Serious Shifts - IPT ...im going to N.J.

[Toasted Coastie]

working out logistics now. We'll talk more once I get my hands on one.

[tremo]

Originally Posted by mandzach

...
The prices are great and im going to take pics of the shop and the install and post them as soon as i return, im also going to write up a post on the ins and outs of the mod. and the benifits once its installed.

I know you've been busy, but please post the ins and outs, benefits, etc. when you get some time. Very interested...

Thanks!

Jim.

[TRDKEAU]

Originally Posted by Toasted Coastie

are you going to let us in on the ? I'm dying to find out what it is!

Texas is where ASP racing is located and where 5.9 overboost pulleys are created by Lee.

[Toasted Coastie]

Originally Posted by Toasted Coastie

working out logistics now. We'll talk more once I get my hands on one.

I think there will not be a great valvebody hand-me down of 2004.

Unfortunately, Toyota has almost infinite variations in their valve bodies that make an exchange almost impossible. Believe me, I would have them in stock if their was a way to interchange them accurately.

In addition, a used valve body would be in the neighborhood of $300- $400 and that would be something that the history of would be unknown (defective, worn, damaged etc?).

I apologize, I can only work on the valve body out of the vehicle. I am unable to risk our reputation by potentially doing something that may not work out well.

If you look at it, a rental vehicle is still far cheaper than even a used vb. Also, regarding selling your original to someone else to do a swap- that really wont work out either because other than the dealer going by the VIN and getting the correct new part (maybe), there is no way to determine interchange (I've tried).

I'm sorry to sound inflexible about this, but ultimately, the responsibility of the transmission operating correctly is mine.

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to facilitate the modification process for you. I am able to offer you a guarantee of one day (or faster) service if that helps.

Please feel free to contact me if there are any questions that I can answer for you.

Regards, John

I think I'm just going to bite it and drive down one friday morning of a reserve weekend.

[OKCTundra]

Originally Posted by Toasted Coastie

I think I'm just going to bite it and drive down one friday morning of a reserve weekend.

Ron, let me know how this goes with an N/A truck. My intentions are similar to yours in that I'd like to do the VB then the S/C some time later. Since it's summer time, I could be without the truck for a week or so and take the ALTERNATE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION!

[Toasted Coastie]

Originally Posted by OKCTundra

Ron, let me know how this goes with an N/A truck. My intentions are similar to yours in that I'd like to do the VB then the S/C some time later. Since it's summer time, I could be without the truck for a week or so and take the ALTERNATE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION!

ok. I have been talking to john for the better part of the day by email.

Probebly what I am going to do is drive down the third friday in june (reserve weekend) That way it just makes it easier for me to explain it away to the wife. No way she's just going to let me drive to NJ. Leave here a 430, get there around 10 am, out of there by 3, in gloucester by 9. Still need to really work this out.

OKC, I would start driving that alternate mode now! I think the best way to get this done would be to send the valve body in. The only down time I see with my truck though is during the DNC, where I will be in boston for the two weeks. I was planning on getting the osmetics on the truck done at my cousin's shop.

I'm not entirely sure how I am going to do this yet.

Ron

[TRDKEAU]

you guys would really have to have John put aside sometime for your ninja strategy to work thats where my plan failed with L10. downtime was 5 days instead of 3.

OKC,
Works with any application, just makes your shifts crisp and Faster. I would suggest using the +1 springs that they give when you reinstall. Im using the stocks right now, but there is a squeak in the powerband during certain shift points which are caused by stock springs. +1 is the solution for this.

You can work your way up and down but with 8qts at 20 bucks a pop and dropping the VB and draining can get annoying.

the perfromance is very noticeable, like mandzach, this is a mod that is well worth the money.

gadget actually had this done before the tundra even came out.

http://www.gadgetonline.com/Transmission.htm

[Toasted Coastie]

Originally Posted by TRDKEAU

you guys would really have to have John put aside sometime for your ninja strategy to work thats where my plan failed with L10. downtime was 5 days instead of 3.

Thats exactly what it is man, ninja stratagy.

I'm gonna just drive there and let them do it I think.

[mandzach]

Originally Posted by tremo

I know you've been busy, but please post the ins and outs, benefits, etc. when you get some time. Very interested...

Thanks!

Jim.

this weekend im going to get my film developed (from the IPT visit) at a 1 hr. photo then i will down load them in my pics and i will write up a synopsis of my take on the upgraded VB after the first week running it-
Guys this is so sweet - i am not b.s.ing here,,,i just smoked a loud exhaust v8 mid 90's mustang tonight from rolling 20mph to 100mph...I really beat him sound, we both got on it exactly the same time and after i finished first gear she lurched and chirped hard into second and i was ahead and never lost my lead.
I could never even think winning that race befor the IPT upgrade - granted the stang was an auto i belive and the kid driving it, who had his buddy with him, wanted some..... and the blue oval got humbled.

I feel that John at IPT runs a great "first name basis" shop and I belive he dedicates himself and his work to an ethical and honest business experience.
The guys good, real good at what he does and he's not into "get it out the door and collect the cash" the guy has high standards and that is hard to come by these days. I'm extremely happy with my truck now.

[Toasted Coastie]

I just want a tighter trany, no more sloppy shifts. I think the truck will benefit from this supercharged or not.

[OKCTundra]

Originally Posted by TRDKEAU

I would suggest using the +1 springs that they give when you reinstall. Im using the stocks right now, but there is a squeak in the powerband during certain shift points which are caused by stock springs. +1 is the solution for this.

Thanks, Keau. I appreciate the info and heads up.

Mandzach et al, do you know if John used the +1 springs when he did yours? What shift firmness did everyone who has done this go with? Mandzach you said you went with half way between stock and all out, I think.TIA

[mandzach]

Originally Posted by OKCTundra

Thanks, Keau. I appreciate the info and heads up.

Mandzach et al, do you know if John used the +1 springs when he did yours? What shift firmness did everyone who has done this go with? Mandzach you said you went with half way between stock and all out, I think.TIA

I have a blower on mine and John took that into consideration and even went further with the firmness because i told him of an upcoming power increase - i left it up to John as to what level to build it to, i suggest you speak with him and tell him exactly how you drive and what you need and im sure he can take it from there, dont worry is what he told me and i didnt listen to him but i should have - the guy is a guru and can do whatever is needed to get the results you want.

[mandzach]

PICS ARE UP FROM IPT -
thanks again to John at IPT for building my valvebody, and to Darren who better have that new V8 dropped in his CJ by now.

[Toasted Coastie]

nice picks. Once you got to the shop, what was the turnaround time? Did you just hang out while they were working on the truck?

Ron

[mandzach]

Hi Charlie,

I'm dropping you a line so that I can give you the specific information that you had requested regarding your valve body modification.

As you know, the Toyota 340 series of transmissions are generally very well made and demonstrate excellent durability in unmodified applications. The framework is present for an extremely strong transmission that is to be used for a performance application.

The problem is that the original calibration is engineered for driver comfort rather than ultimate strength. The soft, sliding shifts that are part of the original design are not appropriate for increased horsepower applications, towing, off road, racing, etc. These calibration inadequacies quickly manifest themselves as extremely poor shift quality, and more often than not, severe damage to the gear box is soon to follow.

Without going into too much technical detail, the factory shortcomings can be addressed through modification and recalibration of the control valve assembly, a.k.a. the valve body.

The valve body is a component that is comprised of valves, solenoids, an orifice plate and an intricate series of passages- it is the most complex part of the most complex part of a vehicle- the automatic transmission.

The function of the valve body is to act as the "brain" of the automatic transmission- it directs hydraulic pressure to the appropriate clutches and bands at the right time to initiate upshifts, down shifts, reverse, converter clutch application, etc. As well as controlling shift timing and shift quality, it is also responsible for directing hydraulic pressure to the cooler and the lubrication circuit.

As you can imagine, the transmission's operation can be drastically altered and also customized to the application through modifications to this component. We have been working with these transmissions for many years. Most of our development work has been done on the Toyota Supra, which uses a slightly different configuration of this same transmission. Our modified 340 transmissions are out there handling up to about 700 horsepower and the main reason that this is possible is because of the modifications to the valve body that we have developed.

When someone with a 4Runner had found us through the Supra community, we began working on modifications that were more appropriate for Toyota trucks- especially those that were needing to handle the additional power that accompanies the installation of a supercharger. The results were very favorable and we have become the main source of modified valve bodies among 4Runner and Tacoma owners.

At the risk of oversimplification, there are a few things that are done in concert to create much more favorable operation of the gearbox.

The first thing that needs to be done is to increase the hydraulic operating pressure of the transmission- this pressure is known as "line pressure". All hydraulic functions of the trans are based on this pressure- what is especially of concern, for these purposes, is the clamping force which is applied to the clutches and bands to get them to hold against engine torque. In simple terms, increased engine output is complemented by increased line pressure and increased "clamp" on the clutches- this can be likened to a performance clutch with a heavier spring in a manual transmission equipped vehicle.

The idea is to raise this pressure only slightly at light throttle but increase it by 30-40% at full throttle where it is needed. The effect of this is shifts that are not overly uncomfortable at lower throttle openings, but at heavy throttle, we can accomplish firm shifts with short clutch application time and increased clamping force.

An additional benefit of this is increased flow through the transmission cooler and lube system.

Secondly, hydraulic pressure is normally routed through an orifice in a metal "separator plate" that resides between the two halves of the valve body before it gets to its intended destination. By altering these orifices, we can increase the volume of hydraulic oil that is used to apply the various clutches and bands. This is where some customizing can be done for the given application, and to some degree, to customer preference.

The final part of modification is the alteration of the accumulator circuits. These are hydraulic circuits that are parallel to the components that are used for upshifting. Their function is to absorb or "accumulate" some of the hydraulic pressure that is intended to apply a clutch pack. By limiting the action of what is essentially a "shock absorber" for each upshift, we are able to further reduce clutch lock up time and shift lag at wide open throttle.

The end result is that shift time is reduced by 300 to 800%, depending on the customers preference regarding the amount of acceptable shift feel. The clamping force that is required to apply the clutches and bands is increased by 30 to 40% at full throttle. Flow through the cooler and lube circuit is increased and the converter clutch application time is also reduced.

You can obviously feel the alterations that were made to your transmission, now I hope that I was able to properly give you an overview of what is behind the modification.

Please let me know if you have any other questions for me, and if you would like to post this on tundra solutions as a new thread, I would be happy to try to answer any specific questions that anyone else may have regarding this or other transmission related issues.

Regards, John

-----------------------
John Lombardo
Import Performance Transmissions
http://www.importperformancetrans.com

UPDATE:
My truck is running great - the tranny is working perfect and the synthetic ATF with Lubgard is working flawless in conjunction with the 03' clutch material. IPT is a first rate shop.