Nothing but a rant!

<rant>

Moral: You can't win if your trans won't shift.

OK... Launching off the line is never the high point of any sprint. The power overcomes the traction very easily so I've had to learn to slowly ease into the throttle to keep maximum accelartion going. However... getting the tranny to shift is simply one of the most difficult things imagineable! It is possible to get it just right but it's so darn hard it's almost not worth trying anymore.

It has really gotten to be somewhat depressing. I've got so much speed on so many cars out there but I'm stymied time and time again by the fact that the trans just won't shift! Don't lift enough and watch smoke start spewing out the back as you say hello to the rev-limiter and you watch the other vehicle pull away. Lift off too much and the other vehicle launches away from you in first. No problem you'll pull him back in as soon as you shift but the problem is 2nd gear is so d*&m short that just as you see visible progress pulling him back in you have to lift again to get into third. ARGGHHHHHH....

From a roll in second/third it is literally no contest with many of the cars out there. From a dead stop if I'm accelerating past 2nd gear it's hit or miss (with more misses) as to whether the car can show it's true potential.

Doesn't anyone out there have a real shift-kit, valve body, trans ECU that will make these d*&m transmissions shift well under power?!? I don't want to spend $3K on an experiment. I mean a proven solution?!?

Can you tell I had a recent encounter that I feel I should have easily "won"?

</rant>

I feel somewhat better....

 

I feel for you bro. I fused the clutches in my tranny because of the excessive horsepower and torque after my turbo mod. (400 horse, 500 torque). Had Sound Performance do the rebuild with stickier clutches pressure mods etc, but their tranny guy said it would be best to limit hard runs and expect future problems because the tranny just was not designed to handle that kind of power. He figured broken sprags would be next and unlike the supra tranny there aren't the beefier parts available. They would like to try a GM tranny with an overdrive add on,but this would be a ton of money. Will keep looking for a solution and if I find any info I'll post it . Good luck

 

Mr. J........there is a company that makes a shift ECU for our trannies, it is fully programmable, and in theory will fix the issues that we are facing. I do not know of anyone that has tried one yet though, me and Mo have been talking about trying it on my car when we get to that point.....I believe it somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 to $700 bucks. I will get the web site for you and forward the information to you asap.

 

Please do! Mo has talked about a trans ECU for years! If someone, something finally has it I'd like to know. Heck I'm even tempted to contact PFS since I know they have high HP auto IS300s that shift good.

Sometimes It stinks living in the midwest.

 

This ECU is not the one that MO has been tallking about making for awhile. This is actually made by another compnay out of Virginia, they have a web site but I cant remember the name of the place. I have also heard through the grape vine that PFS said that they can fix this issue on the FI GS' as well, but they were in the midst of moving their shop into Maryland at the time and did not have time to take on the project. This has been a few months since I have heard that, so they may be in a position to move on with their ideas on fixing it as well. Im hoping to find the fix to this issue by the time the rest of my project is complete, it makes no sense to go the distance to end up with a tranny that catn di the job. Im going up to SRT in the morning, I will get the info for you.

 

TTurboPimp: Any word?

 

Any one willing to be the guinea pig? www.levelten.com . It's called the the PTS shifttronic transmission controller. Let us know.

 

Not sure I want to be a level 10 guinea pig.

Edit: Is it fully programmable?!?

 

It says you can control shift firmness from a cockpit controller

 

A tranny controller would definitely be nice, quicker shifts under load would definitely be a good thing.

We also NEED to be able to raise the rev limiter on the engine ECU...

 

any more info on this?

 

CL member turned me onto these guys what do you think

www.ipttrans.com

REAR WHEEL DRIVE

* Valve body is custom calibrated to provide the ultimate in clutch application power and clamping force (The modifications performed by us are a proprietary design and are unavailable elsewhere)
* Virtually indestructible Raybestos Blue Plates and Kolene Steels are installed in all shifting clutches
* New one way clutches (sprags) are installed in all locations
* Planetary splines are heat treated to prevent stripping
* Metalax treatment is applied to input shaft to eliminate stress related failure
* Sun shell is heat treated to prevent spline stripping
* New design high flow solenoid assemblies are installed
* Lube system is redesigned to provide increased flow and cooler operation
* Performance pressure regulator boost valve is installed to prevent sluggish line pressure rise and to increase clutch holding ability.

NOTE: This unit is the strongest configuration that can be achieved with this Toyota transmission. However, if you are running much faster than 9.99 we recommend the installation of a domestic three speed or Powerglide transmission. These units also enable you to enjoy the many benefits of a Trans Brake and 8", 9", or 10" torque converter. See our specialty RWD section or call us for details.

A340 (86-92), 93-up 30-40LE, A340E, A340F, A340E, Jeep AW4: $2875
A341E and A340E, Lexus, Supra 2JZ-GTE: $3075
A340H 4Runner - $call$
Please call or email us to order a complete transmission.

 

yea IPT are great they just did a valve body upgrade on my car. John is a really nice guy, knows his stuff. He owns a 9sec mitsubishi + is very familiar w/ supras

 

Mr. J......my fault, I forgot all about this thread.....here is the link to the place I was talking about.

http://www.powertraincontrolsolution...content-4.html

I will have this on my car in the near future, so I will let you know how it works out.

 

I had their tranny controller on my IS300, and will also soon get it on my GS!! If you need any help setting it up lemme know - we're even somewhat local!