A shift kit is a collection of components for automobiles with the goal of making the vehicle’s shifting between gears more efficient. Automatic and manual transmissions are both addressed by kits.
Many individuals are familiar with the words, but few people truly comprehend what a shift kit is and why it’s needed. In a nutshell, the automatic transmission shift kit essentially improves upon the transmission’s shift timing which, in turn, improves the transmission’s firmness and component durability.
If all of the above factors are met, this is ideal because automobile engineers have been known to excessively enable shift overlap in order to improve shifting smoothness. In this scenario, the transmission is operating in more than one gear at the same time. The term “slushbox” was coined to describe early automatic transmissions because of their excessively smooth, disconnected feel.
The extended shift overlap improves the smoothness of the transmission, but it also puts the friction surfaces to work harder and reduces efficiency and durability. The friction causes greater heat, which destroys seals and clutches and causes them to wear prematurely.
One of the causes for short throws is a lack of traction, which may be improved with transmission shift kits. Shift kits let you use that inactivity energy for forwarding movement by better utilizing the heat normally produced by slipping during long overlap, resulting in quicker shifts and improved city fuel efficiency.
Installing A Shift Kit
It is quite simple to install a shift kit. The kit will include a steel plate, some springs, and hopefully straightforward instructions from the manufacturer. The driver may use shift reprogramming kits, that are commercially available. This will consequently chirp his or her tires when they reach Second gear, which is typically the case. It’s a fact of life. Everybody does it, even if the rumbling from the tires isn’t audible. Installing one of these kits will provide quicker power transmission between gears, albeit at the cost of a smooth, continuous shift that enthusiasts will appreciate.
Unfortunately, many auto enthusiasts either live with their transmission’s seamless shifts or pay someone to modify it. It’s understandable that many people are unwilling to get their hands dirty when it comes to a manual gearbox. However, regardless of what you may think, a shift kit and reorganizing a valve body only takes a few basic tools, many of which you already keep at home! This, along with spending some time in the garage or driveway. Finally, having the gearbox outside of the truck or having it on a lift would have made the process go more smoothly.
What Does A Shift Kit Do?
Numerous types of shift kits are available, each with its own set of functions. A performance-oriented shift kit is intended to improve shifts by altering the flow of transmission fluid through the valve body, although other modifications may be made as well. The more consistent each shift is, the greater the performance boost. Even if it’s just fractions of a second, the faster reaction time of a shift is beneficial to your performance.
Installing a shift kit might also aid in the longevity of your vehicle’s transmission. One of the primary causes of slippage and shift overlap in the transmission is to eliminate them by reducing slip and shift overlaps. The installation of the shift kit does necessitate transmission pan removal, valve body separation, and hole(s) drilling in the valve body separator plate. However, this is something you can do yourself at home.
In a nutshell, the valve body is responsible for directing the transmission fluid to various valves that operate the appropriate clutch pack or band servo. It’s a tangle of fluid pathways and passageways that direct transmission fluid to push various valves that control specific components of the automatic gearbox.
We’ve remapped the fluid feed holes to change how much fluid is supplied to a clutch pack. By increasing the size of a particular feed hole, you reduce the application rate of the associated clutch. This gives us that quick, positive shift feels without causing the clutch slip.
