200 or 700?

[toofastforyou]

Well, of course, I think anyone would dispute that the turbo 400 is a stronger transmission than a 350. But how about the idea that the nomenclature of a 400 being stronger than a 350 applies to the 700 transmission. That sounds like a wive's tale they passed around in chevy circles while V-6s were blowing their doors off. LOL! As far as replacing a turbo 400 with a 700, that would be a step up, but I'd opt for a 200 first.

Robert, the main reason as to why I went with the 700R4 is because I already had it!. It just needed to be built with good parts, which I did. Like I said in my previous post, I do not race my Chevelle. It is a cruiser, I drive it on the highway and the 700 "fills the bill" perfectly, absolutely no regrets at all.
Claude.

 

[robert duncan]

Robert, the main reason as to why I went with the 700R4 is because I already had it!. It just needed to be built with good parts, which I did. Like I said in my previous post, I do not race my Chevelle. It is a cruiser, I drive it on the highway and the 700 "fills the bill" perfectly, absolutely no regrets at all.
Claude.

do


I understand completely and it has worked well for you. Not a thing wrong with that. Most of us would have done the same thing.

 

[NY Twin Turbo]

Robert, is your inquiry about transmission strength about what would work best for your application?

Or is it about what would be the strongest in its completely stock form as a direct replacement?

Or is it about what could be built best for a highly modified Buick that has the potential to break almost any standard built transmission?\

Are you planning for or do you already have a high horsepower buick and are shopping?

Are we talking street or race applications?

 

[LANDAU LIMITED]

The ZF 8HP is the king of the hill right now. It's in the Hellcat, Demon, all of BMW and Mercede's big power sedans, Ram truck, Bentley, big list. I don't know how hard it would be to mate to a GM mill, but anything's possible with an adapter plate and a drill press. Dialing in a calibration would be an adventure.

What about floor pan clearance? Most of the new transmissions are pretty big.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

What about floor pan clearance? Most of the new transmissions are pretty big.

Dunno. Somebody needs to try it.

 

[CKirk]

Here's where you went wrong. "Guy on facebook just told me....." Seems everyone that's on Fagbook is an expert. Good luck with that!

 

[CKirk]

Robert, is your inquiry about transmission strength about what would work best for your application?

Or is it about what would be the strongest in its completely stock form as a direct replacement?

Or is it about what could be built best for a highly modified Buick that has the potential to break almost any standard built transmission?\

Are you planning for or do you already have a high horsepower buick and are shopping?

Are we talking street or race applications?

.....And why weren't these questions asked sooner..... OP probably could've just used Google to find the answer to his post/question.

 

[robert duncan]

Robert, is your inquiry about transmission strength about what would work best for your application?

Or is it about what would be the strongest in its completely stock form as a direct replacement?

Or is it about what could be built best for a highly modified Buick that has the potential to break almost any standard built transmission?\

Are you planning for or do you already have a high horsepower buick and are shopping?

Are we talking street or race applications?

Sorry about being slow to respond. The only question I asked was based on a Facebook commenter trying to tell me that the larger the number used to identify GM transmissions attributed to the strength of that transmission. 350 to 400 -- Of course we all know that a 400 is stronger than a 350, but the FB commenter also applied that formula to the 700R4 as compared to the 200 4R which I didn't buy at all, and posed that question to TR guys here. The FB commenter was reacting to the quote I had posted made by Lonnie Diers comparing the 700 to the 200, in which he stated:

Honestly its not even a fair fight. The 2004R will handle power that far exceeds that of any 700R4 or 4L60 that can be built at any price. 2004R has a better gear ratio spread, better overdrive ratio, will fit many more applications, lighter, stronger ... I can go on and on. The 700R4 is best left to applications where its the only option such as 4WD or All WD, tow vehicles, Lower HP applications or for folks that are more concerned with budget versus strength and reliability.

It's not about any application of mine, but about what the quote stated.

 

[robert duncan]

.....And why weren't these questions asked sooner..... OP probably could've just used Google to find the answer to his post/question.

Do you think it's too busy here?

 

[toofastforyou]

"The 4L60e is the computer controlled version of the 700r4"

Yes and that's another reason why I chose to go woth the 700... ...to "keep it simple".

Claude.

 

[Lockman]

I've got an upgraded 700R4 . I learned that when the started in 1982, GM had some problems . They worked on improvements every year , untill it was considered a strong unit. That's my 2 cent's .

 

[GNVAIR]

I love these debates but the best guys to ask are the guys that build and race them. I remember Eric Schertz telling me that the 700r4/4L60 had incurable weaknesses. At the time Eric's full weight car was running mid 9's with a 2004r. I trusted his opinion as he certainly had his hands in a lot more of them than I had.
Reasons guys on Facebook give or infer why they swap to a 700r4;
Guys seem to think the bigger number of the 700 means it's better.
They think it's better because it was used in the Corvette.
They can (or used to) be able to get a used one easier at the junkyard. This is is because they don't want to spend money for a proper rebuild.
Any transmission shop can build a 700 and have it work (I'm not saying last long). The 2004r seems to require more skill and finesse to build properly.
It makes me cringe when Monte Carlo or El Camino guys swap a 2004r for a 700r4; especially considering they have to swap the trans cross member and get a shorter drive shaft. It's just easier to have the existing 2004r rebuild.
This is all just my .02

 

[Chuck Leeper]

I accused him of just being another chevy guy, he tells me he has only Pontiacs, so I had to point out that Pontiacs have been chevys for a long, long, time. Maybe he didn't know? So far, he hasn't come back. LOL!

Arguing w/ a basement dweller, is a total waste of time.

 

[robert duncan]

I had to have my trans rebuilt a few years ago, and the guy I had do it told me he had done quite a few 700s in his day, so, being the Buick chauvinist I am, I told him what Lonnie had said. He didn't believe or agree with me due to his apparent immersion in chevy legend as most people are, but to his credit, my pretty standard 200-4r rebuild is holding up well regardless.