they are good for around 90hp extra, but if you go adding more rolling resistance(tires) and more power it makes it hard on any trans, the combination of both can cause less trans life. I would do transgo,torque converter and valvebody, but you could also get a ats trans such as a stage 2 and be good for around 500-600 hp.

Tyler

 

Does have a good rep,keep in mind,they[gm/allison]didn't plan on this much moddin happening,if you use it like it's intended then you won't have issues.But if not pay 2 play:rockin:rockin

 

im new as well. ive been researching most of the common upgrades that people are doing and you deffinitely need to beef up your trans if you plan on adding a lot of hp. suncoast makes a kit that really good as well. (stage iv kit; includes torque converter)

 

well, i'm not gonna get carried away with the hp mods, intake, exhaust, the quadzilla tuner for the pdf delete, that'll probably be it, but i am gonna run some pretty big tires, and i was absolutely planning and changing my gear ratio, but any other trans. upgrade ideas would be appreciated.

 

i agree with ^^^ just dont get carried away with the 135 tune

 

Start with a Transgo Jr. 2-4 hour install and will help with holding Power.

 

Thanks for the patience I'll be in touch..

 

Allison is one of the best automatics out there, but it is made for towing not racing or playing. If you go over 500 ponys you need to buy a kit. I do not know of any stock automatic that handles 500 horses too well.

 

Ya, you also have to remember, its not just the hp, its the torque too. Your starting out stock with 650ish ft-lbs of torque. Add a tuner and thats another 150 or so. Thats a lot of strain on any transmission. But like everyone else said, its built to handle anything a STOCK motor can throw at it. Leave it stock and it'll last a LONG time. Otherwise, you gota pay to play!!!!

 

ya agree with all those guys even just put a 50hp tune and you will like the reults and wont be as hard on trans

 

I have driven off highway log trucks with the Allison and it had the 4to5 shift issues and I am hearing this one does too ?

 

I am new to this forum.I read the Allison can benefit from being gentle with 4 to 5 and 5 to 4. I drove off highway log trucks with 650 hp. and Allison in the late 70s and 80s. Wewere told to just keep our foot in it and the time I drove I dont remember any failures.

 

The allison gets talked up a lot when in reality it is know better as far as holding power. Everyone thinks their good because they have them in buses and other heavy vehicles but the ones in our trucks are not the same and they slip and act like they are a dodge transmission when power is added. IMO If you only add like 100 hp the trans should be built to withstand it. WHy wouldnt they come from the factory with good clutches and torque converters like the kits add. I think they want them to brake so they can make money when you buy a new truck.

 

They do come with good clutches and TC's from the factory. Why else are there tons over 1,000,000 miles? You don't understand that they aren't built or designed for mods not should they be. It's a great transmission that will handle whatever kind of load you put on the hitch or in the bed. Sayings it's not good because it limps on your 100hp tune when you flog it is ignorant. Tuning is not offered by GM or any other manufacturer for that matter because the truck isn't designed for it and it doesn't NEED it to do what it's made for. Doing a DPF filter delete tune is one thing but bitching that you can't run a 13 second 1/4 mile in a mechanically stock, 6000+lbs truck is different. Want to go fast, modify, beat on and still break stuff? Buy a SPORTS CAR.


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why is the engine built to hold like 600 hp then? I think it would hold up much better if it wasn't on the edge of its limits stock.

 

It's not "built" for 600hp bud. You're missing the point. It just so happens to be able to handle it since it was built to TOW. You don't think towing 15k lbs across the country and back is enough reason for a strong trans and engine?

Also, being able to handle 80-100hp & 150ft lbs on top of stock is far from the "edge of its limits". If that's what YOU want, build it. But don't expect a manufacturer to just because 1 customer isn't pleased that his truck won't handle racing.


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I no that they don't intend for it to hold more than stock power. Even in stock trucks these transmissions fail. miles of towing heavy loads creates issues. Yes this should. My issue is they claim the allison as something superior to the competition. When it comes down to it a fords no name transmission works just a good at stock power level. I don't think anyone would disagree when I say the allison would be better if it had a triple disk converter and better clutches. It would perform better stock and would also be better for the people who own the trucks. Why are the "hard parts" in the allison so big and heavy duty but the clutches and converter are week? Its almost like they wanted it to shift so smooth they decreased reliability. I just don't understand why people call it such a great transmission when tons of people have issues with them. You cant add 80-100 hp or 150ftlbs to the stock transmission and tow it will be toast in no time at all. It is on the edge of its limits. the most you can reliable add is like 40 or 50 horse when towing. And dont tell me how you shouldn't tow on tunes because the lb7 came stock with 300hp 520ftlbs and the lmm comes stock with 365 hp 660ftlbs and the lml comes stock 395 hp and and 765ftlbs. thats a big change for almost the same engine so it must be tunes.
I think its only fair if you pay 60k for a truck it should be able to hold a small tune every day.
I plan to build my trans and expected to when I bought the truck but a built trans is not relistic for the average driver who just buys a canned tuner then their transmission blows and they are suprised because they thought the allison was awesome.

 

I plan to build my trans and expected to when I bought the truck but a built trans is not relistic for the average driver who just buys a canned tuner then their transmission blows and they are suprised because they thought the allison was awesome.

No one ever claimed the Allison was race ready out of the box, it's retarted for anyone to think they can buy a tuner that adds 150hp and not ever have a problem on a stock truck


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I said the motors are basically the same. If you don't think one allison that was taking care of is ridiculous. All transmissions have fluke things happen to them that is not what I am saying. I just think it surprises duramax owners when their transmissions start to slip with small tunes such as edge or bully dog. ( yes I know these tunes caused it ) They were told by many people how awesome allison's are and thats just dumb. They are not superior to the stock transmissions in the new fords. Better than the dodges yes. They are just a stock transmission that is name brand.

 

The block is "basically" the same, that's it. Lol I have 2 cars I can go fast in, ill keep my perfectly fine stock ally and stock tunes. Have fun rebuilding yours for it to still get its ass handed to it by a ton of stock cars. You gain no benefit when towing either. You can't legally or physically tow any more than the truck is rated for.


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So you think having another 100hp and 150ftlbs of torque doesn't make a truck tow better? Then why do they add hp to the new trucks every year? If you have more power it makes it easier to tow the heavier loads. Easier to get up to speed easier on steep grades. better fuel economy.

 

What I meant was, you can't tow any more weight than what the truck was designed for. Sure you may gain 2mpg towing but at the cost of a $4000+ trans and $600+ tuning? I'd rather pay at the pump and spend a LOT less money. Mine pulls my dove tail loaded down just fine stock


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That's my point you should be able to tow without dropping 4k on a transmission. JMO. Everyone doesn't have to agree with it.

 

Lol you're confusing yourself. YOU CAN. I tow all the time. Basically I do when I drive my truck. 205k miles and tows without a hitch. You don't have to build the trans to tow stock. You have completely lost your point by now.


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If u have tunes on your truck u need a trans to tow reliably

 

126k tuned I tow all the time no trans problems. Stock trans


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It is just my opinion that the trans is not any better than any other stock trans. But it is talked about like it is the best trans ever built.

 

I have had a few different levels of tunes on my truck for the past two years and about 30k miles and i drive it hard w lift and 35s. I occasionally run my 220 hp tune and it's handled it so far. I just get out of the throttle after third gear. Any stock trans that can take what this things been through and still tow on my tow tune without limping is pretty tough.

 

You're right in a sense that the Allison isn't bulletproof from the factory if you expect it to hold 600+hp. But honestly how many folks expect that? And yes its just another stock transmission. It does have some things most transmissions didn't when it came out in 2001. It was one of the only transmissions at the time to have the adaptive learning, as well as tow/haul mode. I don't think that Ford or Dodge had anything like that back in the early 2000's. Since then they've played catch-up to the Allison. The Allison is also a little better because it has limp mode to protect itself from damage. The Ford and 4 speed Dodge trannys don't. So you run a big tune and instead of hitting limp mode when it slips, you just keep your foot buried in it as the clutches melt away to nothing and after a few hard runs in a Dodge you have a tranny that wont go into a gear anymore. The soopr doopr awwwsum Ford transmissions are the same. Yes tuning will bump the line pressure up and they'll hold more power, but there's nothing from stopping the clutches from slipping. Too much power and they fail much like the Dodge will. The Allison protects itself so it'll keep on going after 50+ limps.

And like we've all said, it was designed to be behind a stock dmax, not a tuned one. And it is basically bulletproof behind a stock dmax. You almost can't kill one with stock tuning and even marginal maintenance. My lb7 has 220k on it and I tow all the time, and its got a 70hp tune on it. Not a single problem out of it.

There aren't many vehicles in the whole world that can take 200+hp and 3-400+tq over stock and not break something. Be happy you don't have a 46rh that dies with a whopping 160hp going through it like 2nd gen Dodge guys get to enjoy.

Does the Allison live up to the hype? I'd say it depends on the person. For the 99.9% of owners who leave their truck stock? I'd say it definitely does. For the 0.1% of us who push our trucks to the breaking point, its probably a wash. Some of us would say yes, some would say no.

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Hi guys peace please I was just asking if the small Allisons had a shift flare as the off highway ones did. I drove them for years with the flare and no problems. I read in the forum to back off on those shifts and I was told by reputable mechanics the flare didnt hurt them and not to worry about backing off. Just wondering.

 

On the Allison in our trucks, no there typically isn't any flaring shifts at all. Usually the only time that happens is when you reset the taps so that the tcm can relearn new tuning. It'll flare shifts for a few miles til it gets the shifts dialed in and then it typically wont anymore.

We say go easy on the 4-5 shift because that's where it will typically limp when you put too much power through it.

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