Ok I posted this under a calling factory tech thread but thats probley not the place to go.

What are the options for shift kits for the 4R70W behind a 5.4?

I've heard it's not too good to just use a chip to raise the line pressure.

What kits work and how well?

 

HI!... The two best one's are TRANSGO and BAUMANN ENGINEERING. I would go for the TRANSGO 1ST , then the B/E kit.

 

I agree with Neal...

I have a Baumann kit and I'm very happy with it. Mine's calibrated on setting 3 and does what it advertises it does. I do a lot of towing and it really helps out. Firmer shifts, both up and down, with noticably less slipping of the trans, especially while towing.

I looked at a bunch of posts and decided on the Baumann kit but it was a hard decision. Everybody that has either a Baumann or Transgo seem to be very satisfied.

My kit had everything I needed in it and the instructions were very clear. One thing that I was blown away with was how much detail they gave you on how each modification you did affected the transmission performance. These guys know what they are doing and they make a good attempt at teaching the installer what they need to vs want to know. If you spent some time reading you could custom-program your whole transmission to do exactly what you wanted between gears on both the upshift and down-shift. Of course, I just followed the procedures for setting 3 and was done with it. You can also pretty easily turn the trans back to stock condition. All you modify is the separator plate between the two halves of the valve body and all that entails is drilling out several existing holes to a larger size with the included drill bits. All other parts are provided as a replacement or as an addition to stock parts like spacers, springs, etc...

Take a look at the Transgo kit as well and what some of us have to say about it. The rating on that one are really good, which made my decision hard.

 

How do you know which transmisison you have in your truck? I have a 98' F150 STX XLT 4.6 L automatic with Overdrive, what do I have in my truck, anyone know?

 

There's a way to tell from the plate on the door piller but all I did was call the local Ford dealer and gave them my VIN number. They told me over the phone and were right on.

You probably have the 4r70w like most of the late model 150s that are not Lightnings...

 

HI!... Al 4.6 equipped F-150's have the 4R70-W tranny and the 8.8 rearend.

 

Where do you get the Baumann kit?

 

www.baumannengineering.com

 

I installed the TransGo Shift Kit and a Superchips.
When you talk with an experienced (older), transmission tech they may refer to the 4R70W as an AODE. I guess they are the same because my shift kit came with AODE on the package.

 

Yeah, I got my kit directly from Baumann Engineering. The package does say 4r70w/AODE on it. I'm not sure what the differences are but the calibration/installation instructions do not make any specific references to the AODE or 4r70w.

 

I read on another site that was srictly tranny related that the AODE and the 4R70W were identical except for the 4R70W having slightly heavier construction and a wider gear ratio, Hence The "W" in 4R70W