i haven't heard ANYTHING bad about the 48re's, but after my last truck (1500 gasser), and 3 trannies later, i'm still hesitant about the life of these stock transmissions. at what point in the bombing game should i start looking for upgrades, and worrying about torching the tranny??
later, dustin

 

I'd say right after your warranty expires.

I have decided to only "stealth bomb" if at all with mine until at least the 7/70k warranty expires and maybe until the 100k Cummins warranty. This way, DC picks up the tab for any engineering flaws that may emerge. So far, only the Van AAken seems to qualify as a "stealth" device (removable without a trace). But with today's sophisticated electronics, maybe there is no such thing.

Anyway, I plan to open up the breathing, maybe get rid of the stock muffler and add gauges to my ride. I'll see this weekend how it's gonna tow so I'll have a better idea if I need anything in the bomb dept.

Neil

 

i understand what your saying, but my question was basically how much power can the 48re handle??
later, dustin

 

From what I understand from reading around here and on the TDR board, I would say NOT MUCH. The 48RE is still relatively new and unproven. Offhand, I would say that a mild bomb like the VA pressure box would be OK, but anything more than that and you're likely to run into problems with the tranny. And, to get the really big numbers, you're probably looking at a beefier turbo as well. I'm no expert, but I've been paying attention to threads on this subject and that seems to be the consensus of opinion. If you do anything at all, be sure to put gauges in - EGTs and trans temps are still the biggest concerns.

Good luck,
Neil

 

Actually, the 48RE is an improved version of the 47RE which was based on the 727, a pretty solid transmission, except for a few flaws. They have fixed most of those flaws in the 48RE, except that the torque converter still sucks. "They" say you're good up to about 400HP with a stock 48RE, although I would get a TC and VB before adding that much power. With these mods, the 48RE is pretty bulletproof up to about 500HP, and if you do the full treatment (ala DTT or ATS or your builder of choice, as long as they know what they're doing) the 48RE should be reliable way beyond that.