[RockDoc]

Going for a drive, the difference was immediately apparent. At first the shifts were harsh, and the gears "hung" long before upshifts (especially when moving the selector up the gears, rather than letting the tranny do it all in "D"), but this went away fairly quickly, and I'd chalk it up to air in the system. After everything settled in, the tranny seems to give a more spirited feel. I think this is an equal mix of placebo effect, crisper/quicker upshifts and higher shift points. I did my best to keep the kickdown cable adjusted the same, but the difference in shift point is akin to the first time I adjusted that. Cable adjustment won't give you the crisper/quicker shifts though. The more spirited behavior is most notable at moderate throttle, and less so at WOT (when the transmission was already doing its best in terms of shift points I suppose), so it seems to be a re-profiling of the shift behavior with the limits staying much the same. It does seem to give you better response when step into it after light throttle cruising though.

Taking it out on the highway, I was initially shocked to find no lock-up in 3rd, but this must have just been some air in the system, because a minute later the lock up was apparent. Lock up is much more subtle in 3rd than in OD, but dropping from OD to third when lock up is engaged is much more solid (read a kick in the pants/holy crap is it supposed to do that?) than from OD to a non-locked 3rd with the old valvebody.

I did a couple of speed tests before the install to compare performance, then did the same spots again. 0-100km/h (63m/h) in "3" on a slight incline took 27.7 sec with the old set up, 28.7 sec with the new. 80-110km/h in "3" up a slight incline took 16.6 sec before, 15.4 sec after. I'll test these again after things get worn in a bit more, to see if the first value drops back down after the fluid level is stabilized and air is all worked out. Clearly though, there is a slight improvement over the range that the TC is locked up. So far there is no clear difference in operating temperature.

Well, that's all I have to report now. I'll add in more after a get more seat time with it. Can't wait to see how it does on a good highway hill, but may be a few weeks before I get to find out. I'm going to be more relaxed throwing it into 3rd at highway speeds now, as I should be able to get another 10 or 15 km/h without pushing the engine speed any farther. So far I am pleased (aside from F-ing up the install), time will tell if I am pleased to the tune of the purchase price. If I end up towing at some point, I think I will be.