During a discussion with my son who works in a tranny shop I mentioned that I was thinking of switching from the 200-4R thats in my 53 to a 4L80E. He said the 4L80E wasn't that much strongerand that I would be better off redoing the 200 and making it stronger rather than going through the hastle of adapters and modifications required for the switch. While I don't disagree that it would be easier to redo the 200 I was surprised to hear the 4L80E wasn't much stronger. Any opinions on this? Bob H.
It really depends on how badly you're going to punish the thing...I've seen some very stout 200-4R builds, but it seems when people are going orbital with power levels the 4L80E is the next logical step. It sure does seem the aftermarket has taken good care of the 200-4R, though! I think you should discuss your plans with a reputable shop that caters to both transmissions and see what they recommend based on what you're planning to do. Oh wait...you already did that! :grin: Devon
I spent 4500 on my 200r4 so it would handle my turbo motor, I wouldnt even think about putting it behind one of my built big blocks.
the 4l80e is gms strongest gm passenger ttans its a much stronger version of the th-400 but with an overdrive..
The 80e is as tough as it comes built it will live behind over 1k hp however a 200 is a great trans also and can be built to handle 800 hp for the money it would be cheaper to look into the 200 plus the 80e makes the mpg not that great and has a lot of parasatic loss
Thanks for the info. I'm not going to be to hard on what ever I use. I justed wanted to be able to hammer it once in a while. Maybe throw on some drag radials to see what kind of times I can get. I think maybe high 12s. Maybe to optimistic.o No: Bob H.
With money and the right people you can make any transmission work. Bottom line, for my application I decided to use the transmission that was engineered to replace the TH400 and that is the 4L80E.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> A 4L80E stock will handle what a built 200r4 at the same price. Throw more money at the 4L80e youll have a bomb proof tranny. This information came from Jim Miller, GM Power Train Development Transmission Engineering. Hes one of the guys (engineers) that designed and tested the TH400, 4L80e and the newer 6L80e. Hes been with GM for 30 plus years. Nice guy. I cant argue with the very man that designed and tested and continues to design and test these transmissions. Btw, use the 93 and newer 4L80E.<o></o> <o> </o> http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=160139 see this post for details on my set up.<o></o> <o> </o> <o> </o>
my tool truck has a 4l80e. I had to rebuild it once already. ITs a very heavy tranny, and its huge. might require tunnel mods in certain cars. Plus it needs a computer to function, which might be a bit of a hassle.
Chad , you recommend using 93 and later 4L80E . Wondering what the difference is. I know there were some changes made but not sure what , I'm thinking valve body and solenoids .
I use a lightly modified 200r4. Mostly street driven but almost always with the drag radials on. I now run 12.4's when it hooks.
My 200-4R is lightly modified also. But its never been quite right and I'm afraid to stand on it. There is a story that goes with it but I have been holding back on the story because it was built by a member of the BCA and I hate to cause him any grief. Bob H.
Older 4L80E have cooling lines exactly where the TH400 is. While this may seem good, the OD portion does not get cooled properly under continous heavy loads. It may be ok for the buick application. The newer version has the return line at the rear of the tranny. There are also updates to the panetaries on the new version. As far as weight and length...not really a big deal for the rivi. The extra 25# (can't remeber exactly) didn't really bother me. btw, you can build your own shifter as I did using a micro controller (I put the buttons in the steering wheel see pix under first link below). If you are really really cheap you can use two toggle switches and a third for the TCC. Second, link has other/additional info. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=157013&highlight=%27nother http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=153208&page=2&highlight=fuel+economy
Thanks that answered my question . I had forgotten about the line reposition for better cooling and the extra pinion planetarys .
Maybe a dumb question, but here goes... How do you get a 4L80E to bolt up to a Buick? Don't they have the chevy pattern? ________ Avandia Class Action
after reading the posts, have you asked your son why he thinks there isnt much of a difference strengthwise? he should know that the 80 is much stronger if he works at a tranny shop. maybe he was thinking about the 4L60E:beers2:
I would go with the 4L80e. My 455 ate many th350 built to handle it. I got tired of getting a new trans every 3 years and went with th400 and never had anymore problems. Good Luck.
