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View Full Version : Question: 4l60e or 4l80e


twoolley08
09-11-2008, 08:39 PM
which trans is better and why the 4l60e or the 4l80e. what holds up the best? what tranny would you guys go with?

JwMonE99
09-12-2008, 08:54 PM
4l80e

shady milkman
09-12-2008, 09:01 PM
biggest downfall of the 4l80e.....its a tank..and requires A LOT of custom fab work for it to fit...the 4l60e is a good trans until you start really straining it..mid-heavy modds...a better choice..the th400

02blackz
09-24-2008, 07:32 AM
i think i read somewhere in a mag that some parts are interchangeable which will make the 4l60e durable and stronger.?

shady milkman
09-24-2008, 11:44 AM
i think i read somewhere in a mag that some parts are interchangeable which will make the 4l60e durable and stronger.?

shouldnt be...the 4l80e is a tank and physically larger...sure you weren't thinking of the 4l65e ?

PFM
09-24-2008, 12:13 PM
I would recommend a Performabuit Stage 2 4L60E. It is rated at 700rwhp. So far mine has been a good one. I wasted 2 rebuids on my stock 4L60E and I couldn't ever get it to shift right. And I had it rebuilt with the extra wide bands,Raybestos Zpack race clutchs, and the good Transgo shift kits and it NEVER performed correctly. I don't think you can build one as good as you can buy one. Now on a stock engine your rebuilt 4L60e would be fine. But on a modded car it is a waste of money.

shady milkman
09-24-2008, 02:22 PM
weird! torque kills transmissions doesnt it
i'd be more worried about its torque rating then hp

shady milkman
09-24-2008, 02:23 PM
but i will agree go with performancebuilt trans....good company they run

02blackz
09-25-2008, 05:16 PM
im not sure Shady Milkman, but it was something about the planetary gears being that the 4l60e has 4 and a similiar one has 5 and some other compatible small parts. i think it was a CHP mag, they were doing an article on a 94-96 Caprice that hauld ass for being such a whale. wait, that was the name of the project "Killer Whale".

shady milkman
09-26-2008, 08:56 AM
im not sure Shady Milkman, but it was something about the planetary gears being that the 4l60e has 4 and a similiar one has 5 and some other compatible small parts. i think it was a CHP mag, they were doing an article on a 94-96 Caprice that hauld ass for being such a whale. wait, that was the name of the project "Killer Whale".

hmm i'll take your work

qwkgto
10-18-2008, 07:14 AM
id go the 4l80 if you will even be close to 700,anything more its not even a question 4l80e all the way!

shady milkman
10-18-2008, 08:01 AM
id go the 4l80 if you will even be close to 700,anything more its not even a question 4l80e all the way!

a former member here is running 700rwhp-ish with a flt built 4l60e

qwkgto
10-18-2008, 03:10 PM
a former member here is running 700rwhp-ish with a flt built 4l60e
and your point?I have had 8 of them in and out of my car in the last year alone,nuff said? maybe ok in a lighter fbody but the GTO eats em:bomb:I am talking from personal experiences.I have the better 4l65e its not a daily driver,just a toy i drive and take to track,when you get less then 2 months out of one ,thats built by a very well known shop,time to look for something stronger ,my vote is for a 4l80.

shady milkman
10-18-2008, 04:43 PM
and your point?I have had 8 of them in and out of my car in the last year alone,nuff said? maybe ok in a lighter fbody but the GTO eats em:bomb:I am talking from personal experiences.I have the better 4l65e its not a daily driver,just a toy i drive and take to track,when you get less then 2 months out of one ,thats built by a very well known shop,time to look for something stronger ,my vote is for a 4l80.

some one is a lil ass hurt here i think..take a chill point..how do you like the 65e ? who built your trans ?

ntimid8r
10-20-2008, 12:31 PM
I've been reading threads about this lately 'cause I need to do something with my trans.

From what I understand....the 4l80e is much stronger out of the box. Has a heavy duty input shaft as where the 4l60e does not. So basically a stock 4l80e can take alot of punishment. The downside is that it's much heavier and also the gearing in it is designed for a truck....since that's what they came in. It's rather costly to get different gearing. There are some "conversion" steps to be taken to make one fit in an fbody.....also it needs a different torque converter. I just spent $1k on a vig multi disc unit so I may just stick with the 4l60e so I don't incur another converter expense.

As with everything.....it comes down to preference really. Each of these transmissions have their pro's and con's. As does the TH400 too.
:seesaw:

Mr. Luos
10-20-2008, 12:38 PM
a former member here is running 700rwhp-ish with a flt built 4l60e
Only company I would have build an automatic as well. :)


For a street car, the 4l60e built up.
For a drag car, TH400.

I wouldn't bother with getting the 4l80e to fit.

shady milkman
10-20-2008, 02:36 PM
I've been reading threads about this lately 'cause I need to do something with my trans.

From what I understand....the 4l80e is much stronger out of the box. Has a heavy duty input shaft as where the 4l60e does not. So basically a stock 4l80e can take alot of punishment. The downside is that it's much heavier and also the gearing in it is designed for a truck....since that's what they came in. It's rather costly to get different gearing. There are some "conversion" steps to be taken to make one fit in an fbody.....also it needs a different torque converter. I just spent $1k on a vig multi disc unit so I may just stick with the 4l60e so I don't incur another converter expense.

As with everything.....it comes down to preference really. Each of these transmissions have their pro's and con's. As does the TH400 too.
:seesaw:

also there is more of a problem with the planetary gears etc with poor oil circulation and lubercation that causes the 4l60Es to burn up 9 out of 10 times

twoolley08
10-21-2008, 07:29 PM
to f***in bad i cant put an allison 6 spd in this ta hahaha i loved tranny in my 07 duramax. i have never beat up anything so bad in my life and i never broke it once, i tryed like hell to break it and never could not even over heat it....even slammin the gears on the tap shift didnt hurt it.

qwkgto
10-22-2008, 07:31 AM
some one is a lil ass hurt here i think..take a chill point..how do you like the 65e ? who built your trans ?
Bottom line,the 4l60 and the 4l65e will not take the abuse! and sore no im not sore unless you count my back from putting trans in and out of car 8 times in last year,I was racing cars back when you were in our moms belly there milky,im betting you never even had enough power to brake a trans and the tran am is prob the first rear wheel car you have ever had the pleasure of driving..lol
the forum is in here in part to inform readers,im NOt here to have a pissing match with you..trust me the builder is a very well known one,the trans I have works great until i brake it again,last time i broke it was the billet impeller on the converter and took out the front pump,you know the part of the converter that goes into the front of the transmission.

shady milkman
10-22-2008, 11:45 AM
I was racing cars back when you were in our moms belly there milky,im betting you never even had enough power to brake a trans and the tran am is prob the first rear wheel car you have ever had the pleasure of driving..lol
.

weird...i am still trying to figure out what that has to do with anything ? but yes the trans am is my first rear wheel drive car..but i have got to drive a 93 viper a 05 viper srt-10 a 06 or 05 c6 z06 .. a 01 vette and a 07 c6 so i mean whats your point ? you dont think i have enough power to break my trans..fair enough..but for the price you have had to pay for 8+ trans in a year..i think thats a good thing..and i guess you being older then me automatically (get it automatic) makes you cooler then me and its a diss..in which case my grandfather whips your ass in the coolness department.

shady milkman
10-22-2008, 11:48 AM
and who is your builder ???? and from re-reading this thread..i am sorry..i think i took your post out of context..sorry man :hug:

qwkgto
10-22-2008, 12:09 PM
weird...i am still trying to figure out what that has to do with anything ? but yes the trans am is my first rear wheel drive car..but i have got to drive a 93 viper a 05 viper srt-10 a 06 or 05 c6 z06 .. a 01 vette and a 07 c6 so i mean whats your point ? you dont think i have enough power to break my trans..fair enough..but for the price you have had to pay for 8+ trans in a year..i think thats a good thing..and i guess you being older then me automatically (get it automatic) makes you cooler then me and its a diss..in which case my grandfather whips your ass in the coolness department.
well let me spell it out for you I was not trying to diss you simply stating the facts,the builder has fixed my transmissions for free after i purchased it the first time,you kids come on here stating this and that, probally first real car ever owned with a v-8 this makes u an expert,have you ever read up on the facts on the forums on the 4l60 series trans mission NOT one car in the country thats FAST has one thats held up for any amount of time..lol..then again im looking at your post count 13,157 so you spend all day discrediting what people in the know has to say?lol..ps I have written my $.002 on what I think of the trans deal.continue on.ps tell ur gramps hes cool..lmfao..

qwkgto
10-22-2008, 12:14 PM
and who is your builder ???? and from re-reading this thread..i am sorry..i think i took your post out of context..sorry man :hug:
AH its all good maybe we get more people to veiw this site,good argument brings em..lol

shady milkman
10-22-2008, 01:36 PM
well let me spell it out for you I was not trying to diss you simply stating the facts,the builder has fixed my transmissions for free after i purchased it the first time,you kids come on here stating this and that, probally first real car ever owned with a v-8 this makes u an expert,have you ever read up on the facts on the forums on the 4l60 series trans mission NOT one car in the country thats FAST has one thats held up for any amount of time..lol..then again im looking at your post count 13,157 so you spend all day discrediting what people in the know has to say?lol..ps I have written my $.002 on what I think of the trans deal.continue on.ps tell ur gramps hes cool..lmfao..

like i said there are a few folks driving around with modded 4l60Es that are running 700+ is it common..no but its not like the 4l60E is some trash bag transmission..and also what i said is there are better options then the 4l80e for a f-body or even a gto. the 4l80e is not the end all transmission.

buddyholly
10-24-2008, 05:46 PM
Simple.
4l60e may hold up.
4l80e will hold up.
4l80e is not much heavier but will take work to fit.

moesplace
10-24-2008, 06:44 PM
which trans is better and why the 4l60e or the 4l80e. what holds up the best? what tranny would you guys go with?

Is your Trans Bad? What are your plans A DD Drag only street racing?Choice of Trans depends on what you plan to do.What kinds of mods you have.You ask a question got some answers NO one ask what Type of Driving Your doing. That makes a difference in the best Trans to go with!And as far as every ones answers ther are guessing at what you need.:thinkin:

Firebirdjones
10-24-2008, 07:06 PM
I've been reading threads about this lately 'cause I need to do something with my trans.

From what I understand....the 4l80e is much stronger out of the box. Has a heavy duty input shaft as where the 4l60e does not. So basically a stock 4l80e can take alot of punishment. The downside is that it's much heavier and also the gearing in it is designed for a truck....since that's what they came in. It's rather costly to get different gearing. There are some "conversion" steps to be taken to make one fit in an fbody.....also it needs a different torque converter. I just spent $1k on a vig multi disc unit so I may just stick with the 4l60e so I don't incur another converter expense.

As with everything.....it comes down to preference really. Each of these transmissions have their pro's and con's. As does the TH400 too.
:seesaw:

To help explain as simple as possible,,,the 4L80E is basically a 400 turbo with an overdrive. Many parts interchange between the 400 turbo and 4L80E.

The gear spread is also identical
2.48 1st
1.48 2nd
1.00 3rd
Then of course the 4L80E has the overdrive 4th gear. Because of this it's slightly larger than a 400 turbo.

This gear spread is actually great for racing and the higher first gear doesn't hit the tires as hard.

For all out racing efforts the gear spread in the stock 4L60E sucks....first gear is too steep,,,,and the rpm drop on the 1-2 shift is horrible. It's an okay street trans or for a toy but it sucks at the strip for all out performance.

qwkgto
10-25-2008, 06:38 AM
Simple.
4l60e may hold up.
4l80e will hold up.
4l80e is not much heavier but will take work to fit.
+110%

twoolley08
10-26-2008, 02:18 PM
Is your Trans Bad? What are your plans A DD Drag only street racing?Choice of Trans depends on what you plan to do.What kinds of mods you have.You ask a question got some answers NO one ask what Type of Driving Your doing. That makes a difference in the best Trans to go with!And as far as every ones answers ther are guessing at what you need.:thinkin:

its a dd, i do street race it and drive harsh at times, i want a trans that will hold up to my style lol, i like to be just drivin then i get bored and just nail it for the hell of it. so far i have lt headers cam slp lid bora exhaust 295 35 18 bfgoodrich drag radials. also 2nd gear misshifts some times. meaning like it will hit it for a second then go to 3rd gear and take it a min to get up to speed for 3rd gear to be really effective. also what would a 3000 stall do for me? i know it will launch at 3ooorpm but what about driving? will it always stay at 3k or what? or will it at like a stock stall for normal drivin after it takes off

twoolley08
10-26-2008, 02:21 PM
oh yea the trans is not bad yet but i do plan on doing alot more upgrades heads and rear end intake and tb maybe even twin turbso after i pay off my credit card. hmm which would be better single or twin turbos

qwkgto
10-27-2008, 05:42 AM
oh yea the trans is not bad yet but i do plan on doing alot more upgrades heads and rear end intake and tb maybe even twin turbso after i pay off my credit card. hmm which would be better single or twin turbos
it will be after u install a power adder that you will need a new trans soon after,stalls have lockup clutches just like stock converters do in high gear they will rpm at lower rpms then non lock up.when u nail it even moving they flash to the advertised stall allowing you to get the motor into a higher more usable rpm.

twoolley08
10-27-2008, 07:45 PM
so a higher stall converter will act the same as a stock one while driving normal conditions just until i stomp on it right

Johns00Z28
10-27-2008, 08:04 PM
so a higher stall converter will act the same as a stock one while driving normal conditions just until i stomp on it right

Well I guess it depends on how high of a stall you go. With my 3600 I have to give it a bit more gas when just putting around town but it's so much more fun when you punch it!

Johns00Z28
10-27-2008, 08:06 PM
I saw over on tech an FLT 4L60E tran in a guys car running low 9's so I think they can be built up to take some pretty harsh abuse. I have a level 2 performabuilt in mine and plan on putting it to the test here before long.

twoolley08
10-27-2008, 10:23 PM
I saw over on tech an FLT 4L60E tran in a guys car running low 9's so I think they can be built up to take some pretty harsh abuse. I have a level 2 performabuilt in mine and plan on putting it to the test here before long.

nice, im considering a yank 3200 stall or something around that but id like to ride in a ta wit a stall first you know because still dont fully understand how the stall will perform drivin normal you know

qwkgto
10-28-2008, 05:40 AM
nice, im considering a yank 3200 stall or something around that but id like to ride in a ta wit a stall first you know because still dont fully understand how the stall will perform drivin normal you know
sounds like you should stay around that area 3000-3200 more then enough for most people,i hd a 3000 in mine car went 10.9.theres a info under transmission section tells you the ins and outs of converters.enjoy,ps stall is one of the best things you can do to and auto 1/2 second diffrence in 1/4 mile times...

shady milkman
10-28-2008, 12:57 PM
sounds like you should stay around that area 3000-3200 more then enough for most people,i hd a 3000 in mine car went 10.9.theres a info under transmission section tells you the ins and outs of converters.enjoy,ps stall is one of the best things you can do to and auto 1/2 second diffrence in 1/4 mile times...

x2..no dead spots and some people report on a dyno that you gain ups of 40rwhp under the curve...cant wait for my yank 3600-3800 stall this spring

qwkgto
10-28-2008, 03:31 PM
I saw over on tech an FLT 4L60E tran in a guys car running low 9's so I think they can be built up to take some pretty harsh abuse. I have a level 2 performabuilt in mine and plan on putting it to the test here before long.
yes but for how long ?my point was that for high Horse power cars and something thats going to last.ask that guy how many 9 second passes he gets out of a build,does he run the car on the street much? most of us guys drive our cars,I know I do just more fun the drive the car to track rip off some great times then drive it home.

Johns00Z28
10-28-2008, 04:03 PM
yes but for how long ?my point was that for high Horse power cars and something thats going to last.ask that guy how many 9 second passes he gets out of a build,does he run the car on the street much? most of us guys drive our cars,I know I do just more fun the drive the car to track rip off some great times then drive it home.

How long can you run any high horsepowered car without something breaking...it's subjective. I'm just trying to point out that you can have an extremely fast car w/ a 4L60E. Is it the best idea, well each person can make that determination for themselves.
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1008073
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1000382