could come to the conclusion by seeing every week 1 person making a post and decide "there breaking down every week" and decided there is and issue.
Anyway I hope this explains things .
But in sumation yes a built 4l60e can handle that power reliably in your application I feel sure from us or really any sponsor on this forum I would say. And I say this knowing that we have the longest warranty of all and if I didnt know this we could not offer that.
Frank at PerformaBuilt
However I will say, saying the stocker lasted longer than a built unit is really not very fair. Its certainly not apples to apples as they say.
1- I would bet for ever one post you see here for a broken unit there are 100 people that didnt.(apearance in forums is decieving because people dont post that the trans didnt break lol)
2- Compairing stock to built, well think about this when most people start modding there car it has the stock trans and its lasted 80000-100000 miles with the car stock or close to it.
Then they mod the car and buy a "built unit" and start racing and turing 9 and 10 second 1/4 miles with 1.3 and 1.4 60 FT and a big stall and some times the built unit will break. It happens. Luckily for us builders of performance transmissions it does not happen very often or we would all be outta business from doing warranties etc.
But one thing is guaranteed when one does break everyone will ALWAYS post about it. The ones that dont break which is the vast majority dont because, Well how many times have you called sears to tell them how good there washer works?
As for the ones who say they have been through a few. well thats possible they would fall into two groups. There is of course the guy making 700 rwhp on slicks hitting spray and racing all weekend every weekend and they are more likley to break more often. Then and luckily there very very few that just aparently have bad luck.Since the majority dont have this issue.
3-Theres also the numbers game. For instance we have at present well over 1000 built units out there. Now consider this if 1 person per week every week posted that our transmission broke then that would be 52 units per year. or about 5 percent using 1000 as the base number that would give a real failure rate right about 5%. Not at all bad IMO with what these trans are put through. However, not knowing the total number and just looking at post you could come to the conclusion by seeing every week 1 person making a post and decide "there breaking down every week" and decided there is and issue.
Anyway I hope this explains things .
But in sumation yes a built 4l60e can handle that power reliably in your application I feel sure from us or really any sponsor on this forum I would say. And I say this knowing that we have the longest warranty of all and if I didnt know this we could not offer that.
Frank at PerformaBuilt
__________________
Last edited by performabuilt; Apr 20, 2009 at 04:31 PM.
i would have to agree that u need to have your tranny built by people that know what there doing.. look the sponsors on here like FLT, performabuilt, and circle D.. they know these trannies in and out and know what it takes to make it last.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Boise, ID
We have built units that have been out there a 2-3 years running in the 10s and 11s as do the other sponsors here,
However I will say, saying the stocker lasted longer than a built unit is really not very fair. Its certainly not apples to apples as they say.
1- I would bet for ever one post you see here for a broken unit there are 100 people that didnt.(apearance in forums is decieving because people dont post that the trans didnt break lol)
2- Compairing stock to built, well think about this when most people start modding there car it has the stock trans and its lasted 80000-100000 miles with the car stock or close to it.
Then they mod the car and buy a "built unit" and start racing and turing 9 and 10 second 1/4 miles with 1.3 and 1.4 60 FT and a big stall and some times the built unit will break. It happens. Luckily for us builders of performance transmissions it does not happen very often or we would all be outta business from doing warranties etc.
But one thing is guaranteed when one does break everyone will ALWAYS post about it. The ones that dont break which is the vast majority dont because, Well how many times have you called sears to tell them how good there washer works?
As for the ones who say they have been through a few. well thats possible they would fall into two groups. There is of course the guy making 700 rwhp on slicks hitting spray and racing all weekend every weekend and they are more likley to break more often. Then and luckily there very very few that just aparently have bad luck.Since the majority dont have this issue.
3-Theres also the numbers game. For instance we have at present well over 1000 built units out there. Now consider this if 1 person per week every week posted that our transmission broke then that would be 52 units per year. or about 5 percent using 1000 as the base number that would give a real failure rate right about 5%. Not at all bad IMO with what these trans are put through. However, not knowing the total number and just looking at post you could come to the conclusion by seeing every week 1 person making a post and decide "there breaking down every week" and decided there is and issue.
Anyway I hope this explains things .
But in sumation yes a built 4l60e can handle that power reliably in your application I feel sure from us or really any sponsor on this forum I would say. And I say this knowing that we have the longest warranty of all and if I didnt know this we could not offer that.
Frank at PerformaBuilt
However I will say, saying the stocker lasted longer than a built unit is really not very fair. Its certainly not apples to apples as they say.
1- I would bet for ever one post you see here for a broken unit there are 100 people that didnt.(apearance in forums is decieving because people dont post that the trans didnt break lol)
2- Compairing stock to built, well think about this when most people start modding there car it has the stock trans and its lasted 80000-100000 miles with the car stock or close to it.
Then they mod the car and buy a "built unit" and start racing and turing 9 and 10 second 1/4 miles with 1.3 and 1.4 60 FT and a big stall and some times the built unit will break. It happens. Luckily for us builders of performance transmissions it does not happen very often or we would all be outta business from doing warranties etc.
But one thing is guaranteed when one does break everyone will ALWAYS post about it. The ones that dont break which is the vast majority dont because, Well how many times have you called sears to tell them how good there washer works?
As for the ones who say they have been through a few. well thats possible they would fall into two groups. There is of course the guy making 700 rwhp on slicks hitting spray and racing all weekend every weekend and they are more likley to break more often. Then and luckily there very very few that just aparently have bad luck.Since the majority dont have this issue.
3-Theres also the numbers game. For instance we have at present well over 1000 built units out there. Now consider this if 1 person per week every week posted that our transmission broke then that would be 52 units per year. or about 5 percent using 1000 as the base number that would give a real failure rate right about 5%. Not at all bad IMO with what these trans are put through. However, not knowing the total number and just looking at post you could come to the conclusion by seeing every week 1 person making a post and decide "there breaking down every week" and decided there is and issue.
Anyway I hope this explains things .
But in sumation yes a built 4l60e can handle that power reliably in your application I feel sure from us or really any sponsor on this forum I would say. And I say this knowing that we have the longest warranty of all and if I didnt know this we could not offer that.
Frank at PerformaBuilt
I appreciate your response Frank. Its true that bad news makes the news and no news is good news.... From everything i have heard, I really dont think its going to be much of a problem for me. I run 315's and drive hard on the street, but dont go to the track much. The tranny will be run on slicks very sparingly if at all. Thanks again.
Trending Topics
i'm no trans expert but it seems to me the biggest and easiest thing to do is keep the trans cooled properly. Keep the hot laps to a minimum and under 200* and they will last much longer. But as always a quality builder is a must.
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