Suncoast/ATS/DTT

[champspa]

I have a Goerend Bros. torque converter and it's great . I'm sure all the trannys are but this one is nice.

 

[pwr2tow]

Installer, Installer, Installer, all the products are great but they aren't worth any thing unless you have a good installer or can do it yourself. There is alot more to fine tuneing these aftermarket transmissions than just installing some parts.



My experience:



1. If you are going to do engine power enhancements that increase HP more than 60 HP than It is advisable to upgrade the transmission with a Torque converter and Modified Valve Body, I also recommend a pressure lock from BD along with who's ever upgrades you go with, this is advisable towing or none towing.

2. If you are going to the extreme HP's of approximately over 350HP to unlimited rear wheel HP than I would recommend an exchange transmission with the upgraded internal parts, most all exchange transmissions come with the parts listed in #1 but it doesn't hurt to ask just to make sure. If you can do transmission work on your own than you could get by a lot cheaper as no labor would be involved. With an upgraded transmission you should be able to tow in OD, be it an exchange (which is better) or just upgrade with TC, valve Body, and pressure lock.

As far as whose parts you use, I really have no preference, my setup works really well but others have good parts too. I will list in preference what I would do if I had to do it again, the only reason I list bd-power third is I have already used their parts and am very happy with them but I would like to try somebody else's, keep in mind if this BD transmission goes more than say 200,000+ miles it would be mighty hard to go with some one else as this would already have been a proven setup.

www.atsdiesel.com

www.suncoastconverters.com

www.bd-power.com This is my setup and very good.

I should explain why I think bd's setup is very good.

There is a stretch of road we travel every weekend that is 70 miles long and we have to stop or slow down and turn 9 times within that 70 mile stretch. On the return trip we do the same thing. That's like stopping every 7. 8 miles and racing nine times, Add in the return trip and in 140 miles we stop and race every 7. 8 miles for 18 times. A lot of people on the TDR claim there transmission will hold up to all kinds of HP while racing, but the abuse I put mine through is nothing compared to them, Why, because I go from 0 to 65 MPH with my foot close to the floor using 300+ RWHP pulling 21,000 to 22,000 pounds in tow. These guys racing with High HP are not towing anything and I doubt they race 18 times a weekend.



I buy all my own parts, I am not affiliated or sponsored by anyone or any company. I buy what I feel is best for me from who ever I want, when I can scrounge enough money together.



EDIT:: I edited out www.atsdieselperformance.com to the correct url of www.atsdiesel.com just for clarification.



Hope this helps,

Ron

 

[mstimac]

Your in W. PA so just take short trip up to MASSDIESEL. I believe the northern folk are having a wrench day the 22nd or 23rd. I'm sure there will be plenty of different setups there to get a good idea for yourself. Added benefit is that you'll get to meet some really good people!

 

[GLASMITHS]

SJRsCummins

Just a little advice, based on experience. I had BD [crap] first-. Also if you plan to up your HP more than 300 a full transmission would be cheaper. A torque converter and valvebody will help for a while, then you will screw up the rest and it contaminates the t/c and vb and you have to replace again. . so watch out for the cheap ways to go; sometimes it is more expensive in the long haul.



Also, not to contradict anyone, but you do not need the pressurelock with most aftermarket t/c. If you do, they are behind the curve!

 

[Sticks]

mstimac gives the best advice yet!!!



Seriously, nothing is better than seeing, touching, feeling, and the ability to get honest spur-of-the-moment answers to spur-of-the-moment questions.

 

[SJRsCUMMINS]

Thanks for your input so far everyone. I am a novice at this compared to all of you, so I am going to take advice from as many people as possible to try and do it right the first time. Since I am a novice, I would rather go to a shop with a very good reputation that has already done many upgrades. I want to take my truck to shop, drop it off, and have the following done at one time so I may enjoy as fast as possibe:



1. Kill the dowel pin

2. Gauges

3. High performance transmission

4. Gov spring kit

5. Cam plate

6. Injectors

7. 4" exhaust



Speak up if I am missing anything! I might have to scale back a little depending on the cost.



I talked to a couple shops and am waiting for some quotes. The East Coast has a couple of very good shops, so I am fortunate in that regard. I'd rather enjoy my money at this point then get hammered in the stock market!!

 

[SJRsCUMMINS]

MSTiMAC,



Where do the northeasters get together? I am studying to take the bar exam on 2/25 and 2/26 so I can't attend on the 23rd. I would really enjoy meeting some others who are more knowledgable than me!

 

[propuller]

im puttin down over 500 horse & i truck pull with a full dtt trans i have not damaged my transmission in any way. i would recomend a complete assembly built by a certified dtt shop with all the good stuff like the billet hub,shafts & the trans must be set up correctly if you want it to last. at this power level everything has got to be perfect. give the shops a call tell them what you do with your truck & make a decision based on your research. be proud of your choice & stick with it but i will tell you to do it right the first time & dont cut any corners. good luck & lets keep this clean. . kurt

 

[D. Showan]

SJRsCummins,



I would really advise against doing bunches of mods all at the same time. Do one at a time, get a feel for each one and make sure it's right before going to the next. If something is not right it will be much more difficult for you to diagnose if you don't know exactly how each mod affected things.



final edit: It's another shame the way this thread went. Good bye

 

[HVAC]

Let's Dance!

"to go wrong unless your really cranking up the horsepower and drag racing every week. "



That's how we test these trannys for durability. Put them to the extreme test and then know that the gen public will not be able to hurt them.



I run a Suncoast in my truck which is the quickest 24v in the world in street trim. We can run sub 12 second times on fuel alone. The Suncoast triple surface lock up clutch is the secret to quick times and big MPH.

 

[Joel Richards]

See my signature - I'm extremely happy with my choice. I'm putting down 495 HP at the wheels. I tow 15K pounds almost daily, drag race, and sled pull. I have 42K miles on the transmission/TC now without any issues whatsoever. The lockup controller really rocks!



Before you buy, I would call around and see which transmission will fit your needs. I do have a biased opinion as I have never run anything but ATS (and stock of course).



Above all, do your homework.



HTH

-joel

 

[jeff95]

I have a suncoast complete transmission. I went with suncoast because they offer a 3 year unlimited milage and hp warranty. Also, I live about 90 miles from them and had several local shops that use thier products. I figure that if I am going to pay $4000 installed for a new transmission, I want to make sure it has a good warranty.

Good luck,

Jeff

 

[Rammin On]

I suggest you go find folks with different set-ups and ask them to let you "test" drive the trucks ..... try as many as you can find ... . make your own decision based what you like about the different trannies.



I'm running the ATS full meal deal ... I drove DTT - BD - ATS when I was in the market ..... didn't get a chance to try Goerend or Suncoast.



Based on my "feel" and what "I" like in a trans as far as shifting ... putting the power down ... I chose ATS ... there customer service is awesome! The trans/torque convertor is ... well what can I say ... excellent!



Others have posted website to visit ... go check them out ... also you can ask Q's on ATS's forum site here



Do your homework and make the choice that best suits your needs!



ATS ~ simply the best

 

[Joel Richards]

I'll make my truck available to ANYONE who would like to take it for a spin. I'm in Denver, so just send me a PM or an email when you would like to come down and take it for a drive, and I'll accomodate you.



I have a friend in Denver with a DTT, and he said that he will make his truck available as well.



I don't know anyone with Suncoast or BD - sorry.



Now is your chance to take 2 trucks for a ride, within minutes of each other - one with ATS, the other with DTT. Make your own decision, as they do perform differently - this way, you can make your own decision as to the driveability of the transmission/TC/Lockup controller. Customer service is another story. I have dealt with both ATS and DTT, and I made my decision.



For those of you wondering, I have paid for all enhancements to my truck. I am not paid to endorse anyone. I have stated that I have a biased opinion, and that this opinion is based on experience. Take it for what you will.



Thanks

-joel

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Here we go again . I've deleted several posts regarding a personal attack. PLEASE try to keep this on a technical basis, it was going well for a while there.



Also, please stop posting things like "flame war in progress, betting on when it's going to get ugly, etc, etc". All that does is fan the flames. Any posts of that nature from here on out will be deleted because they simply perpetuate the problem.



-Steve St. Laurent

Lead Moderator

 

[pwr2tow]

GLASMITHS,

Sorry to hear about the bad experience you had, could it have been back in the day when bd had the guy that went into business for himself working at bd. Customer service is top notch now. I had a minor problem with my transmission six months after the initial installation and bd paid for everything, labor, parts, and the guy to drive 60 miles round trip to pick up the part while he was on the clock. Great customer service in my opinion.



Ron

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Nowell,



There are probably 2 guys on this board that i know off the top of my head that would have something to say about you being the fastest 24 valve in the world. I wish i could say i was one of them but Keith from Diesel Dynamics and Christian from BD are both in the ll’s. I know Keith’s truck is a daily driven 4x4 and their trucks are over 1000 lbs heavier than yours.



The fastest mph that I have heard of to date is still Jet Pilot (Doug Smith) at 117+mph in a full sized and factory weighted every day street driven 4x4.



I think for those reading it is only fair they know that when your DTT sponsorship was cancelled you luckily picked up a Sun Coast sponsorship, my point is that just as i am sponsored by DTT and you are sponsored by Suncoast, and there are others sponsored by other transmission companies, our opinions as sponsored trucks shouldn’t really carry too much weight, or at least should not be considered a valid comparison vs a paying customers. That is unless we as sponsored vehicles start denying that we have sponsored trucks to better mingle with potential customers.

 

[GLASMITHS]

I'm going to try to keep this in the cooler

I purchased a BD torque converter and Autolock. An authorized dealer installed it, not me. The t/c was poo, but 200% better than stock. NO FLUID COUPLING. The Autolock never worked right. The installer kept saying my transmission needed to be reflashed, blah, blah, blah. Big song and dance. But always something wrong with my truck.



So, about 18 Mo or so ago I decided to get on BD about it. They did the same thing. Treated me like I was plum stupid. "was it locked up". Heck no, it wont't move, no drive:-{} :-{} . The guy that signed these e-mails was named Brian. Well, I didn't know Brian from Davie nor jon; however, a year ago when the decision was made to update the transmission, I did know, and that ruled out BD. PERIOD.



And you know what, the evening before we left to have the DTT update done an "old RH type was visiting at home; I explained it to him. He took me by the hand and led me out to the truck, lifted the hood, opened the fuse box and said "NO JUMPER". Every time the Autolock comes on it goes into limp mode. Smart folks huh?



I'm glad you have good customer service with them. Sometimes their problems fall through the cracks. But, I'm not going to fall through the same crack twice!!



Have a nice day

 

[Joel Richards]

Originally posted by Stefan Kondolay

... our opinions as sponsored trucks shouldn’t really carry too much weight, or at least should not be considered a valid comparison vs a paying customers...

Stefan - well said! I finally can agree with you on something As a non-sponsored paying customer, I do feel that I, as well as all of the other paying ATS, DTT, BD, Suncoast, etc... customers, have more of a "valid" opinion than a sponsored owner of a truck.



Thanks for the insight.

-joel



edit: Sorry, misspelled Stefan...

 

[azcummins]

Which transmission is harder on the drive line?