I have some tq management on the 1-2 and 2-3 shift. I NEVER shift to Od full throttle. The 3-4 won’t live long doing that.

I have probably 700+hp (flywheel) and my car weighs 3800ish. I can build a helluva 4l60 but I’m not so sure I’d want to build it for a 4000lb truck that’s HP goal is 800 right off the top. We all know that we will want more. And it also depends on how you drive it and if you are going to be on sticky tires all the time. My vote for your goal and vehicle would be a 4l80.

if I’m gathering what maroonmonster is saying is in your build, a turbo truck is gonna munch that bitch in short order.

 

Someone needs to have money to blow and put together a nasty turbo setup with a stock 4l60e and let me tune it and see how long it lasts

 

what transmission that is new, is good? I’ve had a few new, recent vehicles (ss camaro and a couple Silverado’s) and I can give you an honest assessment of them.

1) the a6 in the camaro. It was ok, but it was quirky. They are very picky with tuning. The guy who tuned mine, it’s shifted too hard.....all the time.
2) a6 2017 Silverado. It was very clunky. It shifted like ***. And there was a lot of tq management dialed in. So much it felt like it was lifting off the throttle. The down shift when coming to a stop sometimes felt like I got rear ended.
3) 2019 a8 Silverado. Quirky piece of ****. This thing shudders, vibrates, sometimes hangs up on the 1-2 shift at full throttle and hits the limiter. It’s very clunky. Harsh and overall disappointing. However, when it does shift correctly (it’s not consistent) it feels good, rpm drop and engine pull feels really good. But that’s only when it’s not acting up. I have about 2000 miles on the truck and I’m sure it’s only gonna get worse. It has a very frightening downshift sometimes and there’s a low speed shudder that happens sometimes and feels like the bed is gonna rattle off that bitch.
the ten speed I have no experience with but a coworker of mine has a gmc that’s been in the shop already for problems with his.

so what new trans is really good? I really dont think a 4l60 is a piece of ****. You have to have a good builder, know it’s limitations and know it’s place. I’m pushing one to its limits currently. I drove the car 2-3 times a week and I lean on it a good bit. But if it breaks, I can fix it. Not everyone has that option.

I have a buddy right now that’s going through problems with his th400. It’s failed twice in two months. I could call it a piece of crap too but it’s build error when it boils down to it.

 

With the proper set-up full throttle 3-4 shifts are fine.

Not all necessary, but work well...

-proper line pressure
-proper orificing
-servo bore surface in good shape and prepped
-quality 2-4 band (strong anchors, can also be heli-arc'd)
-proper clearances
-sonnax 4th servo (stock forth servo can work with an increase of fluid pressure on the piston)
-keep firm cushion springs and add firmer return spring
-billet 2-4 band anchor pin (easy to damage the original anchor pin)
-delete 4th accumulator (or firm up as much as possible with sonnax billet piston and dual springs)

 

if you’d shift a 4l60e full throttle to OD with 700+hp.....then you iz crazy. The way my trans is built, it would hold it, but that would be way too hard on parts and I think it would live a short life if I did It a bunch. I have mine set to lower boost by almost half in 4th. If I can’t go as fast as I need to in 3rd, I’ll change the rear gears.

 

2 hits, if that, and it's gonna be a closed casket affair. I don't care if the thing was 100% billet everything, clutches and all, even the case.

 

Don't really keep up with the new stuff too much, but whatever trans is in the c7s seem to be holding up decent from what I've been seeing, and that's with some good power being ran through them.

 

Then you would call me crazy!

I build these units for that power and are just fine.
The units handling more power require refreshing too often in my opinion and using these units with more power is a bad investment in my opinion.
But they do live and work well.

This is the territory where people should be switching to the 4L80E family units (far better investment).

 

I agree.

 

Yea 95% torque management. **** it'll last behind 2000 hp if you put the stage 10 **** transmission tune in it. Would it not? Anyone can tune a 4L60E to live behind 2000 hp, it'll be slow as hell but hey this is almost 2020 lets use the technology.

 

I'd be willing to put $$$ down that it wouldn't.

 

Funny we are having this discussion, when literally, almost the ENTIRE transmission section is littered with "now my transmission won't..." "I've lost 3rd and fourth" "car won't move at all". And pretty much all of them are....you guessed it, the very capable 4L60. And apparently, one must be a member of mensa to understand how to build a 4l60, because it seems there are very few who can. However, this doesn't seem to be the case with various other transmissions....

 

Same argument can be made for how "terrible ls7 lifters are". You're on LS1tech where all these cars came from the factory with this transmission, what did you expect to see???

 

I was told to never have it in OD at WOT. I always raced mine in D and left it there. Line pressure was increased and TM was turned off. But I was a bone stock car on a street tire.

 

That would mean to me; that your transmission builder has no confidence in their product/ service.

...And that is truly sad!

If a builder is going to offer an over-drive transmission this way... Why bother, and just go with a 3-speed unit (THM400 or other).

 

wait. What? I’m pretty disappointed in this comment. I thought you were smarter....an overdrive transmission is not intended to race in overdrive. You should know this. Overdrive is meant for better fuel economy and lower rpm at cruise. Not full throttle blasts. I’m very confident in my builds but I’m no fool, the 4l60 cannot take high power full throttle pulls in overdrive for very long. I probably could do it in my car, I have a 4l79 drum with the th350 clutches but I still would not chance it. Also, putting mine in 3rd adds in the over run clutches on a full throttle 2-3 shift. I have the hd 2-3 shift valve.

 

Humor us and explain exactly why.

 

First... Thank you for the insult ;-)

I do not feel that you are a fool. Should I have; I would just say it.
On the contrary... You usually seem to grasp everything we discuss. So again; I do not think you as a fool.

Now in regard to the use of the over-drive gear range:

-Yes, there are plenty of builders who do not build their transmissions to handle power in over-drive (I feel this is a big mistake).
-Yes, the over-drive gear range is not intended to be used for racing...

However, that it is not for reasons pertaining to power handling...
It is because the over-drive gear range puts the engine at a massive disadvantage in terms of gearing/ gear multiplication.

Trying to accelerate the engine at low RPM in over-drive can be extremely taxing on the engine...
Particularly the connecting rods and can be a bad idea in certain situations.

The same thing goes for a T-56/ TR6060 six speed manual transmission with it's double over-drive gear ranges.
Knowing the engine and transmission inside and out is always a good idea to try and make the lives of such, as long as possible.

 

I am actually surprised that in 2019 people still believe this...

I have been doing so all the way back to the THM700-R4.
The only reason I see for a builder to not plan/ design the build to handle the power in all gear ranges...
Is because they are being cheap, to increase profits... And I feel that is Fucked up!

Even back in the THM700-R4 days... valve-train and aftermarket parts were bring made for full throttle 3-4 shifts and pulls.
Why bother with producing either the Sonnax or Superior 4th gear servo assemblies... Ya know?

 

Explain exactly why what? Why not to use overdrive full throttle? I mean really, you don’t know without me telling you?

3rd gear is weak already because you have a flimsy *** stamped steel cage with 5 flimsy fingers that press on a apply plate. That’s part of the reason 3-4 is the first to fail usually. The apply plate and top plate can flex too, causing slippage. Then you want to try and add a significant amount more load to those clutches (that already have a tough enough time holding third gear) and expect it to hold. Then you have a smaller apply piston for the band for 4th gear than for 2nd gear. Everything about overdrive is just inherently weaker. If you really want to shift to overdrive full throttle with 700hp, then go ahead and knock yourself out. I don’t care what any of you do with your car or transmission, personally......but me, I’ll stick by what I know and believe....that it’s not a good idea to do it. Whatever floats your boat tho.

not one person I’ve built a trans for with a fast car has questioned or doubted me telling them that. I always show them why when I have their **** apart. I don’t hide anything and I welcome any customer of mine to watch me tear it apart (done that many times) so they can see what went wrong and how it built. I show them the weak points. I explain what parts have to bear huge loads. When they leave, they have an understanding of what’s weak, what they can and can’t do and I don’t have any warranty issues. I’ve have very few problems, one was a convertor failure and the other was when I first started building and I tried to save the guy money by not replacing the solenoids on a high mile unit. My inexperienced fault. O and another customer broke two pump rotors because he was using an inferior convertor that needed shimming and he failed to do it twice.