I read in my citys local tunning forums that the ss-tc transmition is only rated for 400hp. is this true ?

 

Only? Im not sure what the max is, but 400 would not be bad at all. Considering youd have to be adding 140ish hp. With all the modding to add that much power, I would think you should be giving the tranny some attention as well anyways. imo

 

oh yeah i know. I just wana call the guy on it. He's your typical ''if its not a honda it sucks'' jdm freak kinda *******

 

the max rated torque is actually 260 ft-lbs for the tranny. In other words, the SS/TC is at the limit of the tranny as it sits stock.

 

thats non-sence

 

thats the truth.

Why do you think that the PCM limits the torque output on the LNF to 260 ft-lbs?? If you look at the specs for the F-35 tranny, you will see that it has a maximum input of 260 ft-lbs.

 

I belive you. well then. whats the options ? get your tranny rebuilt ?

 

Well....many of the SS/SC clan have put alot more power through these trannys. The main thing is that you should make an effort to shift properly and remember that this car is NOT a racecar

also.....drain your tranny fluid frequently (at least once a year) and use a good replacement fluid (look at AMSOIL, GM Syncromesh, Redline, etc).

 

wel.. i mean the srt-4's have stage kits for the trannys.. is there any for our trannys ? what about aftermarket parts ? ****. the more I learn about my car the more I dont want it anymore..

 

how do you replace the tranny fluid, u need to post a how to because im interested in doing this

 

dude, really, calm down

deep breaths

it will be ok

 

No, they don't have any Mopar Performance upgrades for the transaxle. They do offer "Stage" upgrade kits that ranged from a computer (and injectors for the '03 cars that came with smaller ones than the '04+) up to a replacement turbo/computer/injector/fuel system kit. If you look at what the T-850 transaxle in the Neon has been able to withstand I'll bring up the point that New Venture Gear only rated that unit to officially 265 ft-lbs input torque and there are many cars out there pushing a lot more torque than that with Mopar and with aftermarket upgrades.

The ratings a manufacturer put on a transaxle are for a specific vehicle in a specific application and are not necessarily the maximum torque the transaxle will take (all transmissions are rated in torque and not horsepower). It's just what they have certified and tested to for durability requirements, which in many cases can now be 150k miles or more. Many transaxles can be pushed quite a bit further but there's a good chance you'll decrease service life, which is the price you'll pay. On some that might be not much more than what they're rated to before certain components start to have issues. For other transaxles they may be able to take a lot more torque but the manufacturer never tested to those levels because they aren't putting that much power through it (e.g. why test for higher torque capacity if modified cars aren't covered under warranty and the manufacturer doesn't plan to utilize that capacity).

The F35 in the Cobalt SS is still used by Saab behind the older Saab-developed 2.3L Ecopower engine in the 9-5. Those are putting out essentially the same power as the 2.0L LNF but in a car that weighs up to 3700 pounds in loaded SportCombi (wagon) form. The more the vehicle weight, the greater the stress on the transaxle. In Europe you can also buy an aftermarket performance upgrade that takes power over 300hp and about the same amount of torque and still retain full factory warranty in that car.

If it were me I wouldn't worry too much about what it can take unless you're buying a new car to gut and build a drag-only racer (and then why not use the modified 4T65 slushbox for strength and consistency). Many of the transaxle failures I've seen in well designed and fairly bullet-proof transmissions have been from operator abuse or error. I don't plan to beat the heck out of mine and even if I upgrade and increase power I still wouldn't worry too much. How many other FWD transaxles can handle this much power as is? What happens when you dramatically increase power in many import transaxles? For the ones that do handle increases in power, what if those cars had to carry the weight of a much larger vehicle? The F35 is pretty tough.

We've got a great warranty if you plan to remain stock and if you do increase power and somehow break the transaxle, consider it the price you have to pay then try to learn from the failure in repairing it in order to reduce the chance of a repeat failure (by upgrading as required). But again, I doubt you'll have to worry too much about that if you're not abusing it.

 

^^Post of the year candidate!

 

^^ Yes.

Dont freak out - just dont drive it like a forumula 1 car...dont drag race the crap out of it. The Cobalt was NOT built to be on a racetrack or 1/4 mile strip. You can upgrde and put plently of power through the tranny - it will take it - but it will become less tolerable of any accidental (or deliberate) clutch dumps, full throttle shifts, clutchless shifts, etc... Plus...wheelhop kills most the these trannys.