By all means avoid SGP and doing business with them at all costs especially on the Auto Trans stuff, there are numerous people that got ripped off by Mark at SGP and paid for built trans and got stock trans with a TC.

Bad NEWZ for sure.

Ive heard good about the SFR VB Upgrade and have read 400-450 should be fine with that and a TC upgrade as well.

There are people out there that can build the trans and upgrade clutch packs and all but I would guess youre looking upwards of 4-5k to have someone do that for you and then how do you really know if they did it until you try to run the vehicle?

 

*** all that, yall are way deeper in the whole upgrade than me im still doin research so i know one of you can help or take me under your wing. I have yet to do any mods. first of all second, Clearify what is the best upgrade as far as power for a 04 AT? Then once that is settled where do i go a perfomance moder for the install, doit my self, or dealer. And what am i sacrificing by using a turbo or super charger? help me please....

 

^ ^ Read FI for noobs...

 

If you're putting down about 350whp/330~350TQ, do you still have to upgrade the vb, TQ converter and Tranny cooler?

 

I would still go with the vb and cooler but just skip the tc as the tc is pretty much just for 1/4 mile times.The faster shifts alone are worth the mod and the cooler a tranny runs the longer it lasts.

 

I want to put a more aggressive VB in all automatic cars after I upgraded mine.

Just feels right.

 

Thanks guys. Now I just need to ride in a 5AT with the VB and cooler so I can see the difference for myself.

 

Finally getting around to fixing my AT....for those that say 400trq is ok on our AT they're wrong.

Mine finally went and car sitting in garage. I'm wondering why even upgrade the TC or VB? In long run do those mods prolong life of your AT? what exactly is a built AT?

 

That is what I have been saying all along, eventually it is going to go out with that amount of torque.

 

Heat is the #1 killer of automatic transmissions. A valve body reduces heat caused by friction by provider for firmer, quicker shifts that are a bit more jarring, but prevent the gentle, slipping engagement of the clutch packs, which generate so much heat.

Thus, keeping transmissions temps under control is critical! Keeping the clutch packs from slipping is critical as that generates heat while wearing out the frictional elements.

To do that, you need to:

1. Monitor temps and add an appropriate cooler to keep temps in optimal operating range (175 to 200 deg F).

2. Employ a VB upgrade to prevent slipping the clutch packs.

3. Depending on the stress you subject the transmission to, upgrade the clutch packs with higher friction, heavier duty counterparts that can handle high heat, high input torque without degrading.

Nothing lasts forever. By employing what's recommended in steps 1, 2, 3 above (along with frequent ATF changes) you will lengthen the time to failure. Obviously the higher the input torque, the shorter the time to failure. Employ the modifications that you can afford. Good luck.

PS. Heat degrades ATF, with synthetic ATF (like matic-J) being more resistant. The ability for ATF to prevent component wear (by reducing friction) decreases over time. At 200 deg F, synthetic ATF may be good for 30k miles. At 250, it may be good for 5k. Change the ATF as frequently as your oil if you're running FI and you can also lengthen your time to failure.

 

Why not just upgrade the clutchpacks to higher grade material that can handle more heat?

Rathar than spend money to maintain our stock AT which will eventually go if you've got any serious trq.