Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Appelgate moves over to a cut-away transmission display in the booth. His fingers run over the polished metal surface as if it were the Rosetta Stone. “Heat can also be caused by how the transmission operates internally. Most late-model transmissions are built to be comfortable to the driver even though the shifts may not be most efficient for the transmission. What I mean by this is that some shift overlap and slippage is built in for smooth operation.What we’ve found, and this is based on years of high-performance transmission experience, is that by improving the quickness and the firmness of the shift just slightly—not enough to be uncomfortable—we can reduce the slippage considerably in the transmission and thereby reduce the heat.”
How do you do that?
“The simplest way is to use our do-it-yourself Shill Improver or Transpak valve body recalibration kit.A few simple hand tools and 3 hours of time allow you to modify the hydraulic circuit of the valve body.”
None of this alters the status quo of computer controls, so engine performance isn’t affected. I ask Appelgate one last question before I leave: “Brian, B&M is really known as a racing company. What have you learned from racing that translates to guys who hunt and fish?”
“Well, actually, it directly relates. By building transmissions for more than 40 years for racing applications, we’ve found out what all the weak points are. And that helps us improve the breed. Obviously, we don’t try to apply everything we learn in racing to a light truck or a hunting and fishing application; nonetheless, a lot of it still applies. It has allowed us to find the most efficient and least expensive ways to cool the transmission.”
“Most efficient and least expensive.” Now those are words that anyone can understand.