Cobra Valley Ultra-Shift

[Supercobra]

I am thinking of ordering this fluid for my TKO600. The transmission is very notchy and hard to shift. Looking for feedback from anyone that has tried it in their stock TKO transmissions. It is pretty expensive (around $100 with shipping) so I would like to hear people's experience.
Here is the website: Cobra Valley's Chemicals - Ultra-Shift Transmission Lubricant

Thanks,
Paul

[Jim Vander Wal]

I know many owners, usually Superformance guys, that like it. FYI, RT is a friend.

I ran it maybe 12 years ago but have also run GM Dexron, Royal Purple SynchroMax, and RedLine MTL. If I keep the TKO-600 I'll continue with MTL.

Now another thought, just my opinion and many don't agree with me - it's going to take more than some fancy goo to make a TKO-600 shift nice.

Jim

[jhv48]

What he said. It’s the nature of the beast. If you want smooth shifting, removal and blueprinting is in order.

[Jim Vander Wal]

Did that too, one of the well known shops went thru mine. Better I suppose but still not great.

Close as I can tell if you you want smooth shifting the change is to the T56. That's my plan.

But, and this should be understood, I'm probably, well most likely, biased. That and my TKO-600 is an August 2004 version. They probably started making improvements right after that.

Jim

[Alfa02]

I posted this on hauss broken shifting fork forum. I spoke at length with a Tremec dealer (gearstogo ask for Brent), just a month ago about maybe blueprinting mine. His answer Carbon Fiber shifting forks, as he said NO gear oil will fix the issues, and all oil's are about the same.

[Kit Coyle]

I have a TKO in my ERA and it shifts nicely. Maybe it is because I have
almost 18,000 miles on it and, even at that, I bet it is barely broken in. These
Tremecs are basically rugged truck type transmissions and I would guess
they would be silky smooth with 50,000 or more miles on them. If I'm right
it doesn't really solve problems in our extremely low mileage Cobras.

[PHMCobra]

I have a T56, 6-speed manual tranny in my Backdraft Cobra transferring 551 HP to my rear wheels. Shifting in all gears is so smooth. Great tranny--might weigh a bit more than the 5-speed trannies, but fits well and drives nice, especially with the 6-th speed on highway driving.

[hauss]

Just thought I would share my experience with the tko 600 .Shifting was on par with most v8 manual cars. Not great but not bad either.I broke the 5th and reverse gear rail on mine and can not understand why? Other than a design flaw, with the finger and roll pin removing to much material from the rail?I called them just to see if they would provide me with some parts to fix the one I had.They gave me a pat on the head and told me to have a nice day so I did.Looking on the net for anything I could find and I found it on a mustang forum they are trying to get a class action law suite against tremec. In all honesty I think the tko is a good transmission with lousy management For less than $75.00 worth of parts they would have had at least one happy customer.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by hauss

Just thought I would share my experience with the tko 600 .Shifting was on par with most v8 manual cars. Not great but not bad either.I broke the 5th and reverse gear rail on mine and can not understand why? Other than a design flaw, with the finger and roll pin removing to much material from the rail?I called them just to see if they would provide me with some parts to fix the one I had.They gave me a pat on the head and told me to have a nice day so I did.Looking on the net for anything I could find and I found it on a mustang forum they are trying to get a class action law suite against tremec. In all honesty I think the tko is a good transmission with lousy management For less than $75.00 worth of parts they would have had at least one happy customer.

OK, but when are you buying your NEXT Tremec? Realistically most buyers are a "one time purchaser" and what other choices do you have for a transmission for a car like these? Sure you can do a Top Loader 4 speed (wait, Ford doesn't make those anymore) or? So if they choose not to be liberal with the "warranty" they likely have not lost any customers. Welcome to Corporate 101.

[spdbrake]

I'm sure the majority of folks doing a real build will be out of warranty way before their car is completed.

"All TREMEC transmissions come with a 12 month / 12,000 miles warranty from the original date of purchase. Claims relating to damage incurred while racing, or under similar abusive conditions, will not be covered by the warranty."

[hauss]

The trany only has 4000 miles it came with the car . Corporate 101 be dammed! I felt they should have stood by their product better . Maybe even look into the rail problem . I do not do reverse, or 5th gear burnouts, that is the rail that cracked in half. Also their are other options like richmond that make tranys, so tremec is not the only one. It is just the only one right now for me.I am not saying it is a bad transmission it just has a problem and they do not want to admit it, hence the class action law suite on its way.look up goggle tko 600 problems and you will see what I am talking about

[Dwight]

Cobra Valley Ultra-Shift I've used it and it does not work!

Call Liberty Gears or some of the other companies that do street / strip upgrade work on TKO 500 & 600s.

Most (not all) TKO shift notchy and rough. I put 10,000 on mine and it did not shift much better than the first day.
I contacted Liberty Gears ( about 4 years ago ) and they gave me a list of parts to remove from my 600. I shipped them to Liberty and they modified the parts. Shipped them back and I installed them.
Hugh difference, I could not miss a gear. I could speed shift, not use the clutch, not miss a gear. It was fantastic. ALL TKO should be shipped from the factory like that.
I think I paid $360 plus a little shipping. Big bargain.

[Sawdust]

All I can say is it works great! I used to have issues shifting especially 3rd and reverse. I drained the trans and filled it with Cobra Valley Ultra Shift and it made a huge difference. No more notch or rough shifting. I have a TKO600 trans. I know it's critical to fill them up to the proper level 1/2" below the opening if I remember correctly. Maybe that's part of the problem? Ultra Shift is all I'll use.

[gary osborne]

The Ultra Shift works great. My notchy hard shifter is now like butter. Two key things to remember. 1) Fill to the proper level. Too much or too little will not work properly. 2) allow about 500 miles for full break-in of the oil. You will feel a difference right away but it will keep getting better every time you drive your car. I know dozens of guys (all of us had the same issues with our Tremec) and every single one of them would use nothing else now other than Ultra Shift. It is not cheap but you get what you pay for. Anyone who says all oils are the same does not understand oils and the various ingredients and properties of each. I am NOT saying other oils are bad nor am I saying that Ultra Shift is the only good product. It simply seems to be the only good product for our trannies in the way that we use them for the purpose of smoother shifting. If you are unsure, call Cobra Valley directly. The owner can explain the properties of the oil, why it works and how it was made, better than anyone here can. He can also share what testing was done.

[craigayl]

I've been using UltraShift since it was first developed and would use no other. When I first got my car on the road in 2002, shifting was my number one headache. I used many other fluids, but none allowed the Syncros to perform like UltraShift.

Now that said, there are many MANY things that can cause a Tremec to shift poorly, UltraShift will not magically cure all, but when it comes to making the Syncros perform, there is nothing better. I have put UltraShift in many other Cobras and have never had anything other than positive feedback.

Other things to consider;
- Early Tremecs had a POS aluminum 1-2 Shift fork. Replace it with steel
- Make sure your Bellhousing is properly aligned/dialed in.
- Pro5 Makes a much better shifter.
- 11" or 12" clutches are bad for shifting. Smaller is better
- Worn Syncros/Blocking rings must be replaced.
- Improper clutch disengagement can cause a ton of problems.

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by Dwight

Cobra Valley Ultra-Shift I've used it and it does not work!

Call Liberty Gears or some of the other companies that do street / strip upgrade work on TKO 500 & 600s.

Most (not all) TKO shift notchy and rough. I put 10,000 on mine and it did not shift much better than the first day.
I contacted Liberty Gears ( about 4 years ago ) and they gave me a list of parts to remove from my 600. I shipped them to Liberty and they modified the parts. Shipped them back and I installed them.
Hugh difference, I could not miss a gear. I could speed shift, not use the clutch, not miss a gear. It was fantastic. ALL TKO should be shipped from the factory like that.
I think I paid $360 plus a little shipping. Big bargain.

Dwight is spot on!

I bought the Liberty upgrade kit and installed it myself eight or so years ago. Similar pricing. If I remember correctly it included carbon fiber synchronizers, new shift rails with a modified timing and interlock system, new countershaft front support bearing assembly (required some machine work on the case) and probably some other items I have forgotten over the years.

The TKO transmission family has two significant impediments to good shifting, one is its large diameter gears with old fashioned brass synchronizers. The big gears are good for strength but bad for quick, smooth shifting especially with five decade old brass synchronizers.

The second problem they have is an abominable shift rail timing and interlock system. Without trying to be pejorative, the stuff was likely based on or sourced from their truck line of transmissions. The poor shifting manners are equally attributable to the shift rails and interlocks as well as the brass synchronizers and large gears. The why question while interesting, is not particularly relevant. The answer and $5 will buy you a coffee at Starbucks.

I have attempted to explain this phrnomena multiple times over the years. It is all but impossible. Consider how you might explain the color blue to someone who has been blind from birth. It is impossible! He has never seen blue or any other color for that matter and has no frame of reference to help him appreciate the color.

Explaining the Liberty TKO upgrade package to someone who has never driven a car with one of the modified transmissions is very similar to trying to explain that color blue to the man who has been blind from birth. The TKO owner's only frame of reference is his bad mannered TKO.

While superior lubricants can mask parts of the design shortcomings, they can not correct a design shortcomiing. The lubricants are certainly less expensive than addressing the transmission's shortcomings but they are no substitute for correcting the mechanical design issues.

If you want T-56 quality shifts you need to get a T-56. Even a modified TKO will not shift like a T-56 with its double and triple cone synchronizers — the two different transmission designs are separated by two, possibly more design generations.


Ed

[hauss]

I have found with my transmision the tko 600 the only time I had a problem,was when the slave cylinder gave out . Shifting was never a issue for me. The 5th and reverse gear rail broke in two, causing it to be stuck in 5th gear.Hope this never happens again after I fix it. Tremec will not send parts to fix, so you are on your own, at least in my case.

[Supercobra]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am going to try the Ultra-Shift first, since it is easy to do and some people have given it good reviews. If that doesn't help, it looks like I will be going the Liberty upgrade route. I really don't want to tear into my trans now, since driving season is just beginning. Maybe a job for over the winter.