As the innovator of added clutches to a locking torque converter, ATS Diesel has conquered transmission performance for every domestic light-duty diesel truck. We had ATS show us what's up with its tranny mods. It's a good thing too, since we found the company's newly released converter, the Five Star, to be an incredible asset to the performance consumer. The ATS Five Star increases transmission efficiency, providing more power to the wheels and better fuel economy. When we asked Clint Cannon, the owner of ATS, how it worked, his reply was, "How does the Positrac in a Plymouth work?" After we laughed over Joe Dirt movie quotes for an hour, he explained that the clutch drive in the transmission is controlled by the converter. The Five Star torque converter increases the viscous clutch drive's efficiency to the point that it transfers power, instead of robbing it-therefore, the transmission's torque multiplication is maximized."
ATS' tranny upgrades are just as well engineered as the patented two-piece, billet steel, square-tab-constructed, Five Star converter. "It takes more than just adding clutches to build a performance tranny," says Clint. "Our clutch mods are held to a greater tolerance than the stock unit." When we asked Clint how he keeps a tighter tolerance than stock, his reply was, "With a laser beam," and another hour was spent laughing over stupid movie bits. "We use a laser to cut the clutch material and plates to ensure the thickness and fitment of the materials are precise and consistent." The precision fitment of the ATS components equalizes the pressure of a transmission's clutch pack's engagement or disengagement. This helps to supply a smooth shift, reduced clutch wear, and provide predictable performance results. Plus, the addition of added clutch surface area, using ATS' clutch material, provides superior traction to help eliminate unwanted slip
It doesn't matter if your truck is bone-stock or not, putting ATS' tranny mods in your automatic will make the tranny last longer and pay you back in mileage and wear. How can you afford to go without it? Here's a close look at what's in the Allison and what ATS improves with its mods.
1. Clint Cannon has been in...
1. Clint Cannon has been in the automotive industry for 25 years. He saw a need for a better-designed torque converter, when the locking converter came to market in 1991. Since then, he has been developing performance components for the diesel market. Clint's tenacity to provide cutting-edge performance has developed an efficient way to test all of ATS' products, such as this 600hp Cummins engine used to power ATS' tranny dyno. Oh, did we mention it runs on the used oil and tranny fluids drained from vehicles in ATS' 12-bay shop? Now that's recycling.
2. Clint also has developed...
2. Clint also has developed his own patent-pending clutch material that is cut in-house with this laser beam.
3. Here, you can see the C1...
3. Here, you can see the C1 stock clutch pack next to ATS' unit. The stock clutch is constructed of six double-sided disc plates. These plates are slotted to allow transmission fluid to circulate through the clutch pack, providing lubrication. ATS' C1 consists of 16 single-sided clutch plates. The ATS plates are not slotted like the stock plates, providing increased surface area. Lubrication and fluid flow is redirected through provisional notches cut into the inner area of the metal to allow the fluid to circulate.