Hey i'm Shane, and i installed the Factory Tech Valve body two weeks ago Sunday. I really like how quick the shifts are and i like how it's throttle responsive now. At first it wasn't. My question is, why at half throttle will it kick the back end out, and even chip 2nd, but at full throttle, it just shifts quick. It is still a fairly firm shift, but doesnt kick the back end out like i want it to at wot.
Is it because the tires have gripped and it's getting enough traction at full throttle?
I have a diablo chip, but that is out getting reburned. The first time i tried my chip and valve body combo, it was just banging gears and really shifting to hard even at half throttle. So i sent my chip out to REM and he confermed the line pressure was raised. So he is lowering that.
I expect to get a little more power back from the chip. But i hear stories all the time about people throwing the ftvb in there stock trucks, and running around town, barking 2nd. At wot, mine doesn't do that. It is a 2000 and has 28,000 miles on it. I've ran that Diablo chip for a few months now, otherwise it's been fairly stock up untill last September when i got my 4# lower pulley. Any info if the clutch packs are going bad, or any more info why the shifts feel more aggresive at half throttle than full? Is it doing the same thing, if not more at full throttle and i just can't feel it? Or is there something wrong with my trans or valve body? Thanks for your time, Shane

 

Shane, Heres my experiance with the FTVB, I had the unit installed before I did most of my mods ( fan, pump, 4lber, chip ) I had my Accufab on the truck and a K & N panel filter in the stock box, mine would catch second but not hard and not all the time, I had all my mods installed by one of the tuners, no raise in line pressure on my chip and the truck is now an animal going into second, I wouldn't want it to shift any harder. Good luck, Todd

side note- I believe the way the product is designed, shift firmness is supposed to increase the harder your on it, so around town it feels pretty subdued, pretty much a win/ win for me.

 

Similiar thing happens to me. If I go WOT, it usually doesnt chirp 2nd gear but on half it chirps 2nd and back end gets a little squirrly.

 

I threw my FTVB in my 00L and it shift way quick and way noticable with minimal throttle and depending on the road will chirp anything over 3k. It barks 2nd wicked at WOT and smacks my head against the head rest at 1/4 to 1/2 throttle. The thing is my buddy just put his in his 99 this weekends and mine feels like it hits alot harder.... ocasionally his will grab 2nd but it a slightly firmer shift than stock. And in mine you can really tell. my question would be is mine working properly? the only difference is tires I'm running F1's and he's got nitto's street tire. We both are chipless

 

Mine gets greasy at 1/2 throttle and anything over it. During my first run down the strip with it on street tires, I basically came to a halt as I spun badly between shifts and had to let off to rehook. 40,000 miles on my 99' Your wish for it at WOT might come back to haunt you. I'm not complaining though

BD

 

Hopefully Greg will chime in. I had an interesting conversation with Greg when I purchased my VB. I asked him Why does the cpu kill fuel during the upshifts, How much torque could the tranny handle, and a few other questions about the tranny's ability to handle the common mods for L engines. Greg told me that I would eventually need to have my tranny repaired or get a Monster Box if I modded my truck with a Chip / 6#Lower. I didn't ask him about any other pulley sizes because I do intend on getting a 6lber. Greg told me that the additional torque the engine would be making coupled with the fact that most chips turn off the torque reduction feature equates to tranny slippage in about 1 years time. He said that it happens so gradually that it wouldn't really be noticable until it got BAD.

Maybe your tranny had developed some slippage over time and when you installed the FTVB the firmer shifts are showing up the slippage more. But this is only my GUESS...I hope I am wrong and your tranny isn't slipping, I wish you goodluck on this.

 

it gets hairy at 1/2 throttle just did a test run down the block and she wanted to wag her tail.. I'm happy

 

I am going to try it tomorrow with my chip (hopefully it comes tomorrow) and see how i like it. If I am not happy with it then, would another valve body, or mine tuned a little stiffer help? At first it was way to hard, now its a lot better, but its not 100% what i want. I'll wait till Gregg does jump in, and I'll get let everyone know how it feels after i get my chip back. Any more advise, i'd really appreciate it. Thanks, Shane

 

You know how our computers have a memory of your driving habits, it uses that data to make adjustments to fuel delivery and whatnot. Well it also uses that memory to determine some of the shift parameters. I'm no expert on this but I just remembered that Greg had also told me that. Anyways its all speculation until Da Man chimes in.

 

I am happy to report that I just bought a monster box last week and will let you all know how it comes out. Here's a pick of the man him-self. Greg is on the left.

Suavy

 

Nasty Wendy you also put you Valve Body into a truck that wasn't chipped or heavily moded out. That is why i brought up my questions. It was from all the posts i read from people poping in the valve body and then after breaking it in, barking 2nd and 3rd gear even sometimes. That isn't ALL i want to get out of the valve body. I know it firms up shifts and makes a quicker and safer shift. But i also would like to know if there's anything wrong with my set up. I've read over and over raising line pressure in chip is bad for trans. The line pressure was raised from September to Febuary but it was stored for a good amount of those months. What i mean is with the chip and and pulley combo i've only put a few thousand miles on the truck/trans. I just now got it out of storage. Could i have produced any damage while driving the truck for that short of a time with just line pressure raised a little?
Anyway, if i can get more info on why i really "feel" the shift firmness at half throttle compared to full throttle. Is it a mind over matter thing? Am i getting the same shift, and because im going faster and the trucks at wot, i can't notice the back end kick out? But that brings me back to a lot of other people who have installed the ftvb and at WOT they bark 2nd all day long. I have a new set of F1's on there, the roads are drying up, and the weather is starting to get in the 50's here this week. I also will wait for Gregg to chime in, but in the mean time, if anyone else has any expierance, or can answer any of my questions, i'd really appreciate if you could help me here. Thanks again, Shane

 

If it were me I would go to his thread on NLOC and post the question to him. It may be quicker than waiting for him to chime in.



Rocks

 

Hey Shane, you're fine bud. Those who claim their stock trucks *bark* 2nd are exaagerating a bit. You can chirp it sometimes but I never remembering laying that much rubber in 2nd gear when I was almost "stock."

I forgot your mods but if you have a 4# and chip, then even without line pressure you'll run into some traction woes. You'll definitely lay a nice strip of rubber if you want to from a stop.

This is what happens when I want the tail to step out a littlefrom a roll for sh*ts and giggles:

Get to about 30 mph and lay on it going WOT. You'll definitely feel the back kick out and you better be holding on! Again, try doing it from a roll...I can get mine to bark hard and just spin the tires from about a 40 roll or so...haven't checked lately but this is something I can definitely research for you sometimes

Hope this helps

 

my truck has intake and exhaust no chip FTVB and barks 2nd at WOT on any pavement all the time. And you can totally feel it shift with a firmness in any gear. The one we put in my buddies truck is acting the same way yours is shane.. I thought he installed it wrong and after it was retorqued it performed a little better but still was only ocassionally barkin 2nd... did you torque it to spec? After that post cyntaxx you got me thinkin my trucks is running wrong hope not.... I thought the way mine shifted was the norm for no chip..

 

Don't be so quick and all inclusive with that assumption. I may tell Colorful stories at times but I don't lie. My truck with my mods listed in my sig will do more than just chirp em' in second....unless you mean chirp as in Chirpin' like a Flock of Huge assed Buzzards....but I don't think thats what you meant. The only time my truck would chirp em' in second was at the track. Now keep in mind 'No Problem Raceway' may be the best track in the Country and is usually superbly prepped so I wouldn't expect to completely lose traction on the 1-2 shift at that track. On the street I can get the truck to fishtail on the 1-2 shift. I think the answers to Shane's question lie in the head of Da Man.