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Advertising Vs Reality

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ADVERTISING VS REALITY







I have been in the transmission industry for over 20 years. I am not a parts changer. I know how a transmission works , why it works the way it does and I especially know the limitations of the Dodge transmissions.



The diesel industry as a general rule I have found to be one of the most deceitful with product information for its consumer. Some companies promising Chrysler will look after your warranty with their power upgrades, some claiming adding an exhaust brake will make your transmission live longer give you more hp ect. I think you guys get the idea.



We have built our business based on telling the truth and it gets us caught up in controversy. I have been personally blamed for why some vendors will not post on this website. Let me see if I understand this correctly, a while back I had a dispute with a company that was selling power enhancements and claiming it would not void mfg warranty. Here’s a thought maybe instead of blaming me they should not have said it in the first place if it was not true.



On a weekly basis I deal with customers that have added an exhaust brake because a mfg told them it was ok and wouldn’t harm their transmission. There have actually been articles written in Trailer Life magazine suggesting exactly that. If its in print it must be true right?



I have found it unnecessary to lie to Dodge Ram owners to get them to buy products. I have found being honest with them is the best policy as they have a trust that is in most cases relatively unshakeable. That does not mean that vendors have the right to treat these consumers like sheep.



Now many of you guys may be wondering what has prompted this post. Two things did . 1) I took a call yesterday from a guy that made me re-think my attitude of late when posting on this site. His question was, was I not partially responsible for his situation? While it was not my product he was having problems with, as he considered me to be one of the transmission experts in the field and I had nothing negative to say about the propaganda, the product must have been ok. Everybody knew it was not my style to keep silent.



2) While it is was not my policy to tell customers what to say, I did that yesterday by asking Bob Wagner not to comment negatively about Briar and ATS.

Bob I am truly sorry I did that yesterday to you, as you were trying to do what I should have been doing. I am very sorry for asking you to back off. I was out of line.



Now to the moderators, this post of mine is done without emotion or malice. When a company deliberately tells a lie in order to sell a product as experts in our field it is our responsibility to speak up. Is a hassle to speak up? Yes it is. Having said and trying to stay within the guidelines I’m gonna issue a little challenge. All in the spirit of competition you understand.



I draw your attention to the website link put up,



http://www.atsdieselperformance.com/atsu/atsu-lockupclutch.html



now if you were making a decision based on the pictures, presentation ect , its beautiful. Very well done, it is obvious a lot of effort and time went into the making this presentation and it was thought out very carefully. However that is not what you drive. Look again, go to the bottom of the page you will see a chart.



I know it is so full of lies that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. So let us begin this transmission lesson by adressing the first lie.



Their chart claims we have 34 square inches of lining. That is an out and out lie.



Here is my challenge,



MAY MADNESS, I will put up $ 10,000. 00 to prove it. We always have many customers that make the trip. We know who our customers are, we will put all their names in one hat. Someone can draw a name out of the hat, we will cut the tc open and measure the lining in front of witnesses. If I am wrong the company making the claim about our lining is $10,000. richer. Since I designed the lining and its cut to my specs, you can bet you bottom dollar I am not losing this bet.

I know without a doubt they are deliberately mis-leading you to sell their products.



It has been my experience that companies willing to tell lies to sell their products don’t generally stop at one. Go back and have a real good look at the pics, do you guys see anything else interesting that you may have missed the first time.



Briar, my friend be careful who you attach your name to.



So back to the CHALLENGE, you guys know who you are, are you guys willing to put your money where your mouth is ?
 
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Bill, I don't think anyone here doubts your expertise, but getting involved in pi**ing matches, even if you're 100% right, will not do you or your business any good.



Do your good work, offer your knowledge and opinions to those who ask, and let the cream rise to the top all by itself.
 
Bill. . the cream will always raise to the surface, don't get so heated up my friend. . [THIS IS NOT A LECTURE !! just one friend to another ]



something that I haven't done well in my work history is pick and choose my battles. . I have fought them all and always with emotion and conviction... . well that will only get you a bunch of grief , but you'll be right..... you and I are out of simlar molds and will always have the respect that we knew what we were talking about and won the battle. . but didn't know we lost the war because our emotion was in the way. I stopped the battles [RETIRED] but you will fight on.



your product is not at question we all know your stuff is great... however someone made a choice that didn't include your product. there is and always will be choice A,B, or C... not all do as well as the next but that is what makes the sum total improve.

if you remember a long time ago I called you and asked you about which way to go on transmission's, well I stayed with the 6 SP as I had always been a gear slammer, not two weeks ago I said to you that in retrospect I whish I had taken your advise... so you see my friend you will win in the big picture and get all you loose back in the end.



you have nothing to prove... please relax a bit and enjoy those that choose your product, life will be a lot more rewarding to you.



AGAIN ALL SAID IN FRIENDSHIP AND RESPECT !!
 
You go Bill!

Never lose the passion Bill. How can you guy's call this a pi$$ing contest when a competitor of Bill's makes claims about his product that aren't true. Instead of a empty denial, Bill has put up his money, and alot of it. Good job Bill!



Sam
 
I have a few questions.....



Do you use the factory TC cover?

If so, how do you get more clutch surface with the factory lid without bending or welding it?

The reason I say bending or welding is because I would think that such bending or welding would weaken the already thin OEM TC cover?

I have seen the inside of a OEM cover, there is very little room for any additional clucth surface.

Have you always had a bigger clutch liner?



I have never seen the inside of your TC so I do not know. I have never said that DTT did not have a good product. I am NOT trying to start an :-{} . Just asking questions.
 
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Bill,

I am not speaking for you... ... . putting words in your mouth so to speak... ... I'm just giving my opinion of my observation of you.....

I would love to meet and speak with you... ..... The way you think and handle yourself is like looking in the mirror for me..... We need these trucks to haul our (Soccer) balls in. I looked @ the site and saw 3 sandwiched linings... ... ... . Kinda like stacking 3 flat washers together when a bolt is too long... ... . I'm not as knowledgeable about transmissions as you are, but I like to do things once and do it right. I also look at modifications as enhancements not compromises in safety or reliability. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link... ... ..... This is the definitive statement I feel... ... ..... If you put all of your soldiers at the front gate there is nothing to protect the rear so to speak... .....

I'm very opinionated and stubborn as a rock... ... I'm also open minded... ... I will always defer to a professional and listen closely to come to my conclusions. I'm very passionate about life and it shows in most of my posts... ... . some say I'm an extremeist... ... ... . I just believe in honesty and doing the right thing... ... . I hate stupid people..... stupid in the sense of being misleading or speaking before thinking it through.

I see nothing wrong with your posts... ... ... . It seems you take things to heart as I do and you feel your honor is at stake..... never stop defending or doing what is right... ... . because it is right.

I will be having trans mods done to my truck and yours is what I'm going with... ... . I talked to Scott @ Mass Diesel and just need to get the $ together... ... . This will be my first modification to the truck... .....

I understand where you're coming from... ..... we march to the beat of our own drum... ... ... no one else's.

Sleep well my friend... ... . you've done nothing wrong and you will continue to reap the rewards... ... ..... others will have to pay twice to get it fixed... ... and will be loyal forever.

Guys, I didn't write this to hear any wise guy comments... ... . this is just my opinion... ... . I'm not lashing out at anyone and don't expect any crap in return... ..... If you want pm me and I'll be glad to meet and accomodate you... ...

Highest Regards,

Eric Shaw

Shaw Custom Knives
 
Eric... You'll like Bill's transmission.



Bill, your a good man, with a reliable product, don't lose the war... .

I think ATS is there for the "Hotrodders" or the people who would buy your 93% converter. I guess we'll have to see what ATS is doing about any lies they may have said about you and/or your company.



Merrick Cummings Jr
 
legal issue.....

Aint it illegal to use other company names in advertising unless you own a precentage of the copany? I am guessing that it is NOT an advertisement for their product, just how it is better right? Or is it actual products that are not allowed to be used, i. e. the word Triplelok on the DTT site?



I am NOT going to take sides as I like both from what I hear/seen so far, you can see by my sig what i mean.



Andrew
 
E shaw, I was just about to post my thoughts on the triple dics

set up and you beet me to it.

Your weakest link chain thing hit the nail right on the head!

That's why we don't use chains in construction or hoisting because they are only as stong as the weakest link.

We use cables and you are allowed so many brakes per wrap.

This is not construction though.

ATS hass the balls to slam other competitors for misleading #'s and they are guilty of doing it also.

From what I gather their lock up surface is only 39. 7inches!

They would like us to believe that it is times 3 but it is not.



MY opinion of the ATS conveter is it only has 39. 7 inches of lock up bearing surface times 1.



Please correct me if I'm wrong because I do not do this for a living and hate to spread bad info. .

What do you think BIll?
 
I think that normally a company will avoid naming thier competition (remember Brand X?) It avoids unpleasant things like this controversy. Having an open mind it looks like ATS has a nice concept. But then the "billet" bit is a little overplayed. But it is a good way to separate your product from everyone else. A small abit of history. The japanese make motorcyles. The toughest and most robust bearing system was the babbit shell type rod and main bearings. But roller bearings SOLD! what was put on the bikes - Roller bearings- not the best engineering fit for a dirty internal combustion crancase. But if you did not build it that way no one ( except for the harley riders) buy your product. The tie in- Just becaue it looks like cool engineering does not make it the best product. OBTW those harley riders stayed almost loyal through the AMF days- That is LOYALTY Just a bunch of opinions-not to **** anyone off.
 
EShaw, juicedcummins, the "three sandwiched discs" you mentioned do not work in the method you seemed to have assumed that they do. ATS chose not to show all the internal parts of the TripleLok system, and for good reason. Edge doesn't post complete schematics to how the PowerEdge is constructed, do they? It's too bad they can't, though, because one look at all the parts involved and a straightforward explanation of how it works, in person, is very eye-opening.
 
Well, I'm coming off graveyards and probably shouldn't be commiting thoughts to print, but this subject is too big to let pass. Bill, I'm glad you posted this because we don't want to see you go postal from holding it back. Being a three pedal guy, the only ATS product I own is the exhaust manifold- and I'm pretty impressed with that! But then again, who else makes aftermarket exhaust manifolds? The cream will rise theory must be compared the what "sinks" in the bowl theory. We saw the eventual demise of the good "Dr. " who had great advertising, but couldn't keep his customers happy. Problem is, WE lose because the folks putting a good product out are hurt financially. It's all a matter of trust. When a company diversifies out of their field of expertise, into another company's field of expertise, the buyer beware. Brand loyalty can be expensive. Bill, I'm looking foreward to seeing you at MM.
 
If you dont have 34 inches of material, then what is it? 33. 75? 35. 5? Does it really matter since you keep the transmission out of lockup and in fluid coupling under hard acceleration?
 
Originally posted by Doubleclutch

Being a three pedal guy, the only ATS product I own is the exhaust manifold- and I'm pretty impressed with that!



I am fairly sure that it is a different ATS from the transmission guys in Denver.



Andrew
 
Originally posted by juicedcummins

E shaw, I was just about to post my thoughts on the triple dics

set up and you beet me to it.

Your weakest link chain thing hit the nail right on the head!

That's why we don't use chains in construction or hoisting because they are only as stong as the weakest link.

We use cables and you are allowed so many brakes per wrap.

This is not construction though.

ATS hass the balls to slam other competitors for misleading #'s and they are guilty of doing it also.

From what I gather their lock up surface is only 39. 7inches!

They would like us to believe that it is times 3 but it is not.



MY opinion of the ATS conveter is it only has 39. 7 inches of lock up bearing surface times 1.



Please correct me if I'm wrong because I do not do this for a living and hate to spread bad info. .

What do you think BIll?
The Lock-up surface on one of our friction services is 39. 7 square inches. The teeth on the friction/steel rings were deleted from the pictures. There are three clutch surface areas in this converter. Two services rotate with the engine and two rotate with the lock-up piston. One is the cover, one is the disc splined to the piston, one is the steel plate that floats between the two and is splined to the cover and one is the piston. This may sound confusing; it is just like a motorcycle clutch by design.

To name the competition is part of life; I have great respect for all of our competitors in the same market. I feel our converter is the only converter to install behind a Diesel engine, because I have spent my life perfecting it and it works, I also know we can't build every converter out there and don't want to.

Competition is good for every one. If theirs an error in the graph then let me know and I'll change it. ATS is a team of people that that love what we do and we don’t stop. I look for our competetors to push forward to keep us looking to the future. We will continue to work with the latest technology and offer our customers and friends the very best available.



Clint Cannon

Owner ATS DieselPerformance

The Home Of The TripleLok™
 
Go Bill!!



As long as we're looking at this scientifically...



100% of the power could be transferred to the transmission and the transmission would run cooler and last longer. In newer diesels, a lockup clutch is used at highway speeds to improve efficiency to 100% during lockup



This cannot be true for an automatic transmission. The force necessary to 'lock-up' the clutch is generated by an engine driven pump in the transmission.



It APPROACHES 100% efficiency. . probably more like 99%



We're sure ** is not intentionally trying to be deceptive, but making errors like these hurts consumers trying to make informed buying decisions.



The laws of physics still apply. energy cannot be made or destroyed but may change form. There are very few changes that are 100% efficient and the change from rotational motion to fluid pressure is not one of them. Heat is generated and must be accounted for.





Our TripleLok™ torque converter has twice the surface area of the leading competitor, yet will hold THREE times the torque.



I don't think so and I don't even own one. Bill's sends a 6500# street driven truck to the 13s and they hold 3 full times as much torque. . prove it. how do you test a TC to 3000+# of TQ?????????????
 
CCannon, don't take my post personal.

My post is based on the info on the ATS link.

I am a consumer and possibly a future customer if you have the best product at time of need.

Right now there is no need and you are at the bottom of the pile for my $ based on the lack of info on a product I assume you have on the market.

I have been stung doing the TC thing before and it will not happen again.

Until I see it in black and white it is very safe to say it works as I described.

Don't confuse me with being DTT loyal, I do not have any of their products but have the outmost respect for Bill Kondolay. He calls a spade a spade!:D

PS: competition is a good thingOo.
 
Just A Thought

Obviously lockup seems to be of concern after all. We have been seeing people that have not wanted to use lockup systems in the past but we are glad to see changes in that thought. The engineering of that system must have some merit after all. The only thing that we can gather is that the OEM lockup system needed some changes. With this in mind that must be why the clutch has to be increased in some shape or fashion. I’m just somewhat confused about which is it with some people. Why is it of no concern for lockup one day and on the next it seems to be a point about the clutch size being the same as OEM. The thing that gets me is its being stated from X-brand Company’s that said lockup couldn’t handle the loads from higher HP engines. This is really confusing to the mind. Different opinions comes progress for change. I for one like change it make life more fun and rewarding for all. Nobody wants to slam others this does not prove anything but destroy people. We at ATS have made some of the best choices for our company and customers to use. With this in mind the facts that have been at hand has shown us that there must be the need to better the clutch surface in the torque converters. This has made us go to larger clamping sources for the high power and the towing that the trucks are put under. We also had smaller clutch linings and this has made us improve the converter. Nobody has said that a company does not make changes in a currant design and that can always happen. Thanks



Don Ramer
 
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