Low Gear Band Apply

[nivvy]

Do you really need the low gear band apply going from 2nd down to 1st my cheetah doesnt have it....
Is it more like an over rev safety protection thing!

[tactransman]

You need low band apply going up from first to second. It protects the low roller clutch and prevents the output shaft (drive shaft) from turning faster than the power that is being put through the transmission,which can then roll over the roller clutch. In a non low band apply VB,the take off is all on the sprag by itself.With a low band apply,the take off is on the band mostly which has alot more holding power than the sprag.

[nivvy]

I did have a bolt in sprag put in ...however when i downshift the cheetah from 2 to 1 it takes like a neutral affect and revs to like 4500rpm for me to move the car gain when hitting the gas.... I have to be at almost stopped to put it into 1 to take off fully from the start... make sense.........

[tactransman]

That is normal for a Cheetah VB. If it didn't do the neutral thing, it would do the engine braking thing where it holds back the car with engine compression (it might even scoot the rear tires to a stop)  You don't want to put a manual VB back to low coming to a stop till you are almost stopped any way.

 Did I explain that good enough?

[nivvy]

So why do normal cars have a low gear band apply....pretty much cause they dont have a manual valve body in them?

[tactransman]

Low gear element apply (some other transmissions like a 350 turbo use a clutch pack instead of a band) is normal for OEM transmissions. I assume that it is so the have engine braking,especially when used in trucks. Some early torqueflites did not have the feature. (1960's models) On a stock vehicle when you are coming up to a stop sign and you pull the shifter down in manual low and the engine revs up and you feel the vehicle slow down,that is the extra element (band or clutch) coming on. It is on when you take off in manual low from a stop,you just can't feel it.