Ats Or Suncoast

[duning chevy]

Hey all, I am pretty well commited to getting a new trans for my truck, the current stocker is getting pretty darn weak, and I think its about to give up soon. The truck is an 03 with 75K on it, towing about 20% of the time with a 15000+ lb trailer behind it. I've decided to just go for the big upgrade once, instead of baby steps, so my question is, what is the difference between the ats and suncoast stuff? JK has a suncoast Level V for 3250, which I dont think has a converter which brings the total to about 4550. The ATS is 5300 or something like that. What is the difference, and what is in the 'extreme' ats that makes it 7K+? I think if i remember right, everyone here likes the suncoast better? Why?

Thanks guys
Zack

[Kennedy]

That's a tough one, but basically, I prefer the Suncoast for the guy looking for daily driver manners. The Copilot can be a bit wishy-washy and many turn it off for daily driving. The new Copilot is said to be much better though.

I still have an ATS Extreme trans sitting here and waiting to go into my 2002 as soon as I can get the new Copilot and 5 Star converter.

[duning chevy]

So, if I am looking for the best road manners then I should go with the suncoast? That sounds great to me, save me a little money LOL. If that is the case, that's probably what I will do because I am not going to be competitively drag racing or anything like that. Was I right in assuming that the stage V full tranny doesn't come with a converter?

Thanks again

Zack

[dmaxalliTech]

The SC Stage V does not include the converter, you are correct. Add between 1295 and 1495 to a stage V for the converter depending on your choice. The new 1057-3d converter has a great "feel" to it for everyday driving and proves to be very responsive. The new 5 star from ATS also is an improvement over the previous offerings from ATS.

The price difference you mention is mostly in the co-pilot with the ATS. Take that out and your dealing with the same $$'s pretty much. Like JK said, most prefer the SC for its tame manners in street use, but its ability to quickly be ready for those hard blasts.

The ATS Extreme trans has some little tricks in it that ATS lists as "proprietary components" I dont know how much they are doing in them just yet, but driving them on the street, they feel fairly close to whats current. Not sure if I could justify the 7g's though for a street trans.

If your looking for a one time and out solution, dont skimp like you mentioned you wanted to avoid. A warranty can be had if you choose to go with a complete built unit from either manufacturer. If your close to a competant builder, you can save a bit of money and do it in "kit" form as well.