4L60E to 4L80E in 1995 Suburban

[99'Subourbon]

Man that sucks, I see a ton of people say this. Have you checked around two or three towns over? Even after the gas expenses I'm sure it would still be cheaper. Find the best mechanic you know and ask him who he'd have do your rebuild if it were his truck, that's what I did. Also as a side note if you're doing research on 60E internals, talk to rhino on here. He gave me a ton of useful advice and I ended up buying my sunshell, servos and shift kit from him for WAY cheaper than Summit, Jegs, RockAuto etc.

Yeah it does suck - there are some good builders in the valley (Phoenix, Mesa, etc Arizona) but I live up on the mountain, 3 hours away. Now that we have a DD, I that is a more feasible option.

 

[VCaddy]

I played with the idea of a 4L80E swap, but it takes about 50hp (from what I have read) more to get that thing turning like a 4L60.

Might want to drop a "0" from that 50 HP figure - http://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/gm-drivetrain-suspension-22/4l60-4l80-dyno-results-503358/. The 4L80 2.48 1st gear compared to the 60E 3.06 is something to consider though. But the 80E closer ratios will make up for that in drag race, shouldn't fall on its face like the huge gap between 1-2 in the 60E.

 

[NorCalMike]

Thanks for that link. Good info for anyone considering the swap.

 

[99'Subourbon]

Might want to drop a "0" from that 50 HP figure - http://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/gm-drivetrain-suspension-22/4l60-4l80-dyno-results-503358/. The 4L80 2.48 1st gear compared to the 60E 3.06 is something to consider though. But the 80E closer ratios will make up for that in drag race, shouldn't fall on its face like the huge gap between 1-2 in the 60E.

Looks like in his situation it was 15rwhp/wtrq, so I'd figure ~40ish crank; pretty close...

But, I wonder how his power levels effect that (LQ4 Turbo'd). Having the umph to overcome the weight difference I doubt is a linear curve. I'd guesstimate that lower power motors would be effected worse/see more loss. The same though goes the other direction, too - the more power, the less loss.

I could be completely wrong, and not have a clue what I am talking about, but it seems logical. Power gains and the end result on track times is far from linear.

 

[NorCalMike]

When you say 'weight difference' do you mean rotational weight inside the trans it self or...? If that's what you mean that's a good question. I may just have to see what that weight difference is between the 2, I bet it's not much though. I'd still take a stock 80e over a 60e any day of the week. Though I have a tendency to break hard parts inside my 4x4 transmissions well before they ever need to be rebuilt.

 

[DRAGGIN95]

I have seen many stock 6.0's with a good tune, destroy built 4L60E's, so I was not taking chances, I have 3 trucks with 80E's in them, they are great to me.

 

[NorCalMike]

^^^ A'men. Every vehicle I've owned that came with a 4l60e I've either dealt with it and regretted not swapping it for a 4l80e or, or I swapped it and regretted not doing it sooner.

 

[VCaddy]

Looks like in his situation it was 15rwhp/wtrq, so I'd figure ~40ish crank; pretty close...

But, I wonder how his power levels effect that (LQ4 Turbo'd). Having the umph to overcome the weight difference I doubt is a linear curve. I'd guesstimate that lower power motors would be effected worse/see more loss. The same though goes the other direction, too - the more power, the less loss.

I could be completely wrong, and not have a clue what I am talking about, but it seems logical. Power gains and the end result on track times is far from linear.

Oops, thought you were talking RWHP. Hell, my TBI 350 barely has 40HP to lose. This seems to be some OK info - http://www.jakesperformance.com/4L80E_FAQ.html

Some interesting numbers, 4L80 weighs 178 without a converter, 4L60 is 140. Wonder how much of that difference is in the case, and how much is in the guts? The stock 80E converter is a heavy beast, I'd like to see how an 80E with a good performance converter stacks up.

 

[mistaake]

I'm the one saying to go with a built 60E I just don't have any shops I trust in town to rebuild mine tho. Which is why I brought up Performabuilt transmissions.

The problem I have is how hard it is to find a GOOD transmission. A few people on another forum recommended Monster Transmissions but now I hear they are garbage.

That's why I like the idea of a 4L80E - seems like a stock 4L80E can go several hundred thousand miles behind something powerful like a Vortec 6.0L... meaning it'll do great behind a tired stock TBI 350.

That said, this seems like a pretty good transmission and it's much easier to put in another 4L60E than hacking in a 4L80E:
http://performabuilt.com/heavy hauler 700-60E.html

On the other hand who knows if they are really any good.

I guess I shouldn't worry about it since my Suburban's current transmission seems to be working OK but I just like to have my research done so I can make an informed decision when (not if) that old 4L60E takes a dump at the worst possible time.

 

[NorCalMike]

Finding a good 4l60e builder isn't hard. It's finding one that doesn't want your first born as the down payment then they charge 189.99 a month for the next 12 years at 29% interest.