Tranny has had a stroke!
- Thread starter grayhoe00
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
bottomline2000
Full Access Member
Just my thinking but wouldn't going to a higher gear like a 4.10 from a 3.42 be easier on the trans too. I'm thinking along the lines of riding a bicycle and the amount of stress on the crank being higher in the lower gears. I know I sure feel better when I shift to a higher gear lol.
Just a thought though.
Just a thought though.
Higher geraing is easier on the tranny & engine at low (engine) speeds, but harder on both at higher (freeway) (engine) speeds.
You can apply this same logic to fuel efficiency as well. (use your same "bicycle" logic as a referrence - the faster you pedal in 1st, the more energy you expend across the board, as the "engine" (I.E. -You) increases in speed, the harder it becomes on you (The "Engine") and Tranny (Gears, bearings, etc.))
Last edited:
2005 and newer LQ4s are essentially a LQ9 with dished pistons. There's almost no difference.
6.0 and charger... how much power you looking for? A 4L60E can be built to take the abuse up to about 500hp in a heavy truck, the problem is longevity. 80Es can take a lot more power and will handle it for far longer. Just the nature of larger clutch packs and taller ratios (shorter gear spacing). Some mods are needed to make it fit, the wiring is pretty simple, but you WILL need to have a tuner do a segment swap in the PCM to run the 80E.
As far as gears, essentially it will take some stress off of the trans, but on the flip side, there will be more shift cycles over any speed range. For automatics, holding the power isn't the problem... they are most vulnerable during shifts where everything is changing speed very fast and generating copious amounts of heat in the clutch packs. Having wider gear splits like the 60E compounds the problem.
In a 4L60E, the 2-3 shift is the most complex and is usually the culprit of most rebuilds. While it sucks to drive down the drag strip only using the first two gears of a four speed auto, honestly, avoiding the 2-3 shift altogether at WOT will give the most life.
Sorry, didn't mean to go there.
Stay under 500hp and a well built 60E will serve you well for quite some time. Make sure you install a large aftermarket trans cooler, especially if you go with a stall converter.
6.0 and charger... how much power you looking for? A 4L60E can be built to take the abuse up to about 500hp in a heavy truck, the problem is longevity. 80Es can take a lot more power and will handle it for far longer. Just the nature of larger clutch packs and taller ratios (shorter gear spacing). Some mods are needed to make it fit, the wiring is pretty simple, but you WILL need to have a tuner do a segment swap in the PCM to run the 80E.
As far as gears, essentially it will take some stress off of the trans, but on the flip side, there will be more shift cycles over any speed range. For automatics, holding the power isn't the problem... they are most vulnerable during shifts where everything is changing speed very fast and generating copious amounts of heat in the clutch packs. Having wider gear splits like the 60E compounds the problem.
In a 4L60E, the 2-3 shift is the most complex and is usually the culprit of most rebuilds. While it sucks to drive down the drag strip only using the first two gears of a four speed auto, honestly, avoiding the 2-3 shift altogether at WOT will give the most life.
Sorry, didn't mean to go there.
Stay under 500hp and a well built 60E will serve you well for quite some time. Make sure you install a large aftermarket trans cooler, especially if you go with a stall converter.
blueflamed03
Supporting Member
as always, great info Jay!
Thanks for the info!
you mention a mod for a 80e tranny to work with my truck..What if i got a performabuilt tranny..like a 60e...say a stage 2. any mods have to be done for it to work with my truck/motor?
as far as power goes...no more than what jk's truck has..my goal is pretty close to what he has.
80E conversion does take a fair amount of effort. Unless you plan to throw $20k at the truck to make it a 10 second ride, a well-built 60e will hold reasonably well into the 12s in a truck.
I haven't heard anything bad about performabuilt transmissions. Seems to be a fair amount of people out there happy with their products.
You just have to seriously consider your goals for the truck and stick to it. It's easy to get the truck to a certain point and be happy. For a while. Then you want more. And spending $5k+ on multiple 60E rebuilds will grossly outweigh the cost of a single 80E swap. I consider the benchmark for a 60E to be in the 500hp range in a 2.5ton+ truck. Long term reliability is the issue here beyond those power levels... some guys get over 600hp to last a while but it always comes to the same conclusion when they start breaking shafts. A more robust trans is needed for high power levels.
I haven't heard anything bad about performabuilt transmissions. Seems to be a fair amount of people out there happy with their products.
You just have to seriously consider your goals for the truck and stick to it. It's easy to get the truck to a certain point and be happy. For a while. Then you want more. And spending $5k+ on multiple 60E rebuilds will grossly outweigh the cost of a single 80E swap. I consider the benchmark for a 60E to be in the 500hp range in a 2.5ton+ truck. Long term reliability is the issue here beyond those power levels... some guys get over 600hp to last a while but it always comes to the same conclusion when they start breaking shafts. A more robust trans is needed for high power levels.
The Performabuilt 4l60e I have in mine has been great so far. This is the second trans I've used from them, the first one being in a camaro.
I'm running a Fluidyne cooler in-line with the cooler that came with the Performabuilt trans. Excessive heat will kill a trans quick, so the cooler you can keep it, the better.
