trans kits

[Blackbetty]

I have a 85 would like to put a trans pak in but is it worth my time and will it damage my u-joints as there are 6 let me know ken

 

[markone]

Loaded question Ken. By trans Pak I assume you are referring to a "shift Kit" for an automatic? If yes then there are a number of factors.. is horsepower remaining the same? How hard (quick) will the shifts be? Generally a quicker, more positive shift is better for the trans but with increased horsepower a more violent shift will put more stress, load on the entire drive train and ultimately the u-joints. I would venture to say with no increase in stock HP a trans pak should not shorten U-joint life substantially, however if you are increasing HP and drivung the car hard you may encounter problems if you do not "beef up" the drive train.

 

[Robertwav1]

Thought I would add this. We put a shift kit in a 5.0 mustang cause the shifts were way soft after driving the vette. After the change it shifted more like the vette. I guess what I'm saying is I'm really happy with the auto in the vette and haven't came accross an auto trans in any other car that acted as well. Be interesting to hear other comments.

 

[74bigblock]

I just put a shift kit in my turbo 400... picked it up yesterday. Gotta be the best $300 I ever spent on the car.

 

[C4Tom]

Yes, the harder shifts will put added stress on the u-joints. That's kinda obvious as well as most mods to your car will add driveline stress. If your Vette has quite a few miles, you might want to install new u-joints. There is always the possibility that it will shorten the life of the rearend as well.

The softer factory shift in every production vehicle is like that for added lifespan of components and for driver comfort. The quicker shift can increase transmission life since the softer shifts tend to heat the fluid causing transmission wear.

I would say that when you install the shift kit, and it usually has multiple settings, set it up for whatever is the medium setting. If you like barking the tires you will love a shift kit.