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So lets beat a dead horse. Nv4500 or 4l80

blazinzuk

blazinzuk

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Which would you choose and why.

Going behind a 6.5 turbo diesel.

Tow rig and occasional off roader.

4.56 gears and probably end up on 35s.

I'm talking just gearing here. I can manage adapting things to things.

I think the most I would tow on a regular basis is 8500 lbs.

See this is what happens when I can't sleep.

So NV 4500 or 4L80 aaaaaand go!
 
NV4500 is my vote.

..but you knew that already.

Which one do you already have?

Martin
 
Both. Kind of. 4l80 needs rebuilt. I will owe my buddy for the 4500 but that's no biggie.

So Martin why the 4500. I know you hate slushboxes but other than preference why?
 
Do you have the electronics for the 4L80E? That would be another 6-800$. Do you have the flywheel, clutch, shifter, slave cyl, etc for the 4500?
If you already have the 4500, I'd consider that. The OD ratio is about the same on both, what did the truck have in it to begin with?
 
It's for my crew cab. 4l80 has a factory stand alone control. I would need a electric 241 for the 4l80. The 4500 I could use just about anything as far as t case goes.

My crew cab came with a turbo 400 but just empty space there now

I have clutch pedals etc for the 4500 .

I have everything associated that I would need for both.

The 4l80 would get rebuilt. By me with my buddy making sure I did it good. He has done several 4l80s.

It's not really a money issue I think both are gonna cost about the same to put in
 
How about shifting the 4L80....using the column shifter or a Winters?
 
Ah yes....what did you do with the 454?
 
In my 98 with the 6.5 and nv4500 it's not super great for Daily driving unloaded. My comfortable cruising speed is like 55-60. I spend a lot of time wishing I had another overdrive. But I think towing a trailer you'd be happy. I'm on 285s with stock gearing and most of the time I wish for taller gearing just driving around.
But if the 4l80 has a similar od ratio that wouldn't really help you much.

The biggest problem i have is my 3rd gear synchros are gone and 3rd gear is the most useful lower speed around town gear.
 
Im a stick guy so my vote is nv4500.

That being said if you're long hauling I could see a stick getting annoying. Like in those times when someone 10 miles down the highway decides to drive their vehicle into someone elses vehicles and you're stuck doing 5mph on and off for an hour...
 
I prefer an automatic for city driving and those times as stated,when your stuck crawling in traffic after a highway crash for a extended time..they also offer better control off roading or when plowing too,your hands are busy enough operating the plow and clutches usually dont hold up long under constant plowing duty...

That said,I like manual transmissions,I miss my VW Jetta diesel with a 5 speed,that had gearing well suited to its power band...
Provided the transmission has good ratio splits and doesn't eat synchro's or shift like a dump truck,a manual is better in so many ways--more power to the ground,better fuel economy,and you are what determines what gear it should be in,not some computer..

It seems though,GM still lacks a really heavy duty 4 or 5 speed manual with good gear spacing for trucks under one ton..

This might sound dumb,but I think having a semi truck transmission with 10 or 13 speeds ,with ratios spaced well for all around use,would be the berries...no "internal" slave cylinder/throwout bearings either..
 
What year 4500? the early low gear ones are pretty nice to have. I have done a few auto to manual swaps behind diesels, and they always run cooler (sometimes by alot) getting rid of the auto and related coolers. A little better cooling is always good for a 6.5.
 
blazinzuk said:
Which would you choose and why.

Going behind a 6.5 turbo diesel.

Tow rig and occasional off roader.

4.56 gears and probably end up on 35s.

I'm talking just gearing here. I can manage adapting things to things.

I think the most I would tow on a regular basis is 8500 lbs.

See this is what happens when I can't sleep.

So NV 4500 or 4L80 aaaaaand go!
Click to expand...




Carburetor..... EFI is too scary.

Ooooops, wrong topic but the screaming from opposite sides will be the same. :)




-G
 
I vote 4L80E because of the lack of torque from a 6.5 V8 diesel. Say what??? Yep. I don't believe a 6.5TD has a waste gated turbo and are laggy on the low end. Every time you shift, that laggy turbo has to spool back up. I expereince this EVERY day with both of my Ford 7.3 PSD's with ZF5's. No bottom end, smokey, and unlike gas, you can't rev it high enough to where it's still in the power band after you shift. That is part of why the 6 spd sticks came out in early 2000's. Help keep the diesels inside that narrow RPM power band. BUT....if you were doing a Cummins...you'd know my answer would be the complete opposite..

The only scenerio I would choose a 4500 behind a V8 diesel is if it were pretty much a dedicated tow rig and would see lots of highway miles. In that case, it's pretty easy to just bounce between 4th and 5th depending if it's flat or a grade. Plus, you'd want to spend a lot of time in 5th with 4.56's, and a valid argument can be made that OD is tougher in the stick trans than OD in the 4L80. Stop and go? No way...4L80 all day long.
 
Thank you!

I would prefer reasons. I understand the I like sticks not autos. But that's a good point.

It's gonna stay a 6.5 for the foreseeable future. Long term I'm hoping to stick in a duramax or Cummins but that's say 10 years out.

No one round here wants a 6.5 so they are cheap. I am just hoping to get the most out of it.
 
black dawg said:
What year 4500? the early low gear ones are pretty nice to have. I have done a few auto to manual swaps behind diesels, and they always run cooler (sometimes by alot) getting rid of the auto and related coolers. A little better cooling is always good for a 6.5.
Click to expand...

The 4500 is a 93 so it's got the lower first gear but also the wider 3-4 spread
 
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