Thinkin about buyin a 32 Sedan with a Tremec 5 speed in it, never had a Tremec . Any pro and con any 1 has had. Just curious.
I think you need to be a bit more specific. Tremec makes a variety of 5 speeds, including the BorgWarner T5, which was sold to Tremec I believe in the late 1990s. They also make the TKO500/600 and the TKX as a more recent offering. There's really no cons IMHO aside from some people who will ***** that they're not "traditional". Some of the early offerings are not the strongest, especially the iterations of the T5, but provided you're not using it in a high HP application with big tires, it should be fine as a street trans. They were standard offerings in GT Mustangs of the 1990s. The TKOs and TKXs are sturdier than the T5. Good gearing, pretty smooth shifting, overdrive.... it's hard to go wrong.
No cons I can think of, I have one in the Ranch Wagon and it shifts great and gets great mileage. HRP
I have an older TKO 600 in my 34 and the only problem I have with it is getting it into reverse some times. Seemed to have been a common issue as their web site even said go 1st to 2nd then over to reverse,which is what the guy I got it from even told me, that works most of the time, but I might have to do it a couple of times before it finally goes in. Other than that I really like mine.
I think you will like it. More people would have them if they weren't so expensive. I've got one in an off topic S10 with an off topic motor that I'm building. As long as they are in working condition they are super easy to resell and maintain their value well..........that tells you something.
IMHO it's a real bonus. One of the major downsides, as correctly pointed out here, is that they are expensive to purchase individually. But if you're buying a car that already has one, it's a significant selling point, and potentially, a good indicator of the quality of build the car is a whole, since the builder was willing to spend ~$3000 on a manual trans to not cut a corner, and may have taken that same at***ude for other aspects of the build too.
Although modern OD manual or automatic transmissions aren't "traditional", they certainly allow the owners to use their cars a lot more than they ever will with traditional non OD trans. I have put over 8000 miles on my car in the last year, and mainly because it does so well cruising down the highways at 65-70 mph and doing 2000 rpm's with 3.73 gears. I don't think I'll ever build another old car and not put an OD trans in it.
They are good transmissions. I love them. Some of the TKO transmissions people complain about shifting fast from 2 to 3 and getting a binding/miss. Here's a good video showing how to shift it better:
I’ve used three TKOs in my last 32 builds (love em for highway cruising). That said, the first gear in the 500 is really deep (like 3.27) and I prefer the 600 gearing all around.
I put a TK500 in my last deuce pickup. It had the very rare shifter in the very front position. It worked great with no shifting problems.
yeah I wonder why they don't make that kit anymore? I moved my shifter to the middle in my 33 Chevy, and it was fine, but was initially thinking I would need it all the way up front. Luckly I didn't need it there
There’s a lot of information on the internet. This is a link that tells some of the differences: https://www.moderndriveline.com/the-many-different-faces-of-the-t5/ However, you can read for hours. They are divided into World Cl*** and Non World Cl*** with the World Cl*** having many improvements. As transmissions go they are relatively inexpensive.
If you have driven a top loader Ford 4 speed, the tko will feel very familiar in short order. I had the 3550 in my 32. The 1st gear is steep but the .68 od is wonderful. That trans is rated for serious power so breaking it should be out of any reasonable driving. There are several outlets for a mid shift kit if needed. It's still available at this time so parts are available if needed.
Going to have to look at something like this for my 34. With a M21 and what feels like 4.11 in the rear its revving what too high at below highway speeds. Anyone here running the TKX?
The TKO 500 / 600 are good transmissions. They have multiple options for shift lever location and in some cases the location impacts shift quality. The rear and middle locations are usually good but the front location sometimes not so much. High RPM - above about 6500 - shifts can be an issue as built. You can do some upgrades if that's what you want. The TKX was introduced to address the high RPM shift issue. My favorite trans is the TKO 600 with the .82 OD road race gear set. Evens out the RPM split between all gears compared to a .64 OD.
I'm getting ready to order one. My understanding is the TKX is the replacement for the TKO. The shifting problem is addressed, so no upgrade needed, and a redesigned case to reduce its size and make servicing easier. It's now an end-load trans, no longer a top load. I believe the gear ratio options are still the same.
It's still made but exclusively by a kit Cobra place (they bought the rights) and if I remember it was something like $800 for their shifter.
I think there's only the one shifter location still, Hanlon Motorsports is still working on the mid shifter for the TKX. I bought a TKO 600 from Hanlon and had them upgrade it also. Car still isn't done yet but they set it up for the mid shifter since I had one already. Super nice people..... **EDIT** It looks like others have come up with a mid shifter for the TKX.
I have had t5's, 3550, 3650 and now the tkx. The shifting on a t5 is poor compared to all of the others. There's the well know issue of power capabilities with a t5. The 3550 was the update of a top loader 4 speed to overdrive 5th gear. It shifted and sounded like a top loader upon which it was based. The 3650 was by far the best shifting but also limited to power and shifter location as well as the unitized bell housing. The tkx was supposed to be god's answer to the manual trans world. From that viewpoint, I'm disappointed. You will know where 2nd gear is with a clunk. There is some gear noise, most prominent in 1st gear. The engine I have it behind is only capable of 5500 rpm so I can't attest to it's higher rpm shifting capability. I have 3500 miles on it and there was no difference in it's manners with mileage. The instruction sheet recommends a 500 mile break-in which I did. It's obviously better than the t5 and smaller in size than the tko series. Silver Sport Transmissions has a front shifter for a little less than $600. Would I do it again? Probably. It is the most modern version of a 5 speed with better materials and manufacturing processes. I would have my eyes wide open about expectations, though. You're still moving some rather large gears and components so I wouldn't expect it to shift like a real light duty trans. I see that Richmond has what looks to be a tko 600 clone. The case is different than a tremec but the rest is about the same. McLeod had their own 5 speed to compete with the t5 but is no longer available. Not a lot of options to be considered. Not cheap, either. That was the 1st new trans I have purchased. I had an equipment list set out for the vehicle that it's in and I knew what the total would be before I started. To Tremec's credit, the price hasn't risen since it's introduction.
On the TKX question, I haven’t installed one yet, but the smaller/lower case should help in keeping the bell/trans tunnel as small as possible (pic of tko above a tkx for compare).
Do you know how to drive a manual transmission? Do you like manual transmissions? Well If answer yes to both questions then go for it! If you dont know how to drive a manual trans just curl your upper lip push on the clutch peddle,Put it in 1st gear and give it a little throttle then let the clutch peddle up slowly and your off, then push the clutch in and shift to second, Repeat the get to 5th!! you get the hang of it!! Pete
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