We're doing the install this week at my shop on swapping in a Torqueshift 5-speed Automatic.

Hopefully this will give me driveability with the 4.10 gears that reside out back.

I hope it all works together.

I'll let you all know the progress in a few days.







"You haven't lived life until you try something once"

 

Keep us posted, sounds good.

 

that sounds cool... keep us posted!!!! Hope it works out for you also!!!

 

Sounds cool... But what are you going to do about the computer?

 

Screw the 4.10's with a 5 speed, stop up to 4.30

Dont fear the gear brother!

 

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, didn't you used to have the DOHC Lightning?? Is this in the same truck, or what happened to that one??

JC

 

I'd take one.

Let us know if it works!

 

If I may say so, I think you are making an un-needed mistake. The gear ratios on that transmission are intended for diesel motors that never see over 3000 rpms. That tranny has a 3.09:1 first gear ratio, which will pretty much make any chance of getting off the line impossible. Second gear is similar to our first, thrid gear is equal to our second, forth gear is 1:1 like our 3rd, and fifth gear is a .71:1 overdrive like our 4th gear. All you are adding is a crazy low first gear, everything else is the same as what we already have, so nothing will change drivability wise with your 4.10s.

If you are looking to cut down the gear ratio for the street, I suggest you consider a Gear Vendors overdrive setup or something similar.

 

Here is mention of the g/v overdrive from Ed on nloc:

The Gearvendors unit was what allowed us to get about 300 miles on a tank of gas running on the highway between race tracks at night. I am running 4.10s and the Gearvendor unit dropped that down to about a 3.50. Noise, top end and gas mileage all improved dramatically using Gearvendors. On the track, the only place we used it was at Texas World Speedway, where on the back straight it was possible to "run out of gear" with the 4.10s, so we used the Gearvendor unit for that run. It added at least 7 mph to our top-end, running just shy of 150 down the straight.

At IRP, we ran about 145 down the straight to the right hairpin turn (in the picture you see above), but did not use the Gearvendor unit.


Dan

 

hey sal... what about the 5 speed automatic tranny that comes in the Lincoln aviator? (the small navigator)
i remember the commercial saying that it came with a 5 speed auto, and started wondering if it would fit the lightning?

 

What could those of us with stock 373's out back look to gain from getting a 5 speed? Whats wrong with the 4 speed? I actually kinda enjoy only having to work through 4 gears since its still a truck. help?

 

The new F150 and F250 will probably have the 5 speed with the correct gearing for the application. I don't think the Exploder/Aviator tranny will hold up unless you beef them up quite a bit.

 

thats why we have Factory Tech, right? LOL

 

The Aviator has the 5R55S, no way it would hold the torque or the weight, it's a very small tranny physically, the clutch surface is tiny, (but it does have single sided plates on some clutches). As for the TorqShift, there is a gasoline version in development now for the 2005 Model year, I'd wait until it's availible, the current model as Sal mentioned is not made for a higher RPM application. What the torqshift does is apply Overdrive in first and third gear, where the 4R100 applies it in 3rd only to give you 4th, the 5R110 "splits" the 1-2 change. It's possible to make the 5R110 a 6 speed with no mechanical changes just software, but the ratios you get don't make sense. I've heard it does use 6 gears on downshifts, but I don't know whether that's true or not. All that said, it's a great big hunk of iron, I honestly believe that a bone stock Torqshift is stronger than a Monster Box, it's a heck of a tranny. The PCM for it is a stand alone unit, it's independent of the engine management, and one really neat feature of Direct Electronic Shift Control (the big bells and whistle feature of the 5R110) is that it analyzes the shift as it occurs, if the input/output ratios are not correct after 90 ms, it cancels the shift and reverts to the previous gear, so it's just bloody impossible to burn up the plates. I don't think we've seen one yet with any burn on the clutch plates. Heck of a box!

Let me know how it goes if you go though with it, I'm interested.

G

 

Have you still got the 3.73s laying around? You might even want 3.55s with that 3.09 first. 3.55s shouldn't be hard to find around here...

BTW 2nd in the Torqueshift is 2.20 and 1st in the 4R100 is 2.71 so they're not really all that similar.