Posted by Jason Locke on 12/20/2024 to
News
The Ford 10R80 transmission is, without a doubt, an engineering marvel that helps the 2017-2024 F150s and 2017-2024 Raptors really fly while managing pretty good fuel economy for a bunch of trucks with the aerodynamics of your average brick and weights of an elephant or two. As amazing as the engineering is on the 10R80s, out here in the real world, the 10R80s suffer from more than a few issues that give it a pretty bad reputation that's probably only somewhat deserved. Your average F150 or Raptor that's not seeing a ton of off-roading, towing, or power mods will likely not have an issue with their 10R80 transmissions (especially if they're up-to-date on their TSBs and recalls), but if you have a Raptor that's out there doing Raptor things or an F150 that's getting pushed hard, you may have some issues. The good news is that we here at Tier One have a few built 10R80 transmission options that give your F150 or Raptor the reliability and outright toughness that it truly deserves from its transmission. Check out the video below and follow our 10R80 builder, Cole, as he puts together one of our 2017-2024 F150 & Raptor Stage 2 10R80 Transmissions that can handle 750 crankshaft horsepower!
For further reliability, the valve body also receives Sonnax improved solenoid clips and springs to help prevent solenoid movement under load, which can cause strange shifting behavior and trouble codes. We also throw in a new OEM pump to further improve overall reliability and keep the transmission running strong at higher levels of power.
Tier One's 725 horsepower Stage 2 10R80 Transmission
Our Stage 2 10R80 built transmission is currently our highest power-rated 10R80 transmission build, though we are working on putting together a higher-tier 10R80 that will be able to handle more power so that you can reliably run big Whipple and other positive-displacement superchargers on the 5.0L F150s or 5.2L Raptors or big turbo builds on the EcoBoost F150s and Raptors. That being said, our Stage 2 10R80 is rated for 725 crankshaft horsepower, which gives it enough strength to handle a good amount of power from tuning, bolt-ons, turbo upgrades, and superchargers like Stage 1 Whipples, ProCharger P-1SC-1 or X units, and Stage 1 Roushchargers without letting you down. The Stage 2 10R80 transmission is also a great choice if you're below that 725 horsepower mark and towing heavy or really tearing up off-road with your truck. But what exactly makes the Tier One 10R80 transmission so special? We fix a lot of the common issues with the 10R80 while adding performance components that let you take your truck to the next level.Updated OEM 10R80 CDF Drum & Shell
The factory CDF drum and outer shell (affectionately known as the "trash can") are some of the most common points of failure on the 10R80s. The CDF drum holds the C, D, and F clutches and is responsible for a ton of the gear shifts in the 10R80. Being such a critical component, it would be a super-great idea to make sure it doesn't have any serious issues, but that would be too easy and make too much sense. Unfortunately, the CDF drum has a tendency to walk and mover laterally inside the case, which eventually leads to bushing failures and and the inability of the C, D, and F clutches to properly engage. One of the key improvements we make in the 10R80s is the installation of the updated Ford OEM CDF drum and outer shell. Ford's updated designs were part of a serious of TSBs and recalls aimed at fixing the 10R80s, though a ton of trucks never received the updated components. The new CDF drum and outer shell designs help prevent unwanted movement of the CDF drum itself, preserving the bushing and preventing an eventual clutch failure or shifting issue.Improving Oil Flow with a Drilled P3 Carrier
The stock 10R80 transmission suffers from a few oil flow issues, and while a lot of that has to do with the valve body not providing enough line pressure for the proper lubrication of everything, the P3 carrier gets uniquely bad oil flow which can cause the underlubrication of the P3 sun gear and planets, which can in-turn cause overheating, excessive wear, and an eventual failure. To help prevent all that from happening, we here at Tier One drill three small holes in the P3 carrier. These holes are small enough that they don't compromise the strength of the carrier or the gear assembly within, but big enough that they improve oil flow to the P3 assembly to help prevent failures caused by under-oiling and a lack of lubrication.Increasing Line Pressure & Oil Flow with a 10R80 Valve Body RatioTek Shift Kit
The stock valve body inside your 10R80 transmission does a fairly effective job at directing transmission fluid where it needs to go, but line pressures are only barely "good enough" for a positive clutch engagement and to get all the critical parts of your 10R80 transmission properly lubricated. Things get even more dicey when you add power, tow heavy, or off-road aggressively with your truck, since your adding both extra heat and stress into the mix. To help keep your truck's transmission running reliably under the stress of increased power levels and aggressive applications, Tier One modifies the stock valve body with a RatioTek shift kit that increases line pressure to critical circuits and helps improve clutch engagement. The RatioTek kit helps keep shifts fast, firm, and accurate on a transmission that often feels like it hesitates with its shifting at times. The improve clutch engagement along with the CDF drum and shell upgrades go a long way to fixing some of the most common 10R80 transmission issues that we see on the F150s and Raptors.Increased Clutch Count with GPZ Performance Clutches
The stock clutches throughout the various clutch packs inside the 10R80 may do their job just fine at stock power levels, but when you turn up the heat with more power, heavy towing, aggressive off-roading, or hard track use, they can struggle to handle the strain and start to slip. For our Stage 2 10R80 transmission, we here at Tier One install GPZ clutches with a more aggressive friction material than the OEM clutches, while also increasing the clutch count in some of the transmission's key clutch packs to improve engagement and power-holding. With GPZs clutches and an increased clutch count, your truck will get vastly improved power-holding, fast and firm shifting, and increased reliability at higher power levels than the factory clutches.Improving Power-Holding and Reliability with SunCoast's Pro-Loc Billet Torque Converter
The stock torque converter on the 10R80 isn't the worst thing in the world, but it is fairly small and doesn't have the best heat resistance or durability in the world. When you turn up the power on truck or start towing heavy, the stock torque converter can suffer from warping, cracking or burn-up. For our Stage 2 10R80 transmission, we chose the SunCoast Pro-Loc billet torque converter. The Pro-Loc converter features a CNC machined cover made out of 7075 billet steel that makes it far stronger than the stock torque converter. The Pro-Loc also features SunCoast's Zero-Drag Lockup technology that helps improve fluid flow over traditional torque converter designs. The turbine has a fixed clearance that improves consistency and allows for the use of full thrust bearings for improved reliability. Each Pro-Loc converter also comes standard with an XL Sprag assembly that can handle big-time power and torque without letting you or your truck down.Adding Fluid Capacity & Improving Cooling with a PPE Deep Transmission Pan
One of the final steps of our 10R80 Stage 2 Transmission builds is the installation of one of PPE's Raw Aluminum 10R80 transmission pans. We're huge fans of PPE's transmission pans, and we make sure to drop one onto each of our 10R80 builds. PPE's pans are made out of cast aluminum, which gives them greater strength than the stock pans while also dissipating heat more effectively. The PPE pan features increased fluid capacity and comes standard with large cooling fins that further improve cooling and keep transmission temperatures under control, even when your truck is under load. Most importantly, PPE's transmission pan comes with a built-in drain plug that makes fluid and filter changes a breeze. The drain plug features a huge hex head that makes it easy to remove without stripping it out.