about to purchase a tranny from ATS. I was wondering at what HP/TQ #'s are people breaking the stock flex plate?

My concern is the Billet ATS units look real solid, and I thought the "flex" in "Flexplate" was there for a reason...

I will be adding twins in the near future mainly to keep EGT in check when towing. I tow 10K 5th wheel, Quadzilla Xzillarader II is the only other mod right now.

So when do I need a stronger flex plate?

 

Do it. I've seen guys with mild programmers rip flexplates.

Do you want to spend the money on a flexplate now, or the money for a new flexplate AND TC when you rip it?

I did have my truck around 450 hp with a stock flex plate and it held.

I saw a guy with just a BD rip his up like soft butter.

It's a gamble either way.

 

isn't a flex plate out of a 6.7 a good upgrade? I thought those where quite a bit thicker and fairly cheap...

 

Get it now or it will cost you later.

 

Just my opinion, but like the OP said, there's a reason it's called a "flexplate".

I run a suncoast laminated and it has held perfectly at my HP.

If you really are into billet, I think the BD plate may be the best of those all things considered. And it can be had for close to half the price of the ATS.

 

My concern is he is buying his tranny from ATS. Stick their parts in it just in case he has an issue. I do not like the billet's either. They are supposed to flex some.

 

After doing some reading on ATS site I suspect their 5-star converter does not "balloon" like a stock converter due to it's billet design, this *may* reduce the need for the flex plate to flex, at least to some degree. I will discuss with ATS to find out for sure.

Ahser - interesting option (6.7 flexplate), I'll have to do some searching. Where did you find that info? Here?

Spooler - I thought about that, all ATS parts installed by ATS would certainly leave little wiggle room if there was a problem during he warranty period. I don't abuse my truck, and take very good care of it and it's mostly stock, so I doubt I'd have a problem. One of the reasons i'm looking at ATS is they are local and have a long warranty...

soulezoo - I'd love to have BB twins, how did you plumb yours, aftermarket kit adapted to them? custom built? Any expereince with the Borg Warner EFR BB turbos? The gamma-ti turbine sounds slick...

 

Mine are all custom built; the turbos themselves are custom as well.

The plumbing is very easy (I presume you are referring to the water cooling lines). The line running from the coolant outlet on the right side of the engine (near the oil filter housing) up across the exhaust manifold to the firewall is redirected to the turbos and ran in series (both turbos are watercooled) then back to the firewall (heater core line).

I don't have direct experience with the EFR turbos like I do with the Garretts. So I can only comment based upon what I see on the maps and on paper. The maps are very impressive and they seem to be very good units holding a lot of promise. They may end up being slightly superior to the Garrett GTX series in the long run, but again, that is just on paper. The immediate drawbacks I see are to the geometry of the turbos themselves. They are quite long front to back and may not be able to mount as a top turbo in twins in the conventional sense as the hotpipe would be right up against the firewall. I would see modifications necessary to make them work such as a radical cobra head hotpipe for starters. The Ti turbine is intriguing to me. I have questions about it too. While the material seems a no brainer (as an aircraft mechanic I have some working knowledge) as this is used in jet engines extensively in high heat/stress areas why they put a 2000* disclaimer on the turbine wheel. But then again, if it is seeing 2000*, you may well have greater issues to deal with. Having said that, many sled pullers see that all the time. So, I'm not making a statement other to say I have questions still.

The other thing is the only two sizes of turbos offered suitable for our uses are on the opposite sides of the window so you have to compromise one way or the other (for 5.9's-- the bigger one with the twin scroll t-4 is perfect for 6.7's). One that is in-between the two described would be perfect for 5.9's.

 

I run a laminated plate from Haisley Machine. Just another option for ya.

 

Thanks all, I spoke with ATS, they indicated thier flexplate will flex, although it seems to me like it would load the thrust bearing and/or torque converter more heavily than a flexplate with reliefs (BD, Suncoast, etc), i.e. one would assume from just looking at the ATS design that it appears more rigid and thus has I would assume it has a higher spring constant, but then it comes down to material, thickness, and heat treating (if any)...

 

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eastmentCTD600:

For your information, I have a full billet ATS Transmission in my 1996 Dodge CTD 12 valve. I have had an ATS Billet Flexplate in both my 1996 and 2006 since ATS released them. I have NEVER had ANY problems wth either of them and my 1996 is well over 800 H.P. and has been as high as 900 when I had more fuel going to the engine. So,....I think your truck will be fine if you decide to install one Sir!

 

John_P

Thanks for the long-term evalution report, I suspect everything will be fine with the ATS unit, they build good stuff. Tranny and flex plate tomorrow!