im rebuilding my trans and while im at it im thinking of installing b&m's stage 2 shift kit i was just wondering how many of u guys have this and what are its advantages also is it hard to install
and what other brands if so would u recamend

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CHRIS
1983 firebird transam

 

First off, what a Shift Kit ISN'T. Most people associate the term Shift Kit with tire chirping shifts. Actually Shift Kit is a trademarked name coined and owned by TransGo Since 1959. The purpose of a Shift Kit is to correct the weak points of a given transmission. In most cases when someone complains of soft or slipping shifts it isn't BECAUSE if these complaints that they fail but rather there is a malfunction that leads TO the burned/glazed frictions and the poor shift quality is the result. There are many kit's out there designed to give you firm shifts but if that isn't the cause of your problem it isn't fixing them.
For example, in a 700 you have problems with delayed pressure rise which allows the clutches or band to slip until the pressure catches up. If you don't fix this, it doesn't matter if you put the Vette servo in or the .500 TV boost valve or not. They will only mask the problem. This problem is there whether it is a grocery getter or 5.7 IROC. The TransGo Shift Kit corrects this and other problems that these have. This kit however isn't available to the general public because of the technical knowledge required.

They do however have something that I think most of you are after though. It is called a Reprogramming Kit or also a High Performance Shift Kit. It has the basic fixes that the Shift Kit has and it has features to give the tranny HD/HP capabilities such as greater manual control and higher horsepower and torque handling ability. The 700 kit also includes some pieces for when the unit is O/H'ed to give it higher RPM capability (at higher RPM, residual oil can drag the 3-4 clutches on even when they should be off). This kit (the commercial version) has a video to aid in the installation too.

 

So is the B&M kit bad? I have it and my tranny is running good. Just wondering if its all a gimmick


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1987 T/A GTA 5.7L, Bored .020 and ported for .202 valves, edelbrock headers, flowmaster exhaust, JET STAGE II chip, Comp CAM, Adjustable fuel pressure, Airfoil, K&N filter, B&M stage 2 shift kit, and a home depot ram air(Hey it looks good and it works)

 

First, a little history. The name Shift Kit is a registered trademark of TransGo. TransGo was started in 1959 with the intention of finding the causes of complaints and failures in a particular transmission and converting that info into a kit that could be installed in the tranny.
You would be surprised that a true Shift Kit does NOT make hard shifts and is intended for passenger car and light truck use. They spend sometimes years researching a tranny to see what it does right and what it's weak points are before they can finally offer a Shift Kit for it. They also make a Reprogramming Kit which uses the Shift Kit for a particular tranny and adds HP/HD capability, and yes firmer shifts too. They generally speaking will give you the ability to select any lower gear or hold a gear to any speed with the shifter.

B&M and the like, on the other hand always have the same goal in mind: Hard Shifts. To accomplish this they have a set formula that gets applied to every transmission. A) Block or limit the smoothing devices (accumulators). B) Jack up the line pressure. C) Hog out the feed holes. The result is always hard shifts but often that has nothing to do with WHY a tranny fails and is more a RESULT of another problem causing soft, slipping shifts.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by transfixleo:
[B]First, a little history. The name Shift Kit is a registered trademark of TransGo. TransGo was started in 1959 with the intention of finding the causes of complaints and failures in a particular transmission and converting that info into a kit that could be installed in the tranny.
You would be surprised that a true Shift Kit does NOT make hard shifts and is intended for passenger car and light truck use. They spend sometimes years researching a tranny to see what it does right and what it's weak points are before they can finally offer a Shift Kit for it. They also make a Reprogramming Kit which uses the Shift Kit for a particular tranny and adds HP/HD capability, and yes firmer shifts too. They generally speaking will give you the ability to select any lower gear or hold a gear to any speed with the shifter.

B&M and the like, on the other hand always have the same goal in mind: Hard Shifts. To accomplish this they have a set formula that gets applied to every transmission. A) Block or limit the smoothing devices (accumulators). B) Jack up the line pressure. C) Hog out the feed holes. The result is always hard shifts but often that has nothing to do with WHY a tranny fails and is more a RESULT of another problem causing soft, slipping shifts.

Thanks for the explanation. Is B&M the reason for the following? When Im selected in first gear, the tranny only holds it untill 4500RPM then it kicks out of the gear until the car slows a little. Then it re engages and the back tires are chirping from the deceleration and hoping around and the like. Just wondering if this is normal. And what your thoughts are on that GM part that allows the tranny to hold the overdrive gear longer befor the downshift. I.E from 1/2 throttle to 3/4 throttle.


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1987 T/A GTA 5.7L, Bored .020 and ported for .202 valves, edelbrock headers, flowmaster exhaust, JET STAGE II chip, Comp CAM, Adjustable fuel pressure, Airfoil, K&N filter, B&M stage 2 shift kit, and a home depot ram air(Hey it looks good and it works)

 

The Trans-Go Performance Shift kits have this feature,(the ability to hold any gear to any speed). If the transmission upshifts while you are holding the lever in First gear ,immediately move the lever to Second. Do not let the transmission downshift like you describe, you can or will break something. The valve you are talking about that prevents 4-3 downshifts at higher speeds was stock in the 1992 Corvettes not sure if it was available on 1991 Vettes. You can the same results by blocking the part-throttle downshift passages in the plunger sleeve with two small Allen plugs ($0.34 total). This prevents the transmission from hunting. If you really need third, give it a little gas and move the lever from 4 to 3. This is the easiest on the overrun clutches and the input sprag. At lower speeds the transmission the transmission will in most cases still make the 4-3 downshift downshift.
Hope This Helps!!!

 

Thanks for the clarification. Now can I still put a trans go kit in and remove the B&M. I have also noticed that my Tranny really wont let the car above 4500RPM in any gear. It just upshifts. Will Transgo allow me to get up into the 5000RPM area? Thanks



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1987 T/A GTA 5.7L, Bored .020 and ported for .202 valves, edelbrock headers, flowmaster exhaust, JET STAGE II chip, Comp CAM, Adjustable fuel pressure, Airfoil, K&N filter, B&M stage 2 shift kit, and a home depot ram air(Hey it looks good and it works)

 

I have a stage 2 B&M kit in my car. 350 TPI 700-R4 with 3.23 gears

I wasn't really that impressed with it. You can feel the shift from 1/2 in OD. In drive or 2nd gear from 1/2 it will chirp off the tires. If I stand on it at 25 mph it will burn off the tires on the down shift then burn them off again on the up shift. Other than that not really noticeable it did cut 5 hunderdths of a sec off of my best 0-60 mph time not really worth the 30 dollar kit and the 270 bucks for installation tho.

 

With the Trans-Go Performance kit you can take any gear to any rpm.

 

fyi all auto corvettes with the 700r4 from 82-early 93 allow shift into od at wot, and will not downshift to 3rd at high speed.



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1984 Z51 Auto, Ported and polished intake, K&N, MSD, Ram air/Cold air intake, no cat, no AIR, no egr, no swirls plates

 

You could be right!?, but of all the "Corvette" 700R4's I have built this valve & sleeve I am referring to (TV valve & plunger bushing) did not show up until the early 1990's. If the Corvette offered this feature before that year (1990 apx.), they did it in another way, which I somehow looked over.

 

Hi Pro, I think you will find they use a similar valve to what is offered in the GM 3-4 Valve Kit.