I believe I have the 4T65E transaxle in my Bonneville. If I want to make the stock transaxle beefier without a full upgrade should I install the Trans Go 4T65E shift Kit or the Intense Street/Strip Performance Shift Pak.

I do not race the car at a drag strip but I do give it the gas when driving in traffic. I like to be able to accelerate when needed for the situation I am in, if you know what I mean. When driving the freeways a little get up and go is nice to have.

This is my third 'H' Body car. I've also had a '92 Buick LeSabre and '94 Olds 88. Both cars had the transmission die between 130k and 140k. The motor is bullet proof and the trans is the weaker link. I believe the trans for the Series 2s are a little beefier than the Series 1s but I want to do everything I can to keep my transmission happy.

I installed the Thrasher Shift Kit.

The biggest reason I did, is because there is more wear on the transmission to shift r-e-a-l-l-y *-o-f-t like it does stock. My Olds transmission blew up the clutches. The shift kit will be much easier on them.

The Thrasher Shift Kit doesn't make the trans any stronger, it just cuts down on the wear during shifting and therefore allows it to potentially last longer.

BTW, I HIGHLY recommend a shift kit! My car shifts SO much more positively now. On heavy acceleration, when the trans shifts from 1st to 2nd, the tachometer needle snaps down to the lower RPM. It used to meander down the dial...
...and the shifts are still not harsh at all.

Hey guy'*,
I was looking to do this mod myself..Is there a difference bettween the transgo vs thrasher brand? I know there is a difference in price.

The Thrasher comes with a filter and new piston seals whereas I don't believe the Transgo does. Plus the Thrasher gives you a choice of three different shift options (from firm to whiplash) and when I studied the Transgo, it just had one.

Oh yeah, the Thrasher also comes with a free T-shirt

Hawkjet:
Would you recommend the Thrasher kit over the Intense Street/Strip performance kit?

I don't have experience with the Intense kit but I read their web page. It looks like the two are very similar. I suspect the Intense kit has more complete instructions (the instructions for the Thrasher kit are good but could be better for someone that'* never removed the transmission pan). I got my Thrasher kit for $90 (including shipping) and the intense kit is $130 plus shipping. I don't know that I would pay another $40 or $50.

On the other hand, based on what'* been said about Intense on this forum, if you had any problems or questions, you know who to call. I got my Thrasher kit on eBay and I don't know about their customer service.

At any rate, you can't go wrong either way...

Thank you Sir.

I should say that I didn't buy the Transgo Kit, I just read about it on line. There could be things I missed in regard to the differences. For instance, I saw that Intense sells the Transgo kit and in their photo it looks like they do have the seals. However, I do know that they do NOT include the filter.

So may the only difference be the shift options?..If so, is that a good option to have and what shift firmness do you recommend? Reason 4 asking is, the harder the shift can it cause stress on something else.
Thanks.

With the Thrasher Kit you get a filter that doesn't come with the Transgo kit. It also looks like you don't get a gasket with the Transgo kit.

Yes you can shift too hard. The Thrasher kit may be approaching that with it'* harshest shif setting. Although that is intended for racing where there are usually other mods to strengthen.

The milder settings of the Thrasher kit are not going to hurt anything. I would say the same for the Transgo kit.

I am not a racer. I have my Bonneville because I like the power when I ask for it and I like the size of the car. I am very interested in the creature comforts too. That is why I am not willing to put up with the vibration of a solid motor mount. I also don't want to be irritated each time the transmission shifts so I went with the mildest setting with the Thrasher kit.

Overall, the entire feel of the car is more solid, even though it was only a transmission mod. The entire driving experience was affected.

I also did this to eliminate the Pressure Control Valve problems I was having. It is a lot cheaper than the $500 to $1000 I was looking at with other solutions. The shift kit takes the burden off the solenoid.