T-56 Strength

[xpauliber]

I'm going to build an ls1 with some high performance mods, and use a t-56 six speed. I'm wondering how much horsepower a stock t-56 can take before it needs to be rebuilt with better components?

[MadSeason]

5-600

[30thbird]

Zat so? Transmissions do not see nor care about HP. Transmissions see torque - torque that is actually hooked to the ground( spinning releaves torque). The T56 in the Fcar is rated at 400lb-ft. The highest rated T56 ( VGX/ 03-04 Viper & SRT-10Ram) has a 500lb-ft limit.

[Ric]

Good call on the torque dealio there, Bird. Now does anyone know the differences in the two transmissions?

[MadSeason]

viper and corvette trans are geared closer and provide better acceleration.. think i said that right

[hammertime]

viper and corvette trans are geared closer and provide better acceleration.. think i said that right

Actually the ratios in all LS1 f-body's, most vette's and vipers are the same:

1st 2.66
2nd 1.78
3rd 1.30
4th1.00
5th 0.75
6th 0.50

ZO6 vettes get different ratios

1st 2.97
2nd 2.07
3rd 1.43
4th1.00
5th 0.84
6th 0.56

As for durability, I know that different companies like keisler or dts can replace the weak points with stronger hardware.

Hope this helps!

Hammer

[Tobynine9]

I thought the Z06 used a transaxle.

[Tobynine9]

Will the ZF transmission from the LT1 Corvettes bolt onto an F-Body LS1? I remember the ratios on my dad's '94 C4 being much closer (especially on the 1-2 shift) than on my T-56. Could you bolt a Viper tranny onto an F-Body?

[Tobynine9]

Nevermind, I looked up all the ratios. They're pretty similar. Why does it take so long for the 1-2 shift then? Seems like it takes forever for the revs to drop.

[30thbird]

Besides th obvious configurations for front vs rear/ transaxle mount, all T56 share similar parts. The Corvettes. CTS-Vs and GTOs have a different synchronizer set and this makes the gears ( and synchros) not interchangeable with F car T56s with the same ratios.

[MadSeason]

Besides th obvious configurations for front vs rear/ transaxle mount, all T56 share similar parts. The Corvettes. CTS-Vs and GTOs have a different synchronizer set and this makes the gears ( and synchros) not interchangeable with F car T56s with the same ratios.

As for the corvettes I know for a fact the gears and other internals are interchangable with the fbody t56, my camaro needed a rebuild and a guy who specialized on t56 (Rodney Massengale) reinfored that tranny and gave me the closer gear ratio... didn't have to pay for it either since the idiot that installed it forgot to fill it all the way up with fluid... never seen so much melted black metal before in my life until then, night and day difference with the acceleration

[Tobynine9]

ok, so it's not just me, is it? the gear ratios do feel really far apart, don't they? you have to wait so long for the revs to drop or go ahead and drop the clutch and risk spinning the rears out and losing traction.

[MadSeason]

i wouldnt say they're that bad stock but if you start modding def change the rear out to something smaller to feel the power. its been so long since i drove the stock power band i've almost forgotten it

[30thbird]

I will restate: they( gears) are NOT interchangeable and I do know this for a fact. I base this on knowledge not hearsay.They can be used as sets but individual gears may not be swapped from a Vette T56 without the full set of parts being used( gears ,synchros and input/ output shafts). If you have the vette gears they changed alot of parts( hence not interchangeable).

[MadSeason]

As for the corvettes I know for a fact the gears and other internals are interchangable with the fbody t56, my camaro needed a rebuild and a guy who specialized on t56 (Rodney Massengale) reinfored that tranny and gave me the closer gear ratio... didn't have to pay for it either since the idiot that installed it forgot to fill it all the way up with fluid... never seen so much melted black metal before in my life until then, night and day difference with the acceleration

We're on the same page now

[samsonn25]

The T56 has been used in applications including corvettes, f-body and vipers in more than 1100+ hp and can still survive on the street.

[MadSeason]

The T56 has been used in applications including corvettes, f-body and vipers in more than 1100+ hp and can still survive on the street.

Do you have proof it wasn't reinforced

[hammertime]

The T56 has been used in applications including corvettes, f-body and vipers in more than 1100+ hp and can still survive on the street.

Not gonna say bs - I'm sure you could probably drive a stock T56 behind an 1100 hp motor. But I'm also sure you couldn't expect much but a giant shiny puddle under the car if you tried to use 1100 hp and a sticky tire.

[samsonn25]

The T56 is one of the strongest 6 sp factory transmissions ever offered in a production car. The latest version including the M10, and Tremec. There are alot of guys running these in their 9 and 10 second rides. The factory 6 sp in the Supra TT cars are very strong also, they are used in 700-1200 hp applications. Hennessy and Lingenfelter are putting forced induction on their cars and doing outrageous stuff too.

Again the car is a whole system, the weakest link in this system being the Rear-end first. Once upgraded then the next part is the tranny, but it is very very strong. For track use with slicks it may be upgraded for more reliability, or some people use the Auto for more consistent launches. I drive my car mostly on the street so I am happy I dont have to spend mega bucks for a race tranny where I could put it into the engine to produce more power. All I am saying is the 90-06 T56 is a blessing from GM.