I am looking at the new 350s and trying to choose a tranny. I tow alot of horses/cattle etc and have always had a manual. I drove a friends auto with a superchip and the rig pulled like crazy. Does anybody have any input and does in increased torque with the chip decrease tranny life? Thanks

 

Yes it does.

 

Casey, are you sure? I thought I read that with the shifting points modified (ie quicker shifts) there is less slippage between the clutch plates thereby reduceing wear. I'm not sure myself, but I figured if there was anymore wear it would be insignificant over the life of the truck.

 

I pull a small trailer with a fair amount of weight and I'm not sure that I'd be satisied with an auto. I like the choice of which gear I'm in, shifting points etc. Maybe I'd like the auto but I drove trucks with a LOT of weight for too long.....

Guess I still like the six-speed. steveinor, flip a coin, you'll be happy with either!

 

With a chip (module really) like the Edge, some people have been seeing premature transmission failure because the module doesn't do anything to help the transmission deal with the higher output of the motor.

The tuners like the Superchips Microtuner (SCMT), Predator, and SCT all modify the transmission tuning to work better with the modified engine performance profile.

From what I've been reading, with a tuner like the SCMT, the Torqshift handles the increased power better than the 6-speed. Many people have reported that the clutch starts slipping on the manual when the motor output is increased in the higher performance tunes.

Beyond that all I can say is that I have driven my truck with the SCMT set to the High Performance tune on a daily basis for over a year except when pulling my trailer (10,000 lb toy hauler), then I load the Tow Safe tune. I've not had any problems, tranny or otherwise.

 

I have seen on other threads that some are having clutch problems with the extra HP from the chips.

 

2004 f-350 6.0 auto crewcab Fx4 Lariat.

I always drove manual transmission trucks,
1959 f-100 6 cyl, 2wd manual
1972 f-250 351? 2wd manual
1976 f250 360 & 390 4x4 manual, father-in-law owns it with close to 200,000
Freightliner towing heavy equipment flatbead & box trailers
1990 f250 7.3L 4x4 manual, 230,000 miles and original clutch
2001 f350 7.3L 4x4 manual, 48,000 miles (36,000 spent as lemon)
2004 f350 6.0 Fx4 automatic, 28,000 miles (16,000 spent as lemon) this truck was perfect when I bought it but FMC flashed it at 12,000 miles and totally screw it up.
My suggestion is if you don't mind clutch shifting I would stay with it. I have seen too many problems with the long arm of the computer and how it affects the torqueshift. Mine has had quite a few unexpected highspeed downshifts "Drive" to 2nd and 3rd at 40 to 60 mph. That will scare the crap out of you when you have a trailer full of horses behind you. When the trailer starts whipping and then the horses start whipping to keep up with the trailer, well the big crash site is just ahead of you, you just haven't gotten there yet. FMC is waiting for the big crash I guess. So far those engineers have not figured out how to program the heated seat to shock your butt and make you shift the manual transmission----at least not yet.

 

I do haul a decent amount often with my truck whether its livestock or a backhoe, or just the other day my brother's Chevy. My TS has been awesome. I can pull at any speed and feel comfortable. I do wish I had a 6sp at times but this TS is awesome. I have a little added power to my truck and it passes everything on the road. The fuel milage could be better but I'd have to slow down for that to happen.

 

I have a 05' 350 with a 6-speed. With the edge on 5/5 (highest setting) the clutch does slip, but mainly in 4th and 5th gear. I have seen some postings where people have used the single mass fly wheel and pressure plate from an F-550 in conjunction with an upgraded clutch to compensate for this.
I would recommend to first decide the level of mods that you plan on adding to the truck. If you do not plan on pulling with a high performance program on, than either choice would be a good choice. There will be ups and downs to both, as I’m sure you already know. I am pleased with the 6-speed and in time do believe it will be capable of handling the power I throw at it without the slippage.

 

You're welcome to believe whatever you like. I wrote what I believe.

What you read sounds like what a salesman would say to sell his product. It has no basis in fact, but it sure sounds good to someone that wants more power with no downside.