What does a shift kit actually do and whats the best brand??

[Blakvsexec]

Hey Guys

I have a 96 VS executive 5.0L with the 4L60E auto in it, The gearbox is in very good condition and i would like to fit a shift improvement kit to it.
I want to use a stage 2 kit and still retain the standard driveability not go the full manual option.
Due to reading about it lots on the net i will also fit a corvette second gear servo, and a billet steel 3/4 servo thing,

So my questions are
What is the best brand kit to get (i've been reccommended the TRANSGO kit) ?
What does a shift kit actually do ( also been reccommended to get a shift kit)?
And finally what does the corvteet servo and billet steel 3/4 servo's do??

Any advice given or past experiences etc will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Owen

[dirt drifter]

yep go the transgo kit, i had one it worked great. driving normally it behaves like normal but once u get into it it will shift harder (chirp 1-2 shift, shove ya back in the seat on changes etc) this is also better for ya trans because its not slipping as much on the changes.

the corvette servo piston makes it change 1st--2nd even harder, i'd imagine the billet 3/4 servo would do the same. but i've heard they can be a right bastard to install without taking out the box , i could be wrong on that if anyone knows different please correct me

[ephect]

as dirt drifter said, it shortens the duration of gear changes. the corvette and billet servos allow a greater surface area for the oil to push against.

your best bet is ringing around and pricing supply and fitment from auto joints just to get a few base prices.

[Tsunamix]

Yep, same recommendations x 3 .

Had TRANSGO stage 2 shift kit fitted, ups line pressures and speeds shifts. Added Corvette servo, does the same thing and reduces chances of servo failure due to the increased light pressure. Also add 'THE BEAST' brand stock RPM stall converter, as the converter will take more of a beating due to faster shifts. These have all the vanes furnace brazed in and stronger engagement teeth.

Stage 2 shift kit will manualise gears 1 2 3. It will not change up or down, so you WILL hit the rev limiter if your not careful. That being said, take off in second and it will go through first to get to second. Down change from 2 to 1 at too high a rpm and it will compression lock up on you .

I love it. Best mod for a commodore. It feels like a go cart :P If your in bris ai know a trustworthy gearbox rebuilder, though I paid $2400 for those mods to my 4L60E including a full rebuild.

[peckzz]

my sugestion is change to manual lol

but yea my mate and i put a stage 2 shift kit in his vp box when changing it, it would be fun doing it in the car, it can be done though, using grease and what avue to hold all the check balls in location, his brand was b and m, was not that good personaly, he thought so but not worth it, the other brand might be different

[Kernal]

Stage 2 shift kit will manualise gears 1 2 3.

Elaborate.....

[sweefu]

How much will a stage 2shift kit and corvtte servo set you back?

[dirt drifter]

stage 2 shift kit if u leave it in drive it will shift like normal, only firmer. but it will be in whatever gear u grab regardless of speed eg. if u select first and wind it out it will stay in first regardless of revs. u will stay in 1st until u change up.

if u downshift it will shift regardless of speed, so beware of compression lockups etc.

stage 3 full manual means whatever gear u select is the gear you're in. no leaving it in drive because it would be stuck in top gear

[Stressball]

I had a corvette servo, stage 2 transgo shift kit and a trans cooler fitted at a place in Alex Hills south of brisbane, was around $500 to fit, I supplied the servo and shift kit, he supplied the cooler. Made it chirp second gear, never had any problems with the 'box or anything, but it did start to damage my diff. It had 195,000km on it though and had probably never had the diff oil changed etc, but yeah. Definitely didn't do the diff any favours, started developing really bad diff clunk in under 2 months. Might want to consider that too, since yours is also around the same age.

[sweefu]

Did you have an LSD ? Was this on a v6 or v8? Thanks.

[Stressball]

Sorry, lost this thread. That was on a vs v6, open-wheel diff. I had an LSD centre and some 3.9s to go in it but ended up selling the car beforehand. LSD or not, an old diff that hasn't been reconditioned after 170,000+km is going to fail sooner or later when you start putting this extra stress on it.

[sweefu]

Thanks for that mate. Havent got a new car yet but will most likely end up with a vz/vy auto so will go with a stage 2 shift kit to liven things up a bit, make it more fun to drive.