My car is only a bolt on car right now, but im thinking of dropping a higher stall converter in it before doing any head/cam work. i will probably do the heads and cam anyway later on, but im new to autos so i just wanna see what the converter will do by itself on the stock motor. aside from the converter, on a head/cam car, or just a cam only car, when does the stock auto tranny become inadequate? I dont wanna have to worry about my tranny not being able to handle the power. Is the 4L60E pretty stout or does it get vulnerable when u start modding the car?

 

with a properly built and cooled 4l60e, 10.50's could be run all day, for a long time. some will argue you can go faster, which i will not deny, others will say goto a th400, or it can't handle it. just like a clutch combo, it all comes down to how much you want to pay initially ... and what the goals are the car. if head/cam package that is all the car will see ... 4l60e all day long imo.

 

What about a stock 4L60E? How much can the stock 4L60E handle? Im not looking to build the tranny, so I wanna know how much it can handle stock. If i do heads and cam along with a good size converter, would my tranny be struggling to keep up with the power?

 

it might..... my stock tranny died after a week with 500hp. best bet is to just build it to the max and forget about it

 

My stock tranny is still going. I have heads, cam, 3800 stall, 3:73 gears, and its getting consistant low 1.5 60's. 10 bolt as well!

 

stock tranny here

over 150 passes on the old setup.

 

My trans went out right after the dyno tune with my new cam. I think its just a roll of the dice.

 

My stock tranny has held up (so far) with a 150 shot. Currently running around 11.50's or 11.60's. Spraying it through shifts,etc. I'll start saving my money very soon though

 

Its really a crapshoot. Some have success with the stock unit others not so much. The stock unit was never meant to handle over 350hp. Anything over that and its anybodies guess.

But i will say that the weight of the car and how well the trans is maintained play major rolls in a units longevity.

 

We have pushed a 5700lb awd truck to mid 11's with a 4L65 we built. With a good build, they can take alot.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but what awd truck was that? We turboed my friend's escalade, and built the trans because the stocker was slipping under power. However, the transfer case broke, leading to breaking the trans output shaft. BTW, this was with a yank 3000 stall. We are currently trying to figure out what to replace these parts with, because this is with a little ls6 cam at only 6lbs of boost. I can only imagine what parts are going to grenade when we up the fuel system and boost.

 

Well they can take alot built , but its a balancing act, clutches must engage firm but not to hard. You have to have shifts firm enough to avoid slipping but not so hard as to break stuff , As for what parts look at our site.
On the matter of how much can the stock trans handle thats hard to say some do 500 rwhp and work fine others cant get past 400 , Personally I think it has more to do with how its driven. But realistically its simple the trans must handle the power you make It should be veiwed like any performance upgrade. If you are unwilling to spend the money on a trans to take the power, Then dont spend the money on cams etc to make the power. Like and old mechanic told me when I was younger . Power = money now how fast do you want to go, But for all practical purpose the stock 4L60E is taxed near it limit. That is one of the reasons for torque management to start with. Though after the upgrades it may last a bit if your easy on it.They will shorten its life.

 

It is an '04 Silverado SS, 408, t-70 turbo, 4:10s, triple disc Vig 3400. The trans did great for a long while after we built it. We turned the boost up to 10psi, restalled the Vig, and had an issue with 3rd gear clutches; it was pulling the clutch material off. Now, with the looser stall, we stalled into 7psi and broke the output shaft in half. We are going to put a billet shaft in and try one last time with the 65e. I have plenty of confidence in the trans, but with the weight of the truck and awd, its tough on it. The customer is just not ready to spend the money necessary for the 4L80 conversion.

 

My 4l60e is a stage 4 model is holding up to over 800rwhp as of now. Going on over a month like this. Crossing my finger's everday!!

 

my FLT level 5 65E has been running flawlessly under my 4500# truck pushing close to 500rwhp...

 

ok fellas, i appreciate all the input, but the title of the thread specifies the "stock" 4L60E transmission. Im quite sure a built tranny is gonna hold a good amoutn of power. all im concerned with is the stock 4L60E's durability

 

My stock tranny gave up after two bottles on a 150 shot.

 

We are just giving you something to look forward too in the future! As far as a stock tranny go's it depend's on how you abuse it. Drive it normal without ever standing on the gas and it will last forever,but I am sure you do that.

 

those things are on their way out the door the first time a new car is cranked up off the asembly line IMO.... they are pitiful in stock form.

 

so approximately how much would i be looking at to build maybe a stage 1 or 2 out of my stock tranny? of course i would be either having someone rebuild mine or buy a new one already built. ive done plenty of head/cam swaps, so im comfortable going into a motor, but i know nothing about a tranny. i know we have some really good tranny builders who are sponsors here. i was just wondering about what i would be looking at paying for a stout little tranny for my street car.....??? thanks in advance