Late model FWD trans kits

[Marvin Robinson]

I have a 2005 Malibu LS 3.5L, and I would like to have a shift kit installed in the automatic. Who might I find to do this, or sell the kits? I'm in NW Indiana, near Chicago.

[ss3011]

Be careful trying to put a shift kit in these type of transmissions. They are meant to shift quickly, but you feel it as smooth. The calibration monitors the transmissions gear ratio, and as it transitions from one ratio to the next, sends a electronic message to the engine, which changes torque, then ramps it back in. It adjusts itself to get a ratio change in a specific time. It adapts to make that shift time stay consistent. If the shift kit modifies the way the transmission shifts, (quicker), the electronic calibration, which you are not changing, will then attempt to soften the shift to maintain the shift time. There is a limit to how much the electronic calibration can "adapt" the shift, and once it reaches the end of that limit, it will set a code. Most modern electronic shifting transmissions have a common valve body for a given transmission model, and use an electronic control module to control the shift points, and the shift feel. This way the company only has to build one basic transmission, but can use it behind several different engines. Only the electronic calibration is different. Bottom line its a bad idea to put a shift kit in these types of transmissions. There might be a re-programmer to modify shift points and shift feel, similar to how engine calibrations are modified. That might work better than a shift kit.

[Alan Roehrich]

Superior Transmission, or Sonnax. Both make products to improve performance and durability.

They often require special tools, and a good bit of skilled/experienced labor.