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Latest on NAG1 Built Trans?

38K views 122 replies 25 participants last post by  Hal'sMag 
#1 ·
Been out of the game for more than a year and looks like a lot has happened since then. I purchased a 2014 300 SRT8 which is still rocking the 5 speed NAG1, I need to build it to handle my future goals (800whp). I have always gone with Paramount or SHR, both have served me well, not really that much difference in behavior, if anything the paramount (conqueror) shifted a little a little softer/longer given the same tuning/torque management settings versus the SHR war Viking, but also had a TOUCH better downshift behavior when coming to a stop, very minor but was notable enough.

Who is now the go-to shop or place to get a solid built NAG1?
 
#32 ·
Reading this thread I would bet there is more usable info here than many of the older threads that have been on this forum. Not to mention how much a person could save. Nice way to put it in a easy way to understand it.
 
#33 ·
Can someone help me with contacting Enhanced? Not finding the guys name on here nor a shop web address.
 
#34 ·
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#36 · (Edited)
Ben maniaci (enhanced transmissions) 216-281-0303. his username on here is sublime130.
 
#41 ·
Prob not otherwise they wouldn't need to build the transmissions🤨

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I'm pretty sure they do, what do you mean they wouldn't have to build it lol!!!, dings is a very reputable car guy in Washington the valve body is one thing he is saying in this thread with a tune calibrates tcm and what not it can hold more power, to me it makes perfect sense. Increase the pressure to close and open faster eliminating clutch slippage. Not saying that all of it makes sense cause why would trans builders build trans then if that was the case. But Troy ding knows his stuff he builds engines and does a good job at it

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#44 ·
I chased shift points under WOT for almost 2 seasons with the builder of the trans and a few tuners, I went with the Ding VB and what a different, The trans shifts were it's suppose to and it's not super hard under normal driving!! Now I what his Trans break VB.
 
#48 ·
So to be clear here, as I am ready to make my final transmission purchase decision in the next few days.

Car weighs about 4800lbs with me in it and with the twin turbo kit
Targeting around 900-1000whp, guessing somewhere around 850wtq once fully spooled

Is the consensus that a valve body and tune ALONE can handle this type of power? If not, what would be recommended?

Sorry for the doubt but been through this one too many times with "snake oil" kind of stuff getting popular but then when really pressed for hard data it all unravels and find like 1 or 2 guys at the stated power handling level and then 30 people running half the recommended power handling all chiming in.
 
#49 ·
So to be clear here, as I am ready to make my final transmission purchase decision in the next few days.

Car weighs about 4800lbs with me in it and with the twin turbo kit
Targeting around 900-1000whp, guessing somewhere around 850wtq once fully spooled

Is the consensus that a valve body and tune ALONE can handle this type of power? If not, what would be recommended?

Sorry for the doubt but been through this one too many times with "snake oil" kind of stuff getting popular but then when really pressed for hard data it all unravels and find like 1 or 2 guys at the stated power handling level and then 30 people running half the recommended power handling all chiming in.
That is my concern to a T, I'm running the Builder Bill valve body and I'm not in love with the way it shifts during easy around town driving, I'm WELL below the claimed power levels discussed here, but I don't want to shell out $800 on a valve body just to swap another one in and find that it's the same old issue all over again and don't live up to the abuse when I finally do get some power under her.
 
#51 ·
I would love to know myself..im getting ready to get a VB to help with the 2nd to 3rd gear flare im seeing...
 
#61 · (Edited)
I'll suggest that the valve body / programming being offered is better than stock. By how much is unclear. Without empirical data to back up the claims, its a shot in the dark. Word of mouth in a thread on something of this magnitude simply does not cut it.

One should be talking directly to all the horse's mouths out there and ask the hard / closed ended questions about:
- Actual rated torque specification and guarantees to meet that number
- Precisely what modifications, and why, are being performed to meet the above
- Who's aftermarket parts are being installed to meet the above specification and what warranty / guarantee is on those
- Real-world testing
- Verifiable results put forth by those who are already using the parts in the field...especially from those who do not have a vested interest in marketing / selling the parts in the first place.

The gains you mentioned regarding CAIs is indeed a stinky pile of bullsh!t.
 
#64 ·
FYI on the shift flares....

I had a YUGE 3-4 flare, randomly started one day...

Guess what? Fried TCM...and I have a host of suspicions on what caused it to fry. Numero uno was my tranzformer. I unfortunately took the heeded advice from the top top guys on here and vendors, and actually pulled the SHR trans, installed a Paramount, and guess what...$6k later did the identical thing on the first pass.

Ditched the current TCM and installed a stock replacement, issue gone.
 
#65 ·
Oh great, I'm tearing this thing out before I leave the office today...
 
#66 ·
I mean look, I wont go out and say this Ding (by the way anyone else struggle to say that word outloud??) valve body doesn't improve stock holding power or on occasion help a heavy vehicle make some hefty passes at the track. But I cannot believe it will mass volume solve the NAG1 issues that is now 12 years in the making.

But I am not in the business of doing things twice, I need something that (1) will live a good few years before a refresh, (2) not face plant my wife into the dash board when I slow down to a stop, and (3) have good customer support should I have a failure.
 
#67 ·
My car on a lower shot doesnt do it...its because im putting more power thru it...that its doing the Flare...i data logged you can see its shifting fine no spikes no up and down shift points...i was told its just the nature of the beast a modified VB will tighten it up and make it shift firm..its worth a try...what is the speed we can go in 3rd in the 1/4 mile ?
 
#68 · (Edited)
Mine only started flaring once I cracked 800whp. I dyno tuned it, went to the track and bam, out of no where started doing it, no a single change made to the TCM. Yes, a bricked TCM can rear its ugly head at a given power point and not at lower, just based on that you are going to be at a higher calculated engine torque and/or output shaft rpm, which means you are now using a never used before area of a set of tables in the TCM tune. My datalogs looked perfect to, except for the 1200rpm shift flare. We never found the actual block of the TCM that was bricked, but definitely seemed to be related to the scaling in the TCM and the adaptive process.

Just making a point that finding someone with a used stock TCM laying around might be worth the $40 trial and error, may not fix it for you but could save whatever a VB sells for these days.
 
#71 · (Edited)
Try running it unmodified, let it shift early, if it doesn't flare, then bump it up.

The same cause of the original bricking could be the tune flashed to it, need to rule that out. AJ will prob just flash his entire calibration to the stocker if you ask for the rpm shift bump. I would avoid it for now.

FYI to make the point it can be bricked from day one, I had one from OST (he offered a full refund and/or replacement) which wouldn't lock the converter at any rolling rpm (pulled the trans and swapped converters just find it did the same thing), I then tried a Paramount TCM which solved the converter lockup but was is the one that had the shift flare issue after some time, but I was running an untouched calibration from Bill when it started to happen.
 
#72 ·
The real reason i went with the Hemituner TCM is to have the convertor lock up in 2nd so my stock wont do that...wonder how the driving would be?
 
#73 ·
Just wondering what "mods" are done to the other big trans builders valve body? I seen one thing right off the bat when I received the Ding VB over the competitors VB. There's more to it then cranking up line pressure .
 
#75 ·
#76 ·
My shifts are at the RPM that there suppose to be, 6800 is 6800, not 5700 in first 6100 in second and so on, something I haven't been able to do with the builders VB.
 
#77 ·
#86 ·
So outside of the one vehicle mentioned earlier (900hp Jeep), no one has used the Ding valve body on a stock transmission at any appreciable power level?

Kbr577 you never tried the valve body + stock transmission at your current power level, correct?
 
#87 ·
One thing I'm noticing is nobody (including the vendor) has mentioned the price on this valve body and the website linked has no product information whatsoever unless I'm somehow missing a page/link. My two key concerns with my combo are that my 6800rpm shift is typically more like 7k on the 1-2 shift so I hit fuel cut if I just plant my foot in it and my downshifts decelerating around town are far harsher than need be.
 
#88 ·
That can be fixed with a proper tune, fuel cut should never happen even with a tired trans, just need to move the rev limiter out of the way (there are several, one for trans and one for the engine), can easily give the engine a few hundred extra rpms. No remedy for the downshifts since most of that comes from the pressures the valve body was machined to produce, not much to fix in the tune. I did play a bit with the converter lockup so that it was released but could only really get it to work for the 2-1 downshift.
 
#95 ·
Please call Ding’s Carr care for the best I do on this. He does not have an e commerce site. You have to call. Price I think is 550.00 for the valve body and 450.00 for the tune. That is the box tune. Again please contact them
for more accurate info on this. I do not handle that side of things.
 
#99 ·
Please call Ding's Carr care for the best I do on this. He does not have an e commerce site. You have to call. Price I think is 550.00 for the valve body and 450.00 for the tune. That is the box tune. Again please contact them
for more accurate info on this. I do not handle that side of things.
So you need Both for the VB to work the VB and the tune?
 
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