First off, let me state right up front that I never intended a pissing contest. I don't think you took my comment that way, but I just want to make sure you knew that that wasn't my intention. I truly was curious as to your theories and conclusions.
I have been building GM transmissions for 24(ish) years in various "venues" (dealership, independent and now run my own shop) and I have wrestled with the concept of the load release springs at times over the years. I understand their intended purpose and, honestly, like the way that they hold the apply and backing plates apart, especially when running a 7 disc stack at .025-.030".
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the smartest guy on earth and there are no degrees hanging on my office wall, but I have always been a conceptual thinker and am always trying to answer not only the question "how", but also the question of "why"... I tend to take pieces of information from different sources (HydraMatic, ATSG, GM field engineers, etc.) and run them through my "filter" and figure out the how's and why's and come to my own conclusions. I remember when ATSG came out against the load release springs, but I never could reason out "why". My thinking was that when you compare a stock 4L60E return spring set combined with a set of load release springs, the overall spring rate is still quite a bit lighter than, say, a set of Transgo 3-4 return springs (which I'm not a big fan of, BTW). I like to deal with centrifugal apply in a different way, but if Gil Younger was OK with that much return spring, it must not be much of an issue. I came to the conclusion that the load release springs are a fairly light spring set and add little to the overall return spring rate, yet add the benefit of keeping the apply and backing plates apart when released, so I use them and have had good success with using them.
I build, on average, about 200 4L80E, 4L60E and 700R4 transmissions a year, most in either high performance or heavy duty applications. Thankfully, I have managed to keep my warranty rate down to basically zero. With the rare exception, they leave and don't come back. While not at all intending to sound arrogant, I don't run into many people that have as much experience with them as I do... LOL... But, one thing that I have ALWAYS held to is that there's ALWAYS something to be learned. ALWAYS!! It is obvious that you've been through the wars with these things over the years, not just in theory, but in actual practice, so I'm "all ears" as to your 3-4 clutch theories...!!
I have been building GM transmissions for 24(ish) years in various "venues" (dealership, independent and now run my own shop) and I have wrestled with the concept of the load release springs at times over the years. I understand their intended purpose and, honestly, like the way that they hold the apply and backing plates apart, especially when running a 7 disc stack at .025-.030".
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the smartest guy on earth and there are no degrees hanging on my office wall, but I have always been a conceptual thinker and am always trying to answer not only the question "how", but also the question of "why"... I tend to take pieces of information from different sources (HydraMatic, ATSG, GM field engineers, etc.) and run them through my "filter" and figure out the how's and why's and come to my own conclusions. I remember when ATSG came out against the load release springs, but I never could reason out "why". My thinking was that when you compare a stock 4L60E return spring set combined with a set of load release springs, the overall spring rate is still quite a bit lighter than, say, a set of Transgo 3-4 return springs (which I'm not a big fan of, BTW). I like to deal with centrifugal apply in a different way, but if Gil Younger was OK with that much return spring, it must not be much of an issue. I came to the conclusion that the load release springs are a fairly light spring set and add little to the overall return spring rate, yet add the benefit of keeping the apply and backing plates apart when released, so I use them and have had good success with using them.
I build, on average, about 200 4L80E, 4L60E and 700R4 transmissions a year, most in either high performance or heavy duty applications. Thankfully, I have managed to keep my warranty rate down to basically zero. With the rare exception, they leave and don't come back. While not at all intending to sound arrogant, I don't run into many people that have as much experience with them as I do... LOL... But, one thing that I have ALWAYS held to is that there's ALWAYS something to be learned. ALWAYS!! It is obvious that you've been through the wars with these things over the years, not just in theory, but in actual practice, so I'm "all ears" as to your 3-4 clutch theories...!!
