Ive read several posts on the benfits of installing a shift kit. Apparent better shifting with prolonged tranny life. However I spoke to 3 repretable transmission shops and they all said " DONT DO IT " plus it will void your warrenty. Has anyone installed a transgo kit in a 4r100 in the vehicle. The instuctions with the kit are difficult to follow. Comments?

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2000- f150-7700

 

I'm considering a shift kit soon as well but I'm confused by your post. It started out sounding like you were deciding that it's not a good idea, then flipped to wanting know more about doing it anyway. See how when you start doing, or thinking about mods you start blowing off what you might normally consider good judgement.

So anyhow, about these reputable tranny shops. What did they was their reason for not installing them? And who are the shops, just out of curiosity?

As for warranty, of course it would void warranty on the transmission if there was a failure that could be related to the shift kit. But if the appropriate shift kit is installed correctly, and of course you drive it reasonably, you should actually get more life out of it. The tough part is the "drive it reasonably"

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Flyfisher,
do you notice anything odd about this statement? Could there possibly be a conflict of interest? Do you think that transmission shops are hoping for "prolonged transmission life"?

Our trucks (all vehicles) are simply experiments in engineering optimization. Components are built to JUST do the job with little or no factor of safety. Neal the HP Freak's transmission is a perfect example. Optimization is all about reducing weight and ultimately cost. The auto companies walk a fine line between reasonable reliability and service life to cost. Every component in every vehicle on this planet could be improved. The question is how much is it going to cost and is that cost worth it. The 4R70W and the 4R100 ARE NO EXCEPTION!!!! A $120 shift kit is an excellent way to improve your transmission, but Ford's service dept and the many "reputable" transmission shops around the country are betting that most of us don't bother. Their livelihoods depend on it.

All I can say is THINK, THINK, THINK until your brain hurts. Take a break and start again!!!

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'00 5.4L AUTO 4X4 F-150 Lariat
'98 4.0L 5spd Jeep Wrangler Sport
'95 3.8L SC Thunderbird
'02 F-350 PSD CC DRW 6SPD 4X4 Lariat (order this year)
www.hawthorn-engineering.com

 

As an afterthought, talk to people that depend on their transmissions lasting and performing well indefinitely. I’ve installed two trans shift kits. A Baumann Engineering kit in my F-150 and a Transgo kit in my Tbird SC. Before I bought the Transgo I talked to my friend (ibuytoys on the ford-diesel.com board) who installed a Transgo kit in a policewoman’s ’95 SC back in ’96. She now has 160k miles on the original trans and it performs flawlessly. She has had the ATF and filter changed every 30K or so. Now compare this to my father-in-laws ’89 Tbird. The trans started to act up at 110K. By 140K it was in need of a complete rebuild costing over $2000. He decided to donate the car to the kidney foundation. His car was well maintained with trans flushes every couple of years. Now of course this is not scientific, but from what I’ve read, 100k on the stock 4R70W is getting very close to the designed service life. How can you explain the cops SC which is subjected to very severe driving conditions?

Good luck.


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'00 5.4L AUTO 4X4 F-150 Lariat
'98 4.0L 5spd Jeep Wrangler Sport
'95 3.8L SC Thunderbird
'02 F-350 PSD CC DRW 6SPD 4X4 Lariat (order this year)
www.hawthorn-engineering.com

 

The soft shifts are caused by clutch slipping/slow engagement/shift overlap. This equals faster friction material wear. Fast shifts/reduced overlap reduce this, increasing life.

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2000 F-150 XL, RC, LB, 5.4L, 4R70W, 4.10LS,
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