dieselfumes57

i just got one and was wondering if its usual for it to shift like a jackhammer? i thought when i was pulling a load today it was going to break something (ujoints, drive shaft, transfer case). i can take firm shifts but this is a little over the edge. can anything be done like a ats controller or anything else.

mudder500

Ats contoller is ur friend at this point.

blackjet2500

mine shifted like that for about 400 miles, then it smoothed out nicely with no issues

chevota01

Depends how its built. My 99 with full race would cause my wife's and kids heads to lurch forward with every shift. Rough when towing the fifth wheel for 8K miles cross country trip.
Good luck
-MS

king d

mine shifts hard like that al the time,but that is ho i asked for it.give them a call and talk with Ron or Ernie ...

HOV

The firmness of the shifts on my DTT transmission are dependendent on whether I'm in T/H mode, using the exhaust brake, and throttle position.

When driving without T/H mode or exhaust brake, it shifts fairly gently.

When using T/H mode or exhaust brake at light throttle, shifts are the firmest.

Anything at full throttle works quite well.

sid325

My Suncoast shifts firm, but not that hard. Shifts even firmer in T/H, but not neck snapping.

Sid

DODGETHEBULLET

You Can Adjust The Way It Shifts By The Valve Body.. Take It To A Good Tranny Shop And They Can Install Softer Springs That Make It Shift Easier... Also What Type Of Convertor Are You Running Triple Disc Seem To Engage Harder Or Lock Up Becasue Of Less Slippage. Also Line Pressure From The Valve Body Will Cause It To Lock Up Harder Giving It That Firmer Feeling....

dieselfumes57

suncoast vb and tq converter. i talked to ernie and he just plainly said that the way we build them and if you dont like the way it shifts put your factory vb back in.i figured b4 its over with it would break a u joint or tear the rear end out

tcr

Mine shifts like this, you'll get used to it and it will lighten up a bit. Just think how much slipping is NOT happening. If you do want a change, go w/ a stock vb w/ a transgo sk installed.

dieselfumes57

i dont mind a firmer shift to get it locked into a gear to prevent slipping but when it throws stuff around in the truck when shifting i am starting to worry it might break something. i am not B1tchn about it just wondering if its the norm

tcr

I would say it is normal, but you don't absolutely have to have a harsh shifting tranny to have a durable, dependable tranny. I know a local builder who can put together a VB and shift kit and shifts REALLY nice, firm but not ***** to the wall hard.

RamsMountain

My SunCoast will be 3 years old this December. It was put in at 90,000 miles and now I have 430,000 miles on the vehicle. It has the old 3 year warranty! I have had no problems and it shifts just like it did when it was first installed - hard, real hard shifts! Like the whole truck while towing does this kind of rocking back and forth after the 3RD and 4Th gear lockup shifts in Tow/Haul. I too was concerned but I just kept on going and waited for something to break. As you can see I have a lot of power and use it even while towing. I usually have to replace the u-joints about every 100,000 miles. It's the rear that always wears down...the center shows wear and the front is always usable but I keep them for spares. I also had a bearing go out in the rear end at 360,000 miles. I drove it about 10,000 miles making a slight noise before rebuilding the rear end. One of the outer races had developed a flaw in it.

I complained about this hard shifting too when it was newish. They said they could change some springs and make it shift smoother but I would be sacrificing longevity and time if I were to compete, which I haven't. I decided to leave it the way it is.

I might mention that I often get turbo bark due to the hard shifts with the twins!

If you can live with the hard shift then leave it.