The majority of gearheads can talk the talk when it comes to high performance engines. But when it comes to transmissions, either manual or automatic, some tend to mumble and stumble. We understand that a transmission's function is to transfer the rotational energy of the engine to the rear wheels, enabling the vehicle to move either forward or backward. To most, automatic transmissions are somewhat of a mystery. We put the vehicle in D for Drive and forget about it. As the engine's rpm increases during acceleration, the automatic transmission shifts to a higher gear, mysteriously keeping the rpm of the engine within controllable parameters so as not to damage any internal engine parts. The same holds true during deceleration. The engine magically downshifts as the engine's rpm decreases.
After accumulating more than 170,000 miles on a 4L60E automatic transmission, the vehicle's lack of snappy shifts and decrease in overall performance becomes quite apparent. A tired transmission tends to slip and slide into gear, sometimes not even feeling the shift point. This means it is time to retrieve the stamina and improve the performance it once had.
We decided to pursue the automatic transmission masterminds at JET Performance Transmission in Huntington Beach, California. With these guys revamping the 4L60E, we are guaranteed some serious improvements of wear and performance. The staff's in-depth gear-meshing knowledge and component-assembly expertise makes them one of the leaders in the industry. The team at JET Performance Transmissions, headed by Paul Darden and Steve White, Fred Nungaray, Manny Nungaray, Scott Neely, Robert "the Duck" Howard, have been defying the mysteries and improving the performance of automatic transmissions for the last decade. Using high-quality performance components and state-of-the-art technology has enabled the guys at JET Performance Transmissions the ability to transform factory transmissions into serious gear-banging, tire-chirping performance transmissions.
Fast Freddy Nungaray is known for his transmission wizardry, making vehicles shift with an attitude. We captured Fast Freddy's assembly techniques on film as he performed his magic.