Hey everyone, So I just had a quick question before I pulled the trigger on a shift kit. Are they safe on the tranny? I have a few people who keep telling me that they aren't good on the bands and clutch packs and that they can do more harm then good. However with a lot of the research I've done, it seems like people really love them. What are all of your opinions?

 

As I understand on our cars, the same changes can be done by re-tuning the line pressures on the transmission in the PCM. You might be money better spent on a PCM tune.

If you are planning a lot of mods, I would mod the car and then get it tuned. If you don't plan for mods, then look into a tune from a reputable company for the car as it sits.

 

Not all changes through the pcm will be the same as what the shift kit changes. (PCM trans changes ~can/do~ make a big difference though).
Also, there are different shift kits with different levels of, "improvement". If you're refering to the simple "washer n spacer" kits from the 3800 vendors (TransGo shift improve kits have springs, seals, ect for other parts of the trans *disassembly is required*), if u go with a med. setting all should be fine (depending on the current condition of your trans. Then, when or if you ever get the chance, tweak the trans tables in the PCM to fine tune the trans to how you like it.

 

What changes do you expect a shift kit to give that cannot be done in the PCM on these modern cars?? To my knowledge the shift kit manipulates fluid line pressure. These cars are all computer controlled. In the PCM you can alter:
- Shift points
- Trans line pressures
- When the torque converter will engage/dis-engage
and a ton of additional settings.

I think most shift kits are about $100. If you want to "do-it-yourself", some DHP PowrTuners trade hands in the used market for $200-$300. IMO worth the extra cost over a shift kit.