I have been reading for the past few days and hearing alot about Transgo shift kits and not much about B&M. Does Transgo make a better shift kit than B&M or does it just happen to be used more often because of price? I have a bone stock 88 IROC-Z with the L03 engine and I'm looking for performance from my 700-R4. After the shift kit is in I plan on switching to 3.73 gears on my limited slip rear-end....will posi really make that much difference? I'm just looking for better acceleration and quick shifts for a better 0-60 time (I'm a street racing addict already), I don't need a high top end. I will do more mods later but I'm just a highschool kid on a tight budget. Any suggestions on which kit to go with, not considering price? Has anyone used both Transgo and B&M and can tell me which they liked better? Any help would be great. Thanks, Justin.

 

Go with the Transgo kit. There are many people who have had problems after using the B&M kit. I'm sure anyone else here could tell you the same.

 

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.

 

Thanks for the help guys. What about posi vs. limited slip rear-end ? Do I have better acceleration in 3rd and 4th gear with 2.73's now than with 3.73's or will each gear get better just not as high top speed when at the top end of 4th gear? Transfixoleo, can I get the better Transgo kit threw my local auto shop, Pepboy's, Autozone, Jeg's, JCWhitney, or Summit? Thanks again, Justin.

 

Here is a link for the TransGo Kit:
http://www.hptransparts.com/MM007.ASP?pageno=89

The lower you go on gearing the better the acceleration but since we are essentially talking about leverage, remember that the bigger the rock you can move, the shorter you will move it. Same with the rear gears, if you go too low you will start to lose top end. That is why for most of these cars the 3.42's are about the best compromise between acceleration and speed/mileage.

 

I carry everything of Trans-Go's, and anything else that is needed to do this right (answering questions, technical information, etc.). If I can be of help give me a call at 800 7763288 M-S 10-6 PST.

 

I've used B&M kits (Transpack)on TH350's with great success in the past, but when I went to check out a kit for the th700r4 the kit doesn't include this and that and by the time I priced out all the extra parts, it was not a good deal. My friend (a trans mech)
advised me against the B&M kit for this trans cause of the way they go about modifying for better shifts. (blocking valves
and disabling accumulators) The pros on this
message board seem to have the same opinion.