Shift kits are harder on the transmission if anything... They cause everything to happen faster and harder with less slipping... while this can help band clutch material life it also increases the chance of a broken band and harder on other components... at least thats what the guys at the perfomance / restoration shop told me.

 

That guy told you wrong bro, shift kits absolutely extend transmission life.. its all about heat, man... Now, if you're doing redline driving those shifts stand a chance of torquing something that ought not be torque, but for everyday driving? Shift kits are a very good thing..

 

could be I guess but he was the owner of one of the most recognized shops in the area? You would think after all the hot rods and restorations plus the performance shop being there as long as I can remember he would had experience with the suject.
The tranny guy said he hasnt noticed a difference one way or the other in effect on life when I asked him about it.. I always thought they were just for performance at the cost of a slightly harder shifting ride.

 

They are for performance... An aside is a shorter interval between gears, or less free spin.. spinning generates heat, heat eats soft parts.. less interval, though not the designed purpose, extends the life of soft parts..

Hard parts in a trans matched to the torque expected rarely break so long as they are healthy and put together right..

Mother mopar makes no sense sometimes.. the check valve is one of the primary causes for failure.. a trans starving for fluid gets hot quick like.. a few minutes above 250*, and you're done.. then, the torque converter sucks.. when they blow (and they will), it sends crap throughout the trans, which blocks passages, which generates trans destroying heat quicker than you can react or even recognize.. then, the most boneheaded: torque management, which by definition won't allow the engine to slap the trans with full power in hard rev situations... Where does that energy go? Free spin, and heat...

Taller gears (lower) eliminate the stress on a trans.. lessens heat.. extends life..

External filter better traps particulates from drifting about, and possibly clogging the valve body, therefore likely allowing consistent flow, which ensures dissipation of heat.. they're also easier to change, and can be done every other motor oil change.. and, they add atf+4, which, helps dissipate more heat.. and, they act as a check valve to replace the purpose of the OE check, with no worries of clogging and failing, and all while disallowing the tc from draining..

A larger pan adds fluid.. an internal filter extended allows the trans to sip off nearer the bottom of the pan, and become less likely to 'sip dry' in funky inclinations.. all that, in effort to lessen heat..

Address all that, and replace a few soft parts with better soft parts (like kevlar or granite), and these aren't terrible transmissions... The thing that sucks is the ratios in my opinion.. we're kinda effer with the ratio steps comparable to a passenger car.. I'd rather see a steep first and second, and a little wider third, and a touch steeper fourth.. I also wish the tc stall was more like 1600 instead of 1850ish..

 

Jesus my phone hates me... I'm not even going to try to address all the misspelled words...

Granite bands? Wow.. ect you too phone... I meant eff you too phone... Granite bands would be interesting though, no?

 

So I mean it sounds like its good...but all the shops say bad. Idk what to do :'( i'd love to put it in but don't want to ruin my tranny. I was also gonna add a cooler and a deeper pan. Fwiw. Oh and my kit is an HD2.

 

I'd just wait...Your way overdue for tranny failure with that mileage you have anyway according to what most get out of them...
Chances are good you will be able to have it installed along with a full rebuild soon...
When it comes to the improvement kits with drilling and other mods involved you really have to trust the shop doing it as most dont actually install a lot of the stuff in the kit just what they want. Who's to know? It will be years by the time its pulled apart again.

 

LOL, turn off auto spell.

 

Yea it think im gonna just send it back to summit and get my $100 credit and put that toward my headers and exhaust.

 

A lot of those "recognized" hot rod guys are typically bull**** artists who are biased for and/or against a particular brand, method, or other automotive related item. If said "recognized" person has been in business for a long time people tend to believe that lends credibility to what this person has been saying for years and years.

Just because someone says "ABC" doesn't make it true just because Joe**** the Ragman, who owns Big Ballz Performance and Restorations, says it is.

Case in point: A long established machine shop in my area told me I made a big mistake pulling the engine from my Ram, and that I was, "opening a big can of worms" by attempting to rebuild the engine. He went on and on about all of the problems I would encounter, how bad these engines are, and that I was looking at a minimum of $3,500.

I did the whole thing for $1,850, which included a few upgrades and new, more stout heads.