Shift improver

[VanishingImage]

I visited DriverFX (http://www.driverfx.com) and searched for things for my car and found the B&M Shift Improver kit for like 33 bucks.Is it worth getting? And if anyone has it,did you install it yourself or have a shop do it?

[3 DeeJay]

I checked it out on the jbody site, cause I hang around there since i have the eco and no one here knows awhole lots, but anyways.. I hear that they can knock off a sec or few off your time and they are worth it. Go to www.j-body.org and go to performance and seach. I am going to end up buying one myself.

[martopg]

Is this shift improver for manuals or autos?

[3 DeeJay]

I've never heard anything about them for auto, only for 5spd people..

[MagusXIII]

If it is what I think it is, it is for automatic transmissions. I had a B&M shift improver kit on my 74 Nova SS with TH350 tranny. It basically is a new separator plate that fits in between the upper and lower valve body. It basically serves to reroute the fluid and provide bigger openings in some areas. It gives you quicker and firmer shifts in the process.

Installing it was easy. Just drop the transmission pan and unbolt the valve body. Remove the OEM separator plate and put the the new one in its place. Note that there may be a few check balls in your transmission! DO NOT LOSE THEM!!!!! My kit for the TH350 had me throw away 2 of 4. When putting the check balls back in place, use a bit of grease to hold them in place while you mount the lower valve body. Dont worry about the grease as the tranny fluid will flush the grease out. Also, to be extra sure, you may wish to stick the separator plate to the upper valve body to contain the checkballs before mounting the lower valve body, but I never had that problem. Just keep the drain pan under the tranny to catch the check balls should they fall out.

All in all, it is a 45-60 minute install. This is also a good time to get rid of the old fluid and install something good, like RedLine, B&M TrickShift, etc. As a side note, my kit, if TrickShift was unavailable, recommended using Type F fluid even though it was for a GM tranny rather than Dexron. But with almost every automatic I can think of using Dexron/Mercon, that would not be an issue today.


Don

[VanishingImage]

well i might just get it then if helps with shifting better,even if its a little difference,but hey i'll take anything i can get out my car.33 bucks isn't bad.

[Wallflower]

DON'T BUY IT !!!!!!

We have a little bug in our system that throws parts out for cars that they obviously don't work on. They system is 'thinking' you have a rear-drive tranny, and thus gives a part for it.

We are used to it at work and know when it gives a bogus part, but they haven't spent any time of fixing it. Of course this looks really stupid on the DFX site that you see.

Just to give you an idea of our bug .... I can type in a 1929 Ford Model T, and the system will tell me that there is a cat-back exhaust from Borla, Dynomax, Flowmaster, and Vibrant.

[animenick65]

That sounds like a REAL big problem to me. WHat if someone bought a part, installed it, and the part broke the engine?

[Wallflower]

There is no way this part will fit the transmission, period. The worst that would ever happen is a person takes it apart and finds it will not fit. If the person is smart, they will realize that it doesn't work even before they tear down the car. The shape of a TH350 pan is lightyears different than the FWD GM tranny.

[Overclock This]

this shift improver kit is intended for our cars
let me rephrase...
it's intended for the 4T60-E Transmission
which is a different transmission than the 99+ GA's
very easy to install
nothing installs in the tranny
just hook up some vaccum lines (since our transmissions are vaccum)

[MJE95GAGT]

ding ding, he is correct...... plenty of people on the boards are using it. Do a search in this section to find the rest of your answers cuz I know its been discussed a few times ;)

[VanishingImage]

yup,i did a search on "shift improver" bunch of hits came up on here.

[MagusXIII]

Originally posted by Overclock This
this shift improver kit is intended for our cars
let me rephrase...
it's intended for the 4T60-E Transmission
which is a different transmission than the 99+ GA's
very easy to install
nothing installs in the tranny
just hook up some vaccum lines (since our transmissions are vaccum)
On the B&M Racing site, http://www.bmracing.com, they list a "ShiftPlus kit" which is an external shift improver kit. It basically alters the modulator circuitry in the transmission. http://www.bmracing.com/products/kits_shftplus/kits_plus.html is the site. I suspect it is the modern equivalent of the B&M Red Stripe vacuum modluator for TH350s of years ago. It only lists Grand AMs up to 1996, but I know that it will work in a 1997-1998.

The Shift Improver Kit I found on DriverFX for a 1997 Grand Am is the wrong part like wallflower mentioned. I guess the webmasters are too busy polishing their fart cans and 6ft wings to properly enter the right information. It returned a kit for a 4L60E transmission. (http://www.7453217467431.com/products/productDetails.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=133761&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=48801&affID=DFX&bmUID=1061732168968) Somehow...I have a feeling a Corvette/Fbody transmission is not found in a Grand Am. Note to DriverFX webmasters. Please enter information on the site BEFORE you get high! :lol:


Don

[VanishingImage]

how much does that shift improver from bmracing cost? Can't find a price on their site

[MJE95GAGT]

Its like 42 on summit