4L60E vs 4L80E

[Wagonator]

I keep reading mixed reviews about the 4L60E and was curious as to what those who have them thought. I see, over and over, people debating about how strong they are and yet others are continually having to rebuild them even with light duty use. I am leaning toward the 60 over the 80 due to the weight difference, but I don't want to sacrifice durability for the sake of saving a few pounds. What do you guys think? Pros? Cons? Alternatives?

EDIT: This is going behind a LM7 5.3 and in front of a NP242 if I can find one.

[Blazer3664]

I see, over and over, people debating about how strong they are and yet others are continually having to rebuild them even with light duty use.

I don't want to sacrifice durability for the sake of saving a few pounds.

There is your answer, the 4L60E is a light duty trans, always has been.
Look at factory applications, how many did GM use in heavy trucks (1 ton ^) ?
Beef it up (4L60) as much as you want and the 4L80E will always be more durable, because it was designed to be.

A lot of you're decision will depend on what you plan to do with it.
In a show + shine mall crawler it will probably never break a sweat.
In a tow rig for hauling a 2 car trailer, or a trail rig that will see hard core use, you will be one of those swapping it every other weekend.


Think of it like axles. Theres nothing wrong with a D44, great axle for what it is.
Now if you were building a truck to abuse, heavy with big tires, big power, a heavy foot, and deep gears, would you ....
A) throw money at it to beef it up, knowing you will be pushing it to the limits ?
or
B) step up to an axle that has a long track record of handling that kind of use ( D60, 14B ) ?


4L80 may be a little heavier, and more $ up front, but that will pale quickly if you end up trashing that 4L60 even once.

Take it for what its worth, just net ramblings form some guy, but theres my $.02

Jim

[Wagonator]

Point taken. I may not be trashing my rig, or taking it to the breaking point in the mountains, but I don't want to have to think about what I'm about to break if I drive over a rock the wrong way. A 4L80 seems like the answer to my conundrum. Thanks Jim.

Taylor.

[lobie]

I debated this for awhile and the th400 too. I have a 60e in my garage and thought about building it.

Also considered the 80e. It came down to the th400 and 80e. The only advantage to the 80e was the OD for me. I considered tire size, axle ratio and max speed I wanted to drive in the jeep. It lead me to not needing OD.

Would I like OD and TCC? It would be nice. But for the price, I could not justify it. I built my th400 for a fraction of a stock 80e.

Just another option...

[Wagonator]

I debated this for awhile and the th400 too. I have a 60e in my garage and thought about building it.

Also considered the 80e. It came down to the th400 and 80e. The only advantage to the 80e was the OD for me. I considered tire size, axle ratio and max speed I wanted to drive in the jeep. It lead me to not needing OD.

Would I like OD and TCC? It would be nice. But for the price, I could not justify it. I built my th400 for a fraction of a stock 80e.

Just another option...

I never even considered the th400. I guess that it could be a viable option. I just really like the OD and the TC lockup since this will be my DD and mileage is a big concern (I realize the back assward thinking about buying a rolling brick and being worried about gas). I do quite a bit on the highway, and not too much in town so I think the extra expense for the 4L80 would be worth it in the long run.

[Blazer3664]

But for the price, I could not justify it.

Thats my whole rig Money pit for sure.

I debated this for awhile and the th400 too.

So did I. Good trans, same gears as the 4L80 minus the OD, and the 4L80 adds TC lockup.
With the highway miles I plan on, I wanted to keep my rpms manageable, and I am running TBI anyway so I already have the PCM.

The OP is talking all later model GM drive-train, I am assuming he will keep the EFI, so either E-trans will be no big deal for him.

Couple rules I have for my "upgrades" (the reasoning behind my earlier answer)

1) Dont repair/upgrade something just to break it, go bulletproof or leave it alone. (and yes, I'm hard on stuff sometimes)

2) dont rebuild or replace things "for now". Example being rebuilding my old D44s knowing I would be upgrading to D60/14B as soon as I could find the right set.
......1+2 may cost a bit more to start, but should save money down the road. Not replacing something twice, or rebuilding it just to swap it out for an upgrade before its even showing any wear after dumping $$ into it

3) whenever possible go with the most common, readily available part that works for what I'm after.

Anyway, I'll shut up now

Jim

[carnuck]

The (only) nice thing about the GM swapis it plays well with the computer controlled 4L80E. I'd do one in a heartbeat, even if I had GM injection on my AMC motor. As for the 4L60? I might run it behind a GM motor (beefed up) but I wouldn't waste the $$ for the adapters to bolt one to an AMC motor when it's no stronger than an AW4 and just costs more.

[lobie]

I never even considered the th400. I guess that it could be a viable option. I just really like the OD and the TC lockup since this will be my DD and mileage is a big concern (I realize the back assward thinking about buying a rolling brick and being worried about gas). I do quite a bit on the highway, and not too much in town so I think the extra expense for the 4L80 would be worth it in the long run.

For a DD it is well worth the money to go 80e.
Mines a toy so that played a big role in my decision. Only highway to get to and from the trails.

[nester]

Well, I'll chime in here.

I am terrified of automatic transmissions. My only experience with them was a Geo Tracker that I never got running right, even after swapping it. So I did the most reasonable thing I could think of... I called a professional.

I called the race shop, I told them what I had and what it was going in. They asked me what I wanted to do with it. I told the guy, mostly driving it on the street, some mild off roading at the farm, and I want to be able to tow a boat.

He said, bring me a core, and I will build you a 4L60E that will be bullet proof for what you want to do. $1500. For that he included a bellhousing, and traded me different output housings and even gave me lines and fittings.

So, we'll see. Will it blow up? I doubt it. Most of his transmissions are going down the race track at a 45 degree angle...

[ProTouring442]

Depending on the original application, the LM7 is rated at 270 to 295 hp, and 315 to 335 lb·ft of torque. A factory 4L65E or 4L70E would handle this with little problem. TruTech (and others I would think) sell the parts necessary to upgrade a 4L60E to take well beyond the 400 lb·ft the 4L70E is rated at. http://www.trutechtrans.com

FYI, the 4L60-4L65-4L70E transmission is based on the 700R4 while the 4L80E is based on the Turbo 400.

[Wagonator]

Depending on the original application, the LM7 is rated at 270 to 295 hp, and 315 to 335 lb·ft of torque. A factory 4L65E or 4L70E would handle this with little problem. TruTech (and others I would think) sell the parts necessary to upgrade a 4L60E to take well beyond the 400 lb·ft the 4L70E is rated at. http://www.trutechtrans.com

FYI, the 4L60-4L65-4L70E transmission is based on the 700R4 while the 4L80E is based on the Turbo 400.

285hp and 325 ft-lbs is what this one is rated at. After intake, exhaust, a good tune, and (if I find some extra cash lying around and the old lady doesn't notice) a turbo kit, I would feel better knowing that my trans could handle the load with no issues whatsoever. I'm a firm believer in overkill, you can never have too much.

[ProTouring442]

285hp and 325 ft-lbs is what this one is rated at. After intake, exhaust, a good tune, and (if I find some extra cash lying around and the old lady doesn't notice) a turbo kit, I would feel better knowing that my trans could handle the load with no issues whatsoever. I'm a firm believer in overkill, you can never have too much.

The 4L80E is probably your best bet, but...

I do not know if the LM7 ecm will talk to/play well with the 4L80E tcm. Just something to consider. PSI did my harness, and they seem to know their stuff, so you may want to talk with them about the harness work and whether or not the two can be made to work well together. Don't forget to talk about ancillary systems you might want like fan control and cruise control. These systems can get very expensive if you have to pursue ways outside of the ecm to make them function, especially if you are like me, and not able to modify the ecm, tcm, or bcm on your own.

Bill

[DustinLangston]

The 4L80E is a great transmission but it sucks a lot of power. I did a 5.3 swap with a 4L60E which I had rebuilt with a heavy duty sun shell and heavy duty tow clutch packs. It is a great transmission and tows strong.