Modding my Gsx by Tech Path , recommended tranny ups?

[andakanda]

Hi guys

I have an auto tranny , 97 gsx and i need some advice on what to do with my tranny

I am completely green when it comes to this subject , so any help would be much appreciated.


Im following the upgrade path step by step here to mod my car, im going for around 290-300whp
currently at Stage 1 : 275-300hp Tech Guide: 2G 4G63t Upgrades: Stage 1 Power - DSMtuners

The only tranny parts i've been looking at are the ones in the tech section here @dsm , located here ; DSM A/T Parts - DSMtuners.com


Can anyone share som experiences or recommend some items that is a MUST for my tranny ? Remember im going for 300whp so i guess the tranny must be able to take a beating

Thnx

 

[the_mork]

Your stock tranny will probably hold 300hp for a while but you'll wear out your end clutches relatively quickly.

That said if I were starting over with my car the first thing I would have done as far as the transmission is the installation of a Translab shift kit and an IPT end clutch kit with a new filter, gasket, and fluid. Those parts will run less than $200 and take less than 4 hours to fully install without ever having to drop the transmission. The result will be a transmission that should be reasonably reliable up to around 400hp. I suggest doing these sooner rather than later because you're going to have to do them at some point and you might as well not ruin a transmission first.

 

[andakanda]

wow is that all it takes, i was fearing another 1000$ out the door

thnx

have you done this yourself the__mork ?

 

[the_mork]

Yes, end clutches take about 10 minutes for the clutches and plates alone and about 30 minutes if you do the seals as well. Do the seals as well.

The shift kit takes longer and requires a drill, but it is still fairly easy so long as you carefully read your directions.

Another thing to consider is that there are things outside of your tranny that you can do to extend transmission life. If you start getting wheelhop you need to fix it. Basically stiffer motor mounts and front suspension bushings will significantly reduce wheelhop which can cause differential damage. Basically not taking care of this cost me a tranny at one point when wheel hop shattered my differential and shot bits of gear through the side of my transmission. Bushings and motor mounts are a bit of a pain to do but they aren't that expensive and they help both traction and handling as well.

If you are going to be abusing your transmission you should also think about an upgraded transmission cooler. Just having 300 or more hp wont require an upgraded cooler but using that extra horsepower continuously such as in a track situation would probably make the $80 investment worthwhile.

I've killed one transmission, and I'm almost through another one, but they both lived long hard lives, and neither of them had an upgraded cooler, or a modified valve body (at least for the majority of their lives), or upgraded mounts for that matter. Now my current transmission has a modified valve body and it has been beneficial enough to give it some extra life before it is completely gone. For the sake of comparison though it should be noted that I'm also making more power than you plan to.

If you still have some budget then there are other things that you can do with your transmission for better performance even if they don't necessarily increase transmission life. IPT provides custom stall adjustments which will significantly improve your car's performance without adding significantly more wear, and according to them it is the best bang for the buck performance upgrade available for an automatic car. After that you can get yourself an eprom tcu and have a custom chip burned for it. A custom chip will change shift points, line pressure, and potentially other characteristics of your transmission so that you can rev higher and customize the behavior for your needs.