96 4L60E Too Flush or Not

[Caman96]

PCM enroute. This is as one of the questions they ask. Curious how you might have responded.

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[Frank Enstein]

Well I dropped pan at 46k so I’ve avoided the 50k cutoff already. I prefer to get new fluid in there. Let me change hard shift occasionally into second to “harder shift” occasionally. PCM is off to Black Bear tomorrow!

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Oooooooh! Pretty!

 

[alpinecrick]

PCM enroute. This is as one of the questions they ask. Curious how you might have responded.

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I would prefer #2, but I would like to know if it affects the trans lifespan. And drivetrain........

 

[df2x4]

PCM enroute. This is as one of the questions they ask. Curious how you might have responded.

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Personally I would advise against altering anything involving the shifting of a 4L60E in the tune. When Black Bear first tuned my V6 truck I went with "Very Firm" and also removed torque management. About 500 miles later my stock 4L60E failed pretty dramatically during a WOT 2-3 shift. I had it rebuilt to the tune of $2K+ with many upgrades and had Black Bear back off a little on the trans portion of the tune, eventually all the way back to factory settings. Around 5K miles later that trans failed in a similar way.

I know there are some here who say you can firm up the shifts a little on a 4L60E tune without causing damage, but personal experience has made me reluctant to ever attempt that again. I 4L80E swapped that truck and I'm still running factory shift settings and torque management in my tune now. (Shifts great, by the way!) I think if you're after firmer shifts with a 4L60E you'd be better off upgrading servos. I noticed a much bigger difference in shift firmness from that than I did from the tune anyway.

 

[Caman96]

PCM enroute. This is as one of the questions they ask. Curious how you might have responded.

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I chose STANDARD
Here’s another one:

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I picked UNSURE on this one. I hope to speak with them on this one. Almost have to be a transmission specialist. I understood this somewhat but squaring this principle to the Hard Shift has me scratching my head a bit. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7651440B2/en

 

[df2x4]

Here’s another one:

I picked UNSURE on this one. I hope to speak with them on this one. Almost have to be a transmission specialist. I understood this somewhat but squaring this principle to the Hard Shift has me scratching my head a bit. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7651440B2/en

That's the one (Torque Management) that you absolutely do not touch if you have a 4L60E. "None" is what you want. I'm convinced that any alterations to that setting is a death sentence for a 60E.

 

[Caman96]

That's the one (Torque Management) that you absolutely do not touch if you have a 4L60E. "None" is what you want. I'm convinced that any alterations to that setting is a death sentence for a 60E.

I appreciate that input df2x4. While I don’t claim to fully understand it, after reading some of the link I posted above I think what it’s saying is just before an up shift the torque backs off a bit to allow a smoother shift. That’s what I meant when I mentioned it not, at least in my mind, squaring with the Hard Shift options. These are standard questions for everyone, so I suppose if your truck is headed to the track then maybe those options are handy. Not so much for a daily driver that occasionally tows a couple of Atv’s.

 

[Schurkey]

"Torque Management" is what happens when a company insists on using an under-specified transmission. They "fix" the problems with software instead of using a transmission that's actually strong enough.

 

[Caman96]

Personally I would advise against altering anything involving the shifting of a 4L60E in the tune. When Black Bear first tuned my V6 truck I went with "Very Firm" and also removed torque management. About 500 miles later my stock 4L60E failed pretty dramatically during a WOT 2-3 shift. I had it rebuilt to the tune of $2K+ with many upgrades and had Black Bear back off a little on the trans portion of the tune, eventually all the way back to factory settings. Around 5K miles later that trans failed in a similar way.

I know there are some here who say you can firm up the shifts a little on a 4L60E tune without causing damage, but personal experience has made me reluctant to ever attempt that again. I 4L80E swapped that truck and I'm still running factory shift settings and torque management in my tune now. (Shifts great, by the way!) I think if you're after firmer shifts with a 4L60E you'd be better off upgrading servos. I noticed a much bigger difference in shift firmness from that than I did from the tune anyway.

df2x4 check this thread out. These guys are all saying a harder quick shift is better for towing. I’m really hoping to get a call from Black Bear Performance to hear his opinion on this.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/towing-with-a-4l60e-best-practices/61435/page1/

 

[Schurkey]

Harder, quicker shift is better for the friction materials assuming you don't tear the material off the metal backing (band, clutch disc).

Harder, quicker shift is harder on anything splined, and the geartrain.

Given that sunshells are a real problem, and the geartrain is weak...both of which are way more expensive than a kit of replacement clutches...which parts do you want to go easy on?