400 or 200 tranny?

[DMOSTWANTED1]

I am interested in either putting a transbrake in my 2oo or upgrading to a 4oo. The 200 is already done up with good internals from Hi Pro transmissions and has gone a best of 11.2 @125 with astock bottom end and terrible tuning. Is it better in the long run to go with the 400 and if so what other changes are needed and about how much? Car is getting new bottom end and has everything else done on car from rear to engine bottom end. With current combo looking to go low tens with new xfi system and maybe 9's with bigger turbo and injectors one day.

 

[tthorngen]

keep the 200. much more drivable. many many many people have gone faster then you are going to in a 2004r.

 

[boostingbuick]

Second that. Love my 200 with the brake. And I can drive it to any state with good gas mileage..

 

[RUQWKNF]

Here's my take.
I struggled and struggled to keep a 200 in my grey car that would live. After going through 7 rebuilds with 3 different companies (back in MS mind you) and 2 correct BRF cores, I finally got fed up. When the opportunity arose to make the switch I went for it. You will need to modify your tranny cross member or get one of the conversion mounts, different shifter and a new fill tube. The 400 that I had was fully rollerized and had a 1st gear ratio that was as close to the 1st gear that a 200 has. Some people said I would loose hp, but I didn't see it. On the last pass I made with my 200, the car went a 10.95 @ 124. Made the swap and the very first pass with the 400 the car ran 10.92 @ 124. Hmmmm.

This car eventually got a 274 Stage II and was setup to run in TSE class which I did for 5 years. (Eventually running a 10.07 @ 135) 4 of which were with the same 400 trans. And in those 4 years, I was pretty brutal on the trans and only had it freshened up once. When they say that a 400 is bullet proof at hp levels below 1000, they aren't kidding. I had a malfunctioning shifter that caused me to launch in 2nd gear on two different occasions. No damage. I did miss having 4th gear for cruising, but the car had pretty much gotten to the point that it was getting pretty hairy on the streets anyway. I would highly recommend that you have the tranny modified to accept a bolt on JW bell housing vs the standard BOP housing. Much stronger and a million times easier to access the bell housing bolts. I also ran a TCI scatter shield as well as a trans brake.
If it's a cruiser and occasional track visits, a built 200 is great. If it's a track only race car, or if you don't mind not having 4th gear and want strength, get the 400.
HTH

Patrick

 

[DMOSTWANTED1]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice, what are the cost comparrisons of building a 400 over a two hundred and who do you reccomend on the east coast? Ive heard of Len Freeman in Vegas, CK transmissions in NY, and currently I have a Hi Pro trans from NJ and I hear theyre moving to Long Island

 

[Super6]

i am going to a 400 and Neal Racing Transmissions(678-344-5041) is building mine they are in Georgia. A 400 will be much cheaper to build than the 200 but you will lose the OD or you could do like me and get a gear venders over drive and have the best of both worlds...hth...Bob

 

[SS/GNX]

Its not cheaper if you add that gear vendors Over Drive!!!
That ALONE is $2500 on top of the price of the TH400..

I too had to research this and decide... I went with the 200... have overdrive, way better gearing, and better street manners.

400s are for drag racers or guys moving mid 9s or better IMO.

A Th400 can handle ALOT without a ton of money in it. That 200 is gonna cost you some coin depending on HOW FAST you are planning to go?

10s - $2500 ish (give or take a couple hundred depending on who does it and what converter you go with)
9s - $3500 ish (" " plus pushing on reliability in the 9s)

faster... I dont know if you want to spend that kind of money.. then I would go with the TH400 with the gear vendors OD!

Again, this is all my Opinion on it, as I had to research all this only a short month ago!

 

[gnxtc2]

What I found out is that a 200 will wear out. There is not enough clutch area to handle high HP repeatedly. They can be made not to break but they will wear out. So the 200 will need attention every so often.

The 400 has more clutch area and every body knows the strength of one.

Oh BTW, I have a fully build Hi-Pro without a brake for sale that was recently freshened up and not installed. You can speak with Eric at Dynotech who will vouch for this trans.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[DMOSTWANTED1]

Im not really concerned about the overdrive, my car has been trailered to track and driven locally on the street not highway. i like the 400 idea but want a brake and want to go with whats cheaper to do overall. So the 400 appears to be the best for my choice, since overdrive is not a concern. Thanks now I have to find a builder and price shop on which is cheaper.
I only know of two so far (Hi pro, Len Freeman, and oh yeah CK ) Eric built a good 200 have to see how his 400's and prices are.

 

[aquickv6]

Extreme Automatics

Check with Lonnie Diers at Extreme Automatics. Search on the web, his name and shop appears alot for some high HP builds.

 

[Super6]

make sure they restrict the line pressure to the torque converter whoever builds the 400 for you. it will take the thrust out if they don't.

NothinYet...i never said the 400 and gear venders was cheaper just the 400 itself is cheaper. prices range from 1200 to 1600 for a 400 that can be built in a sand box and live i priced a 200 with all the bells and whistles $4500(billet parts, transbrake)and another grand for a torque converter....the price of the 400 and gv overdrive is not far from that of the 200.will the 200 handle 1200hp? probably not. i might not need a trans that handles 1200hp but i want it:biggrin: Bob

 

[Louie L.]

Ive had my TH400 since Nov of 02. Other than a Transbrake problem early on,which was fixed right away. its performed flawlesly since day one. This trans has had 2 different motors in front , and a total of 5 different turbos. Driven hard on the track and some street driving, best move ive ever made.

 

[gnxtc2]

Ive had my TH400 since Nov of 02. Other than a Transbrake problem early on,which was fixed right away. its performed flawlesly since day one. This trans has had 2 different motors in front , and a total of 5 different turbos. Driven hard on the track and some street driving, best move ive ever made.

I guess you have the time to post but no time to return any of my phone calls

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[Super6]

Ive had my TH400 since Nov of 02. Other than a Transbrake problem early on,which was fixed right away. its performed flawlesly since day one. This trans has had 2 different motors in front , and a total of 5 different turbos. Driven hard on the track and some street driving, best move ive ever made.

i've seen your car a couple of times and the times i seen it the transbrake was working good...wheels up launches:smile: Bob

 

[Louie L.]

i've seen your car a couple of times and the times i seen it the transbrake was working good...wheels up launches:smile: Bob

I was just checking transbrake operation during those runs..LOL

 

[Louie L.]

I guess you have the time to post but no time to return any of my phone calls

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

I hope you feel better now that we have talked. You sound worse than my ex!:tongue:

 

[d90dan]

Here's my take.
I struggled and struggled to keep a 200 in my grey car that would live. After going through 7 rebuilds with 3 different companies (back in MS mind you) and 2 correct BRF cores, I finally got fed up. When the opportunity arose to make the switch I went for it. You will need to modify your tranny cross member or get one of the conversion mounts, different shifter and a new fill tube. The 400 that I had was fully rollerized and had a 1st gear ratio that was as close to the 1st gear that a 200 has. Some people said I would loose hp, but I didn't see it. On the last pass I made with my 200, the car went a 10.95 @ 124. Made the swap and the very first pass with the 400 the car ran 10.92 @ 124. Hmmmm.

This car eventually got a 274 Stage II and was setup to run in TSE class which I did for 5 years. (Eventually running a 10.07 @ 135) 4 of which were with the same 400 trans. And in those 4 years, I was pretty brutal on the trans and only had it freshened up once. When they say that a 400 is bullet proof at hp levels below 1000, they aren't kidding. I had a malfunctioning shifter that caused me to launch in 2nd gear on two different occasions. No damage. I did miss having 4th gear for cruising, but the car had pretty much gotten to the point that it was getting pretty hairy on the streets anyway. I would highly recommend that you have the tranny modified to accept a bolt on JW bell housing vs the standard BOP housing. Much stronger and a million times easier to access the bell housing bolts. I also ran a TCI scatter shield as well as a trans brake.
If it's a cruiser and occasional track visits, a built 200 is great. If it's a track only race car, or if you don't mind not having 4th gear and want strength, get the 400.
HTH

Patrick

I agree 100% with Patrick. Len Freeman builds my tranny's and I couldn't be happier.