Feel like destroying your transmission? Nothing seems to work better than sled pulling!
Diesel truck transmissions have a hard job. They have to stand up to the tremendous torque that a diesel engine can produce, tow heavy loads, and are even subject to the occasional drag race or sled pull. To find out more about diesel transmissions, we asked Dave Goerend of Goerend Transmission and Mike Lovrich of Inglewood Transmissions 20 questions about them. Goerend and Lovrich are the actual guys who get their hands dirty rebuilding these units in their shops. Although he owns a shop that can rebuild any type of transmission (he even makes his own converters), Goerend specializes in Dodges, while Lovrich rebuilds Chevy, Ford, and Dodge diesel transmissions. Both techs have built transmissions for 400hp trucks, as well as 1,000hp trucks, and everything in between. In addition to their opinions, we also threw in our own, from what we've seen at Diesel Power Challenge and other events.
Dave Goerend said, "At over 800 (rear wheel) horsepower, no transmission will be completely reliable. During last year's Diesel Power Challenge, Nick D'Amico, winner of the 2006 West Coast event, destroyed two transmissions just days before DPC 2007.
20 QUESTIONS...
1. How much power can a stock transmission handle?
Goerend: A bone-stock Dodge might handle about 325 horsepower. Past that, you'd better do something to the converter and valvebody.
Lovrich: About 80 hp over stock (Ford, Chevy, and Dodge) to be on the safe side. Some might take more, but some won't. There are no two transmissions that are exactly alike.