T56's are junk?
 

So I just picked up my 02Z8 M6 from a dealer in Tulsa, and the guy there selling just kept going on and on about how the T56 is a decent at best tranny. Im not sure if he was just a die hard automatic kind of guy but he said they were made in mexico and the parts are shotty. I dont know everything about these cars but im pretty sure he wasnt spot on with his statements. I just wanna hear what the real guys that live and breath these cars have to say about. And I mainly trust the opinions on here more so than a guy thats about to get a wad of cash from me.

Thanks in advance

Im not sure about the mexico thing, all i care about is if it works. The t56 is one of the best 6speed trans that hit the market in its time. I dont think it would have been placed in cobras, vipers and tons of gm car if it couldnt meet the demand asked. Will they break? Depends on how you treat it and what you do with it. T56 are normally good for around 400-450ftlbs of torque if nothing has been touched inside. Now the t56 can be upgraded with beefier parts that will make them capable of 750ftlbs.

I worked in sales for years - what an idiot!! he was trying to give you reasons not to buy the car and you did despite him , you should let his boss know he has a liability working for him ....

Actually he was the owner haha. Im not really sure why he would say something bad about any car on his lot, and I would have been hesitant to buy but I had already test drove the car and looked over it really well and felt confident this was the one for me. Im not really sure what his deal was with M6's, but i havent had a single issue and It about 375 miles back home an hour after I bought it.

Tremec started producing the units around 1998 and they are based out of Mexico.

What was the name of the dealership?

I had one, stock gears, viper shafted, and faceplated in the 8.80's at 3250lbs!

can take a lot!!

Rpm, and dude wasn't bad just didn't like the T-56 I guess?

he just hates himself on the inside

A face plated t56 is a whole different ball game. I was strictly referring to t56 with syncro assemblies.

The T56 trans is a really good trans. They need a little but of help to make them a great trans.

T56 transmissions from 98+ were built in Mexico when Warner Gear sold the contract. Prior units were made in Muncie Indiana at Warner Gear. In stock form they have a few weak links. F-body T56s normally break the 3-4 synchro keys or the 3-4 fork. Some billet keys, a steel 3-4 fork and bronze fork pads will eliminate the weak links in a T56 for most mild setups. If you are going to be doing high RPM launches a 30 spline shaft is recommended. Like Charlie said, they can take some serious abuse with the upgraded shaft. 700+ftlbs is riding the line of failure. At that point they will shear the teeth off the input and cluster gear. 5th and 6th gear aren't recommended for high power use. A 500+hp car will blow the teeth right off 5th gear with a WOT shift into 5th. High HP hard launching cars I recommend plumbing a fluid return pump into the trans to return fluid back to the front of the trans and spray directly onto the input and cluster gear.

I was looking at beefing up my t56...i changed the 3-4 fork for a steel one but i wasn't sure about changing the fork pads. Bronze pads have less give than nylon so i was worried about damaging my sychro assembly by using bronze pads...everyone seems to have a different opinion on this...

and for a stock t56...the input shaft is hard to find, and costs a fortune so again, i'm intrigued by the idea of extra lubrication even though i'm not making the power to justify it.

There are a lot of conflicting opinions on the bronze fork pads. We use them and trust them. The alloy that we use is much stronger than some of the other pads out there on the market. But the pads are still quite a bit softer than the hardend steel synchro assembly.

You are correct. F-body input shafts are nearly impossible to get right now. The fluid pump is never a bad idea, especially if your car hooks hard. This will prevent fluid slosh from starving the input and cluster of fluid. But it won't save the input from damaged engagement teeth or a galled or gouged pilot snout from a failed pilot bearing.

still stock gears............................................. ................ and factory intput shaft.

For use in the USA I found a stock T56 very reliable, even with a STS turbo. I ran into issues when I was living in Germany. 6th gear cruising at 120+MPH sustained on the Autobahn will eventually torch the bearings. I got 2 good years of triple digit driving from my stock trans....then started hearing a pretty nasty squeak. The 6th gear bearing was shot. Thankfully it happened a week before I moved back to the US.
I now have a rebuilt "Level III" unit that was installed by VA Speed in May. :) To date and 1 cross-country trip later it's working fine. The Master cylinder is another issue.... but I have a separate post for that.