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Power Train

• Shifty Business

  A quick way to improve your car's acceleration without modifying your engine is to add a shift kit to your automatic transmission. This upgrade makes for a crisper, more precise response when... Read More

• Changing Your Speedo Gear

  Improving the overall performance of your favorite ride by changing rear-end gears is common, but it's not the only gear change required. Inside the tail housing of your manual or automatic... Read More

• Swapping Rear-End Gears

  In early September 1964, a southern Californian who loved the styling of the new 1965 GTO checked all the right boxes on the dealer order form except one: the rear gearing. This musclecar was... Read More

• Upgrading Torque Converters

  If your vehicle is pre-'90s and has an automatic transmission, chances are it could really benefit from a modern performance torque converter. In its quest for more efficiency and performance, the... Read More

• Differential Gears: The Optimum Choice

  Everyone who tinkers with cars knows the phrase "higher numerically, but lower" when referring to ring-and-pinion axle gears. But what does this really mean?... Read More

• Transmission Coolers

  The cooler your automatic transmission runs, the longer it'll last. Car manufacturers know this. To dissipate heat from the automatic transmission fluid (ATF), they route transmission lines through a... Read More

• Shift Enhancements for Your Automatic

  The term "slushbox" was coined to describe the less-than-optimum shift characteristics of factory automatic transmission. All major manufacturers between the '50s and '70s offered mushy-shifting two-... Read More

• Performance Torque Converter Install

  Many car enthusiasts believe that the path to better performance is through engine modifications. The problem is that engine modifications often don't work out exactly as you hope. Modifying a daily... Read More

• Hydraulic Hybrid System

  The Environmental Protection Agency is testing a cheaper, simpler hybrid technology it hopes can greatly increase the mpg of American vehicles. The agency has 20 patents on the system and has already... Read More

• How Continuously Variable Transmissions Work

  First there were manual gearboxes, then automatic transmissions. Now here comes the latest—the CVT.... Read More

• Drivetrains Explained

  Just about every vehicular drive system imaginable is currently in production—each touted by its manufacturer as the obviously superior choice for you. With conflicting claims and confusing... Read More

• Replacing Axle Seals

  As much as you try to ignore it, that pesky spot of oil on the driveway isn't getting any smaller. Sure, you can put a tray of some sort under the car, use cat litter, or some type of space age... Read More

• Torque Converters and Fluid Dynamics

  While not at all new technology, the automatic transmission is the stuff of miracles. Step on the gas and engine energy is converted into forward motion, just like that. No clutch. No fuss. ... Read More

• Working the Swing Shift

  Is that manual transmission in your front-engine/rear-drive import requiring a lot more movement than you care to expend in order to select a gear? For instance, are you ramming your fist into the... Read More

• U-Joint Replacement

  If you're lucky enough to have the rear set or all of the wheels providing the motion to get your vehicle going then you may already know about u-joints. The u in u-joint stands for universal.... Read More

• What's the Difference?

  It's time to face facts. Every once in a while your rear end needs a little help. Whether you drive a rear-, front-, or all-wheel-drive vehicle the wheels spin by way of a differential. The gears... Read More

• Precision Sport Shifter Install

  To the driving enthusiast, there's simply nothing better than rowing through the gears on a standard transmission. Whether it's a heel-and-toe downshift into a corner or an up-shift after the apex,... Read More

• Automatic Reaction

  Like the human body, your vehicle runs on fluids: gas, engine oil, lubricants and the lesser-known transmission fluid. Without a sufficient supply of all the above, your vehicle can come to a... Read More

• Auto-Trans Rear Seal Replacement

  Automatic transmissions are one of the least self-serviceable components on a vehicle. The complexity of these transmission's internal parts requires specialized knowledge to rebuild them. However, a... Read More

• Behold Your Timing Belt

  Mechanics sometimes refer to the camshaft as the brain of your engine because it keeps all those pumping valvetrain parts working together so the air/fuel mixture enters and exits the cylinders on... Read More

• Automatic Transmission Service

  Vehicles' vital fluids normally perform two important functions: lubricating and cleaning. As the fluid circulates through the parts, it gathers the dirt and metal shavings that can accumulate over... Read More