Suncoast/ATS/DTT

[Stefan Kondolay]

Its the overdrive direct clutches that do not do anything when the transmission is in od. It is the od housing that holds 2 sets of clutches in it.



The od direct clutches are engaged to help out the one way clutch. They are primarily used in 1st gear , 2nd gear , 3rd gear , and reverse that is when they are engaged. It is the only set of clutches that are spring applied and hydraulically released.



Holding capacity of these clutches is determined by the strength of the spring. Steve since you have a 1995 truck in our own personal shop whenever they are available to us we use brand new od units . That spring in your particular case will have to be changed no matter which vendor you choose, we know transgo sells one but we prefer the oem one.



As for towing out of lock up you must monitor your transmission temps in the cooler lines. We do have a special towing TC that is designed to be used for extended fluid coupling . You would have to talk to my dad on how that works . Remember though as you have a 1995 truck and you want to tow for extended periods in fluid coupling you have to match your engine for what you intend to do. The transmission wont be your issue it will be your engine.

We have this down to a fine science as we do this day in and day out with the help of Piers from PDR and Lawrence at Diesel Dynamics.

 

[Bob Wagner]

what are the differences of the towing tc and DTT's standard tc ?

 

[Steve Roseman]

Thanks Stefan, I think I understand the overdrive unit and it's clutches a little better now. I didn't realize the unit relied on spring applied clutches with OD/off, now I have even less faith in my stock transmission than I had before!:{ LOL. I always thought with OD/off, my overdrive was safe from heavy loads. So with what you're saying, with modifications, the overdrive could be stronger with OD/on than OD/off if no changes are made to the overdrive direct clutches and spring.



Another question. Do all your trannies have the 3rd gear release system modified, or do you have to have a Smart Controller for that to be done? I would assume they all do, but I always get myself in deep when I assume things.

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Bob,



The simple reason we dont list every variatiion of tc we have is becuase we recommend based on the profile we and our dealers do with the customer. It gets way to confusing to list any other way as we have over 15 different variations of the tc as we have the capacity to match the fluid coupling to the output of the engine. Again that is why we do a detailed profile sheet.



As you are aware there are more than 3 different combinations of engines out there so we have to keep pace.

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Steve,



All transmissions we build in house now have the enhanced 2nd gear and 3rd gear system in them. When people start getting involved with lockup devices that is when we recommend the billet input shaft and hub combination. As the days of the 275 hp trucks are few and far between and the trailers keep getting heavier and taller we had to also change our proceedures accordingly. As Bill puts it , dodge ram owners are confused individuals, some of them think they are driving race cars and the others think they are driving freightliners. There seem to be hardly any of them left that are driving a dodge diesel pickup.





We wont even get into the guys that think on Monday the truck is a race car and Tuesday the truck is a freightliner ect.

 

[D. Showan]

Stephan, you didn't answer Bob's question. I think he wanted to know what specifically is different in how they perform. Differences like torque multiplication, stall speed etc.



Am I right Bob?

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

D. Showan,



A lot of the buzzwords commonly used for converter comparisons do not really apply to our steel stator torque converter, as we are able to change a lot internally for application purposes.



Our customers while we do spend time with them explaining the system we do not go into explicit detail on how we work on the internal variation differences. They trust us to recommend depending on their profile sheet we use for their application. As our tc design allows for length of vein variation, angle of vein variation, number of vein variation it is complex when trying to explain how our build specs apply to overall performance.



Obviously as some of the content is also proprietary information we do not discuss them even discuss with our dealers. The only thing that matters to our customers and dealers alike is can we match the fluid coupling to their personal applications and it gets the job done .

 

[D. Showan]

Stefan,



I certainly respect your desire to protect your proprietary information but you sound almost like a politician. In general terms, What are the differences? I would imagine that your towing TC would have more torque multiplication at low speeds for starting out. I would also think that the stall speed would be higher so more HP could be developed. Would a TC with a higher stall speed have less efficient fluid coupling at higher speeds? For your customers that tow heavy do you recommend to not rely on fluid coupling and to tow in lockup when ever possible?

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

D. Showan,



There is no general terms, we are a custom shop, and we have a huge database that we use to compile the correct combinations. We are not going to share it and i am sorry if i sound like a politician.



If you want to learn more about this type of thing, go and look at what the drag racing industry is doing.



In the drag racing industry the high stall tc manufacturers have been steadily changing from the straight vein design to curve vein design.



We have proved time and time again by the doing, look at the large variety of trucks and the variation differences . If you are wanting first hand to experience the different applications maybe the best thing would be do ride in different set ups.

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Originally posted by Stefan Kondolay

As Bill puts it , dodge ram owners are confused individuals,





We wont even get into the guys that think on Monday the truck is a race car and Tuesday the truck is a freightliner ect.

Ask Bill if I can be considered a Freightliner race Car..... :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Oh yes Greg,



Definately Freightliner racecar, per your profile, Desert Diesel was your installer, you were going to be going to be towing horses 10,000-15,000 lbs and needed a reliable tow vehicle, not a hp junkie you had motor cycles for that purpose. There was a note on your file to not let you drive Fred's truck , guess you drove Freds truck.







you are one of many many like that. Bill remembers you guys quite well.

 

[GLASMITHS]

Stefan

This is like reading a SHRINKS notes

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Originally posted by Stefan Kondolay

Oh yes Greg,



Definately Freightliner racecar, per your profile, Desert Diesel was your installer, you were going to be going to be towing horses 10,000-15,000 lbs and needed a reliable tow vehicle, not a hp junkie you had motor cycles for that purpose. There was a note on your file to not let you drive Fred's truck , guess you drove Freds truck.







you are one of many many like that. Bill remembers you guys quite well.

He might want to update the profile:



DDII'S/Supermentals Drag Comp, HX40... ... I have towed over 28,000 lbs on Cruise control at 65 mph for 250 miles. That is a little more than I thought but "HE" did warn me about Swanson's truck... . Thanks for all the great service.

 

[D. Showan]

Stefan,



I 'm very disappointed in your answers. One of your most loyal fans "Bob Wagner", asks what seems to be a simple, honest question about the differences between two TC's you say you make- A race TC and a towing TC. You then refuse to answer any of my basic questions about the differences.



Why do you say you offer a towing TC if you can't even tell us why you call it a towing TC and what the advantages are?



Of all the vendors on this forum, DTT has been the most willing to share technical information with us. Why are you stonewalling on these simple questions? I don't want trade secrets, just the basics about what makes your towing TC better than a race TC for towing.



DTT has often used the terms 89%, 91%, 93%, And you sell your TC's with these designations. Using DTT's rating system, what is the % that a towing TC would be?

 

[Jim Fulmer]

Of all the vendors on this forum, DTT has been the most willing to share technical information with us.



These days it's not about sharing info it's about what is someone going to reverse engineer, go back and look at the trend. I can't/won't speak for DTT but this is my opinion.



Jim

 

[HeberRam]

Back off!!!!

D. Showan..... I believe, Stefan has more than graciously explained everything he is going to , so further prodding doesn't do any good... i Perhaps you may want to spend sometime at DTT or attend one of their seminars for more specific information?

I agree with Jim Fulmer, and have no ties with DTT.



Steve

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

D. Showan,



I am currently running a 89% "race style" TC. I think the towing part of it comes from the valve body and the way Bill builds them.

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

The pics are loaded on the long post that I made earlier. Sorry for the delay.

 

[D. Showan]

Back yourself off HeberRam, If Stefan wants to ignore my questions that's up to him. He doesn't need you to defend him.



It doesn't make sense to say you have a towing TC and then not be willing to say anything about it except that it works. Other vendors wouldn't get away with that. But - whatever, sorry to be a pain Stefan.



I'm heading to the Florida Keys later today (for the first time) if the weather allows. So gentlemen, have a great day and lets all worry about the things that really matter in this life not this stuff.



Dave S.

 

[Sled Puller]

Originally posted by Jim Fulmer

Of all the vendors on this forum, DTT has been the most willing to share technical information with us.



These days it's not about sharing info it's about what is someone going to reverse engineer, go back and look at the trend. I can't/won't speak for DTT but this is my opinion.



Jim

Jim,

Another company(non auto trans) informed us on another thread, that this is not a bad thing, but good business, and flat admitted to doing it.



I was shocked, but judgeing from the total lack of anyone caring about what was posted on that thread, not one negative response, I guess reverse engineering is an accepted practice in the business world.



I am slower than most, but I am learning how to run a business off of the internet.