I sent an email to Century Trans, and they tell me that the 2004R will work just fine in our trucks and is good to 850+ hp and torque (Stage III Extreme). I have no idea about pricing, or what the tranny is like, but it seems like a solution to the time bomb 4L60E. Lets hear some feedback fellas...

 

whats the weight comparison of the 80 and 200?

 

I like the lower 1st gear the 4L60E has over all the other GM transmissions.

 

The 2004R doesn't use electronics so you would have to rig a TV cable to control part throttle shifts and disable the electronic shift features in the PCM to not show check engine soon light.Then rig some sort of converter lockup switch.

 

they actually make a switch that goes inside the tranny to control lockup or you can buy a module and have a switch on the dash, i have 2 of them and plan on putting one ina camaro behind an lt1. the 200 is half the size of the 4l so it is definitely lighter. there are many choices for 1st gear available for the 200 so you can have it built basically how you want it. the problem, rigging up a tv cable and actually getting it adjusted properly. if not adjusted right the tranny wont last long.

 

I believe the casing itself is 10 lbs. lighter then a 4L60E. But, it doesn't take as much HP to operate, so you can put more to the ground. They are very expensive, IMO, to get one built up to handle the weight of the trucks. But it is the way I would go if I blew a 4L60E. GN guys have put much more power through them then 99% of the trucks here would make I imagine. The 1-3 gears are closer together then a 4L60E, and the overdrive gear is a .67:1, which could help a little on the highway.

 

So, other than a few minor issues, this trans would work. I'm not sure on the price, but so far, this sounds like it could be a solution to the weak 4L60E. Any others care to comment? Parish, XLRNSS, BigTex, what do you guys think?

 

BigJ,the tv cable is no minor problem,you will destroy a 2004R very quickly if the tv cable is not properly adjusted.

 

Basically, the 4L60E is an electronic version of the 700r4. IMO, the 200r4 is no stronger than the 4L60E. I'm knockin' on wood right now, but I feel good about the life expectancy of my transmission, even tho I am going to have it upgraded "some what" in the near future. If I were going to go "all out", I go with a turbo 400 with a Gear Vendors overdrive. I just can't see the 200R4 holding 850HP, not for long anyway. That is my .02.

 

What he said, that goes for any transmission that uses a tv cable.

If I upgrade it'll be a 4L80E with the speartech harness and computer programming. The 200r4 trans built right is BIG TIME money from what I gather, probably more than the whole 80E swap would cost. If you're making in the 500+rwhp range the extra weight from an 80E isn't going to slow ya down much.

The first gear in the 80E may not be great but, you'll probably have a stall by the time you switch transmissions so the first gear ratio shouldn't be a big deal.