Hey guys. I wanted to see if those who have done the T56 swap from an A4 could chime in with their thoughts on the swap to date, would you advise against it, would you do it again, what you like, what you don't like, etc.

The main questions I have for guys that have done the swap are:
1) Do you have regrets? If so what are they?
2) If you could do it again would you? If so what would you do differently?
3) How has the reliability been for those that DD their truck?
4) How many DD miles before you have had to replace the clutch?
5) Has anyone towed with it? If so how did it handle it?

I am sure some of these questions can be answered in the official swap thread but it is so dang long, I got through about the first 20 pages and couldn't read anymore. Thanks in advance to anyone that takes the time to chime in.

 

I loved the T56 swap and had it in my DD. It handled that and about a year of being turbo'd. One downside I struggled with is the tuning. I could never get it to run quite right, like a manual should. It's probably because I'm a lousy tuner in this regard. I think if I had wired the clutch switch into the PCM then I could have been able to utilize more of the tables in EFILive to fine tune the driveability.

I used a Spec 3+ clutch and it worked well but was probably overkill, and not terribly street friendly. I probably would go with a twin disk next time.

 

Awesome, thanks for the insight! I am at the crossroads of 4l80 or T56. I know what everyone will say for a track oriented truck but wondering more for a DD that occasionally goes to the track less than 5 times per year.

 

i ran the T56 mod for yrs ive probably spent more then most

i destroyed a Liberty proshifted T56 behind a NA 408 completely destroyed 3rd gear...this trans had straight cut gears

i then went D&D viper spec T56, i hurt this trans with the stock master cylinder and using a RAM clutch behind the NA 408

i then went turbo 4.8 with a 88mm, i killed the clutch roll racing around 750 rwhp
stock master was a joke


i then went spec twin disk, TICK performance master cylinder for a C5 vette behind a twin turbo 5.3
i went thru and rebuilt the T56 myself using upgraded parts for the 1000 rwtq rated D&D t56

i broke 3 ******* clutch pedals, i split my firewall from the new clutch setup

i eventually killed that clutch at 18 psi and around 800 rwhp

tore trans apart and saw it had some good wear on the sliders and the friction pads inside it


all in all.... the T56 is a fun swap for a mild truck but when you get into trying to go fast its the worst investment i ever made

i had over 12,000$ invested in trannys, clutches, pedals, master cylinders, clutch lines, slaves, driveshaft and crossmember only to end up in pure headaches


i could of had the baddest rossler th400 or baddest rossler 4l80e and top of line converter and still had money to play with for the amount of money i spent between 2007 thru 2012 on the T56 swap

 

George, thanks so much for your insight. This brings up another point that I wanted to ask about......how much power will the stock transmission hold with an upgraded clutch? Seems if I have to start upgrading internals the cost outweighs the benefits and I may as well go 4l80e as you found out. I'm looking to make 600ish hp to the ground when it is all said and done. Thanks again!

 

T56 stock form is rated 400 torque at 3600lbs

Now think about that and weight of truck

My viper spec was at the time 3500$
My liberty t56 at the time was 3000$


You'll need to size a clutch for more power then you make to aid in the added weight...so 600rwhp goal you best look for 800-1000hp clutch

Now factor the stock master was neve designed for a performance clutch ...I went thru 3 of those prior to going tick master

 

George, I really appreciate your help. Sounds like the T56 swap would be best saved for an s10 or the like rather than a full size pickup. I don't imagine a 1000hp clutch would be very fun to daily drive so I think you have helped me make my decision. I read countless threads about swaps and how they liked it over the A4 but believe it or not this is the first time I have heard of them having issues at higher hp levels. I had always assumed, ignorantly of course, that they were stronger than the autos.

Once again I appreciate your help and insight very much!

 

It was fun to drive when I tried a ls7 clutch but race clutches sucked

The last straw that broke this camels back was how it split the firewall from the master hole to the brake booster hole......and when I used the Tick master my firewall had 1/8" plate on each side of it to sandwich the stock firewall for strength.
Last clutch I had was very and mean very stiff and I broke 2 pedals alone with that plastic clutch pedal

One broke while I was on a pass that would of got me 10s...went for 3rd gear and pedal snapped in half


Would I do a t56 again? Yes in a bolt on low mid 400 rwhp truck with a ls7 clutch but it wouldn't be for racing

 

Overall its sweet. But I used a z06 master, so a custom mount was needed, I also reinforced my Pedal, Check out my thread. If your running any power, or a high perf clutch I wouldnt suggest reinforcement. Lots of guys break the pedals cause its all plastic


Would also rec a z06 master. It mores work, but Its fully adjustable. Get a braided clutch line from Speedworks Auto and your good.

Its a very expensive swap if you do it right. Im probably 7-8 Grand into my setup, but its all new everything. No junk yard parts.

 

Should be said my truck probably makes mid to low 400rwhp as it setup. But im in the midst of doing a D1sc procharger, so the HP should jump