4L60E vs TH200-4R

[CTX-SLPR]

Howdy,

I was wondering what is the plusses and minuses of both transmissions if you want it to hold a max of 600hp for about a dozen passes a year at most and only about 450hp max on the street? I'm building a hybrid and those cool paddle shifters looked intriquing and I know the 4L60E is everywhere so there are plenty of parts and shops to build them. Other than the cost of an adapter and T-con controller what is the difference cost wise in building a 4L60E for 600hp and lockup and a TH200-4R for the same conditions when I don't want to be rebuilding them for years (3+)?

Thanks,

[chris718]

both transmissions can be built to handle 600 horsepower.however it is more expensive to build the 2004r .now the differences are in the gear ratios ,the 700r4 has more gear in ist and 2nd and less overdrive ratio.why use a 4l60e when you can use a 700r4 which has a hydraulic shift pattern like the 2004r and doesnt require the controller?now the rotating speed in the 700r4 can be dangerous when the engine reaches over 6500 rpms.this is not the case with the 2004r.both can be built with custom gear ratios to reduce internal operational speeds and make the both more reliable and also more favorable in the accelleration department with big horsepower.as of right now we are the only people in the natuion building a 2.66 first gear 700r4.

[Drac0nic]

Either way is a good choice, expect to throw a fairly significant batch of cash towards it. I'm going with the 700R4 for my project, but I'm also planning on dropping the engine in an AWD astro van, so that doesn't leave me much choice. They're good, if I was you I'd get a 4L65 if you can pull it off they're a better starting point for a high-power application.

[CTX-SLPR]

Well if I was going to go with anything other than the TH200-4R I'd want to take advantage of the cool features offered by electronicly controlled transmissions, especially those twist matchine paddle shifters. I had a B&M TH700R4 in my 70 Riviera that was an awesome machine to drive with tons of torque and plenty of gear for cruising. I'm a tad bit up in the air on where I want to go with the 65 Riv-Cruiser I'm mentally planning right now so I would have to weigh the pros and cons of each. The nice thing about the TH200-4R is that it shares the same mounting position as the original ST400 that was in the Riviera. the transmission is probably going to be a summer purchase so I will have a good amount of time to make up my mind.

Thanks,

[HossV6]

A well built 4L60 can take 600hp pretty well, but not for long. If you were to go above that, stick with the 2004R. Once you get above 600hp in a heavier car, the '60 tends to break the rear ring gear and input shaft or drum (the tower in the drum splits) and there's almost nothing you can do about it due to lack of stronger aftermarket parts (except put stock GM parts back in it, which aren't any stronger). And having custom billet parts cut will be stupid expensive. The 200 has a much stronger line up of aftermarket parts at-hand and can be built to take that much abuse and more for a longer period of time. But then you run into the higher costs. If you follow the f-bodies you'll see that most jump ship in favor of a TH350 or 400 when they get above 450-500rwhp because at those power levels the '60 just tends to be as bad to look after as a 5 year old in downtown Las Vegas.

Since you're going to have to eat the price of a controller for the '60, i'd just save that money and put it into better parts for a 200 and stay non-electric. Pick your poison, but i'd rather bite the bullet and get a tougher trans.

[2quiktocare]

I agree Hoss. We have seen many of these units that have snapped the transfer tube (reaction carrier shaft). There are some hardened parts available, but not with much better results. Once you have to do a 700 R4 or 4L60 (E) twice, you have more than paid for doing a 200 4R once and having it not give you the failure. Just MHO, but all I can do is relate to you what I have seen here.

Some applications the 700/4L60 is required, but if you actually have a choice, go with the 200 4R or give up O/D and take a 350 or 400.

[chris718]

our reaction tubes dont break. ,and its not a factory piece.this is usually due to improper band accumulation which is a calibration error due to accumulator circuitry ,etc.with a loose converter the input shaft and housing will live too.we did make billet prototypes but no one wanted to shell out the money for them.