Shep and TRE trannies, which one?

Thor06 · 01-19-2007

Hey guys, after that other tranny thread, I got to looking at trannies. I got to looking over all the different tranny replacements/upgrades and I got pretty interested. Well, my question is not TRE or Shep, but which stage would be best. I mean obviously the top one would probably hold up the best, but what I need to find is which one is best suited for me.

I guess my main questions are synchros, gears, and center diffs. Keep in mind that my eventual goal is 480-525 hp, but it probably wont see more than what the big 16g can throw at it for a year or two. Also, I would like it to be able to sustain relatively high RPM shifts. Not like 10k or anything, but depending on what happens I would like to be able to rev out to 8500-9000 and shift accordingly. It will have DSMlink and I will be using the no lift to shift function. That said, here we go.

I see that you can get many if not all gears double synchro'd. Considering my goals, which gears (if any) would it be practical to double sychro? What about gears? I see that both TRE and Shep have stronger gears and I see that TRE even has some close ratio gears and shorter/taller gears. Granted, I want to keep the cost down, but would a stronger 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and/or 4th be necessary considering my goals? What about the center diff? I dont plan on running a welded diff or spool, but I am curious about the 4 spider center diff. Necessary? What will it improve?

What do you guys think? I decided to make my own thread rather than to continue to jack that other guy's thread.

**Shane@DBPerformance** · 01-19-2007

Avoid TRE. A 4 spider center diff, aftermarket diff, or welded center diff is highly recommended. The center diffs are prone to breaking on launches on low 12 second and faster cars. When they break, things can get very expensive to fix.

**Kracka** · 01-19-2007

TRE sucks, I will never do business with them again.

I had a BM Tranny and absolutely loved it, the TRE and Shep trannies I've driven did not feel as nice or smooth. There is no such thing as BM anymore, but TurboTrix took it over I do believe.

**Halon** · 01-19-2007

http://www.hey-networks.com/dogboxracing/default.cfm

Just another place to check out. I have no personal experience with them, and there are only some reviews here and there, not many. Just another option for you though.

**Kracka** · 01-19-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halon

http://www.hey-networks.com/dogboxracing/default.cfm

Just another place to check out. I have no personal experience with them, and there are only some reviews here and there, not many. Just another option for you though.

Their prices are good, definitely worth looking into (hmmmmm, maybe they want a Laser tranny to work on).

Thor06 · 01-19-2007

Damn, quick replies, thanks guys! Thanks for the info on the center diff, since I am a cheap ass I think a welded one is in my future. How bad are they to drive? Is it a big pain in the ass?

What about synchros? I am sorta getting a feeling that 2nd is a good one to double syncho, yes?

Brandon, thanks for that site. I think they might have a Talon tranny to build with Chris's

.

**Kracka** · 01-19-2007

Do not get a welded center diff if you plan to street drive your car. Tight corners become a bitch with your car hopping around and your handling will be degraded. In my mind, this is a drag car only mod; but of course some will disagree. Definitely get the double 2nd gear synchro though.

**Halon** · 01-19-2007

I also would say stay away from the welded diff unless this is a race only car. All wheels will spin the same, and every time your driving around in a parking lot you will be screeching tires.

CVD · 01-19-2007

Not to mention digging deep ruts into fresh pavement on hot days and slowly destroying your rear axles.

**Goat Blower** · 01-19-2007

And blowing xfer cases.

A tranny is not something I would save a $100 on from some no-name shop. Send it to Shep and get it done right. He's the best obviously and he's very fairly priced unlike TRE. You really don't need all the upgraded shafts and such, but I would get the 4-spider diff. All together mine was $1600 shipped which was replacing a few questionable parts, the 4-spider and his usual stage whatever build. I'm very happy with it.

Super Bleeder!! · 01-19-2007

Dogbox Racing isnt a no name shop. Look at some of the east coast dsm forums, you'll see they get a good amount of business.

They also have some quick 1Gs to boot, mid 9s if i recall.

**Halon** · 01-19-2007

Actually a little better then mid 9's now!

http://media.putfile.com/DogBox-Talon-90-160mph

I also wouldn't call them a no-name shop. I just haven't heard a whole lot of reviews. The few I've read have all been good though. And their basic rebuild package is just over 200 less then Shep's.

Shep Trans - Standard Rebuild = $945 (add $475 for the 4-spider)

DogBox - Standard Rebuild = $725 (add $400 for a 4-spider)

Maybe KevenGSX knows a little about them, since he's East???

**Goat Blower** · 01-19-2007

Ahh, I have heard of them, they seem to be alright. It just seems that shops pop up all the time claiming to be pros at something. I usually stick with what I know.

Thor06 · 01-20-2007

Wow, thanks guys. Clears things up a lot for me. I knew a welded diff would be bad, but TRE's site didnt make it sound too bad. I had to push my dad's racecar with a welded rear diff, I figured it would suck with all four wheels like that. So the 4 spider one will hold more power eh? Sounds like that is what I will have to do. I guess I am thinking the stock tranny will go back in for this summer once I get the rebuild done so I can drive it some then next winter I will pull the tranny and send it off to have it rebuilt. This summer shouldnt be out of the tranny's reach, its the nicest 1g tranny I've ever driven (shifts good, no grinds at all, etc) and I shouldnt be putting down that much power anyway.... kinda limited to the Big 16g until I get support mods done.

I have one more question. What is it about a tranny that gives it its ability to shift at higher RPM's? I have only missed a gear once in the purple car, a 7k shift to second. I was wondering because on the Dog Box site it says their race rebuild can withstand 9k shifts which is sorta what I want to build my car to take (whether it sees that or not isnt sure, but sure wouldnt hurt to have the ability right?). Well, the "race" rebuild from Dog Box doesnt seem to have much for aftermarket parts and it says they are proven to over 500 ft lbs and over 9k shifts. Would just having new syncros do that, or is it the combination of new gears, and hub and sleeve deals along with the syncros that do it? Again, thanks for the replies guys, trannys arent something I have known too much about.

**Shane@DBPerformance** · 01-20-2007

Most of the parts used in the trannies made by places like TRE, Shep, BM, Dogbox, etc are stock Mitsu tranny parts, except for the real dogbox gearset trannies that places like Shep and Magnus sell. Pretty much they pick the best parts from different years of the DSM trannies(maybe some older Evo parts too) and assemble them correctly into 1 tranny. Careful assembly and proper shimming is what you are paying for and what makes a big difference in shifting ability at high RPMs. Anybody can put together a DSM tranny with stronger parts, but you pay Shep to put it together in the way and with the clearances, endplay, preload, etc that he has found over the years of racing to work well.

sleepydsm · 01-21-2007

I have a Shep Stage 3, with the Chromoly shift fork option, and running Pennzoil Syncromesh. I love it! John is a nice guy to talk to, and the tranny was shipped back to me 10 days later.