T56 vs. RS600

[Oakesters]

?

[Vegas69]

Not to by a stick in the mud but how would anyone have much real world experience?

Gearing is different and tunnel mods come to mind.

[Oakesters]

Well what should make someone pick one over the other right now, from the looks of it the rs 400 rs 500 rs 600 are the better looking /sounding(from the small amount of info out there) performing transmission right now, also they are offering a trade in deal for your old tko ,Stick in the mud lol j/k

[strtlegal]

Well what should make someone pick one over the other right now, from the looks of it the rs 400 rs 500 rs 600 are the better looking /sounding(from the small amount of info out there) performing transmission right now, also they are offering a trade in deal for your old tko ,Stick in the mud lol j/k

It's called advertising...

But buy one up tell us how it is..To me its all Skunk Works type crap right now

[tazzz25906112]

yes and no ???,,,,,, I have one, had limited seat time with it, liked it "very much" and commented on the other thread..... Based on that seat time, the RS 600 is my choice and I own both transmissions in similar F bodies .....
Yancy John's loves his transmission too,,,, so two drivers with different cars and experience using the transmission (that also put more miles than your average car owner) have chimed in with positive feedback.... To me that doesn't sound
like advertising ,,, it sounds like a real life experience and a positive alternative that quite possibly has some merit,,, you decide....

[Mkelcy]

If the claims are true, with the RS600 there's no need to modify the trans tunnel; with the T56, at a minimum, you'll need to re-locate the shifter hole. The RS600 appears to be smaller and lighter than the T56. The T56 has an installed base of hundreds of thousands of units and has been the go-to 6 speed transmission for a lot of major OEMs; the RS600, not so much. There's a substantial market in used T56s, not so for the RS600.

If I were making a decision right now and had to have a NEW transmission, I'd probably try the RS600 simply for cost reasons. If I didn't have to have a new transmission; I'd get a rebuilt T56, for both cost and proven durability and shift quality.

[Vegas69]

Reliability is the only wild card in my mind. Until they get on the street and abused for some miles, it's hard to say. I also feel t56 gearing is more suited for HIGH horsepower applications. That being said, I'm seriously considering the RS600. I'm not excited about slicing my car up this late in the game to shoe horn a t56 magnum.

[HELLCAMINO]

Considering all that I have read on the new RS models (400, 500, and 600 version) of 5 speeds, they claim that the the 2-3 shift problems that are know in the TKO model is not an issue in the new RS trans. They are also rated to withstand 7,000 rpm shifts. I "was" in the market to buy a TKO until I found out about the RS.......now my mind has been changed.

[Flash68]

I agree with Todd. Just not enough people out there yet really beating on this thing yet. 2 positive feedbacks is not enough. This will just take time and we welcome the early testers to get after it!

[Mkelcy]

Reliability is the only wild card in my mind. Until they get on the street and abused for some miles, it's hard to say. I also feel t56 gearing is more suited for HIGH horsepower applications. That being said, I'm seriously considering the RS600. I'm not excited about slicing my car up this late in the game to shoe horn a t56 magnum.

Unless you're using half height subframe bushings or the floor is for some other reason closer to the subframe than normal, the only "slicing" you have to do is to relocate the shifter hole. In a finished car with a full interior and a mass loading sound insulator, though, even that can be a PITA.

[Vegas69]

Yep Mike, I have half height bushings, second skin mat, and heat wave pro.

[chr2002ca]

Isn't the T-56 Magnum rated to 700 lb-ft of torque versus the RS600 which is rated at 600? For those out there pushing over 650 lb-ft, wouldn't you be a little more nervous about the RS600? I know 'ratings' are just 'ratings', but even so, it's something to consider. Real world usage over time is a better rating for sure. The RS600 is indeed very intriguing though.

[KEISLER]

It's called advertising...

But buy one up tell us how it is..To me its all Skunk Works type crap right now

Strtlegal,
It's is good to be conservative and a bit of a skeptic - especially in an aftermarket full of snake-oil products sold by aggressive salesman with their hand out.

The fact is that we've been selling this transmission in the RS400/500 form as the T45RS since 2007. We have a lot - hundreds - of units out there, albeit a relatively small amount compared to the 13,000 manual trannys we sold so far. Still, these are no skunkworks products. I save that stuff for my cars!

[KEISLER]

Well what should make someone pick one over the other right now, from the looks of it the rs 400 rs 500 rs 600 are the better looking /sounding(from the small amount of info out there) performing transmission right now, also they are offering a trade in deal for your old tko ,Stick in the mud lol j/k

Thanks for starting a good discussion. Here is the main difference, and consideration points:
1. RS600 - single overdrive, multi-cone carbon friction synchros (same as T56 Viper, etc), compact packaging for muscle car, based on a performance manual transmission design (T-45, 1996-2001) by the best transmission company in North America - Borg Warner; unbeatible price compared with any comparable overdrive 5 or 6-speed on the market. The RS utilizes our experience in designing drivetrain solutions for muscle car and classics, to provide a far better solution for modern transmission swap than we've ever had. The shift quality is on par or better with any T56 on the street today, including the TR6060/Magnum. We provide a 3 year blanket warranty - 2 year activation period plus 1 year product warranty. If failure is caused by our workmanship or material defect, we are going to fix it. And like any good distributor, the work is performed in house by trained techs, then run on testing machines to verify performance (shift quality at high rpm, noise, vibration, bearing temps, etc).
[Note: Borg Warner has moved on to next generation of manual transmission design merged with automatic transmission design - the Dual Clutch transmissions - in high volume world-wide. Their latest designs are found in Audi, Buggatti Veron 1.4 supercar and many others. Look for a DCT in the next generation Corvette.]

2. T56/Magnum/TR6060 - a double overdrive transmission meaning 2 overdrives are available. Then you should ask yourself for what?? The main reason people go after a 6-speed for a) better shifting transmission than the TKO, b) cool factor, c) road race 5th gear so that you are more competitve on the track at VERY high speeds. I think very few people need c), and more like b), but the best reason has been a). Knowing that, refer back to the RS above and you will see why this is a good solution. The T56 was originally designed to be the GM 1/2ton 5-speed called T55. It was used by Dodge, then GM, as a pass car transmission but retains its truck size. That is why it is so difficult to fit into classic cars.

For the price of a bare T56 Magnum and shipping, you can get a complete RS600 kit.

Watch Chop Cut Rebuild every weekend on SPEED and see what we are doing to move the market forward.

[strtlegal]

Strtlegal,
It's is good to be conservative and a bit of a skeptic - especially in an aftermarket full of snake-oil products sold by aggressive salesman with their hand out.

The fact is that we've been selling this transmission in the RS400/500 form as the T45RS since 2007. We have a lot - hundreds - of units out there, albeit a relatively small amount compared to the 13,000 manual trannys we sold so far. Still, these are no skunkworks products. I save that stuff for my cars!

Ha,

Dont take it the wrong way. I was just replying to someone that mentioned "it was looking to be a better trans" He is in the same boat we are all in. You guys know more then I ever will about transmissions but at the same time I am a consumer that kind of got nailed once but buying these TKO's that in my opinion should have never been put behind a motor that spins higher then 6,500 rpm.. Imho I think someone should have stopped advertising the amount of HP they were capable of and more so the RPM's they can shift at.


As for the Skunk works. to me they are still in the very early stages, no matter what it's based off of. It's still a very new product that has kind of an under ground vibe to it. Once they have more public feed back it will be alot different.

If this would have been released back in October I might have tried one out, but after reading about Mcleod's epic failed attempt at making an option to the TKO I stopped looking.

Good luck

[The WidowMaker]

If this would have been released back in October I might have tried one out, but after reading about Mcleod's epic failed attempt at making an option to the TKO I stopped looking

when i was at mcleod a month ago i was told nothing about a failure. they were in the process of swapping the newest tranny with a revised gear set into their test car that i saw sitting on the rack. they want to get a few things ironed out, but i wouldnt call that a failure. i may have been misled or missed something since though.

[strtlegal]

Meaning they Epicly failed at releasing them. Ha sorry...

[Vegas69]

That's a smart thing to do. Release a product that works and is thoroughly tested. What a novel idea. haha

[CarlC]

In today's world of instant internet and gratification, we sometimes forget that there are real-world realities that need to be dealt with on a human level. If something goes wrong with the development process of any product that is a good thing for the consumer. To hold any company's feet to the fire for needing to re-do a design to make the product right does not, IMO, make the pushing out of a release date an epic fail. It's reality.

[strtlegal]

I think the internet can cause most of the issues. Although they promoted this thing at Sema '09..I think was a a wee bit to early. No wrong doing in correcting an issue before it touches the consumer hands but I think alot of these vendors try to bite off more then they can chew. If it was brougt to Sema to see what the reviews were then so be it, but to announce this so long ago and still not have it on the market is a total buzz kill.

But agreed Carl