Ive had this tranny in mind for so long and Ive been doing so much research on it, but I wanted to hear what kind of things you all had to say about it. I know the conversion is very expensive, but in my eyes, it will be up front, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. I dont have an auto to work with for the conversion and Ive been telling myself, its better to pay a little more for a built 200-R4 rather than a built 4L60E, because Ive heard too many stories about 4L60Es breaking even when theyre well built. Even if that was true, Im never going to make the power that would make a difference. When Im finished with my conversion, I hope to seem low to mid 11s. I also know that the 200-R4 is a lighter, stronger, and geared differntly than a 4L60E. Also, it will put more power to the wheels than a 4L60E would, and Im guessing thats so because its lightger. Anyhow, I asked Mike at Century Auto and Transmission and he builds both 200-R4s and 4L60Es and even if he was to max them both out with performance internals, he says that the 200-R4 is much stronger. When he builds them up, he rates them at 800rwhp. Theres no way I would even come close to reaching that kind of power, so I know that Im ok. Ive been doing a lot of thinking while saving up and I wanted to bring this subject to everyone and get some opinions on it before I dump all this money into the conversion. Ive even already talked to Derek at TCS about building me a converter for it and were pretty much set on it. I just need to know if Im going to follow through with it before I tell him to build it. Im sure that you all know, but the 200-R4 is a non-computer controlled tranny. Do you really think that I will be happy with that? Are there any drawbacks or disadvantages of having that? I want a strong tranny with an overdrive and this particular tranny keeps coming up, so this is what Ive had in mind for quite some time now. I know a couple of things about having a non-computer controlled and one is that I wont be able to change my shift points in seconds. Then another is I wont have torque management, will that have any affectg on time? (at the track-ETs, 60 ft., etc.) With not having that and combining it with a shift kit, will it hit harder? (compared to a 4L60E with a shift kit and torque management still in)Lastly, I hear that the gearing on the 200-R4 is a bit differnt than the 4L60E. Is this true? If so, can someone tell me what the differences are and whats better? I dont want to drag this whole thread out with a bunch of questions, so I wrap it up here. Anyhow, let me know what you all think. Thanks

 

Std. Gear Ratios:
3.06/1.62/1.00/0.68 (700R4) &
2.75/1.57/1.00/.071 (200 4R)
If that helps... I've been told the 4L60E uses the same ratio as the earlier 700R4, but I don't know. The 2004r does work at WOT in O/D and that's great. I loved mine and wish I could've used it forever. Thought I'd break it though, with my last build, so I pulled it out in favor of a 3spd. I sent you a few PM's weeks back. Did you get them?

 

Which gearing is better between the 2? As far as rear end gears go, the higher the number, the better. Does that work the same as in the tranny? The 200-R4 seems to have higher gear ratios (numerically lower), so I would guess its going to be slower? How much of a difference is it going to make between the 2?"The 2004r does work at WOT in O/D and that's great." What do you mean by that? I sent you a few PM's weeks back. Did you get them? I sure did, thanks for all the info and being so helpful.

 

Sorry, been outta town the last 3 days. Anyway, some say the hogher ratio is actually better due to easier launches. I just know mine felt perfect each time out and it didn't seem to have wheelspein issues or run out of 1st gear quicker than I could find 2nd.

WOT= Wide open throttle. The 200-4r(at least mine) ould allow full throttle in overdrive at WOT. That made for some SERIOUSLY FAST "thunder runs" on otherwise boring Sunday evenings.

It's much lighter than most 4speed AOD transmissions too, weighing in at something like 80 lbs. That allows for quick reaction to hitting the gas pedal. It also holds high hp really well and although I've not had a 4L60e, I haven't heard enough good about them to think they're as strong as the 200-4r is when both are built well.