GM Performance Parts’ Programmable Transmission Control Module
By Rick Reimundez
In the old days, you could buy a “shift kit” for your transmission — basically a box with some steel balls, and valve bodies. And oh yeah, you had to be a nuclear physicist (or have a lot of transmission experience) to install the sucker. Today’s electronically-controlled transmissions are a bit easier to upgrade. All you need is one of these control modules.
This controller is fully programmable by you; all you need is a laptop. They provide the hookup, software, and “ain’t-gonna-work-you’ll-have-to-mod-the-shit-out-of-it” wiring harness (ask us how we know).
This one is made for the 4L60E, 4L80E and 4L65E transmissions. With the software you can change shift points, determine how firm to make each shift, and how much shift overlap you’ll get. More or less, you can accomplish what you used to do before by installing a shift improvement kit through programming the code that controls the electronic solenoids.
The bad news: all of this flexibility will set you back about $1,200. Obviously, there’s a price for not getting your hands dirty.
Programmable Transmission Control Module [GM Performance]
Street Prices [Google Products]
Via Amazon
September 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
What’s the point? You could get a tuner like an SCT x-cal 2 for about $400. And it will change your shift points and firmness. As well as countless other things, a/f ratio’s, timing advance, etc. And it’ll read trouble codes, and you can hook it up to a laptop to log all of the data coming through the computer to see exactly what’s going on with your car. You can’t make most of the changes yourself, you’ll have to have tuner do it, but most tuners will include a couple of custom tunes with the programmer, and make changes for you pretty cheaply.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I bet the really hard part is finding someone who still has a floppy drive!