Hanlon replaces Second, Third,...
Hanlon replaces Second, Third, and Fourth gear blocker rings with the friction-lined ones. Road racing transmissions will get Fifth gear as well. The Hanlon Motorsports friction-lined rings retail for $75 (each) and are available separately for the do-it-yourself crowd.
If the Tremec is destined for serious street/strip action, Hanlon can also build a hybrid Pro-shifted trans. Pro-shifting involves the removal of the engagement teeth and the installation of faceplate and dog-tooth rings to engage each gear. The slider is also machined to interface with the faceplate. This offers the ultimate in shifting, making missed shifts a thing of the past.
But Pro-shifting a transmission also makes it clunky on the street at part-throttle. Hanlon utilizes the Pro-shifting technique for just Third gear in street applications. That way you can skip shift and go from Second to Fourth to avoid the harshness of the Pro-shifted Third gear. Best of all, you can powershift Third with confidence, whether it's during a stoplight derby or at the track.
How to Properly Adjust Your Shifter Stops
Hanlon recommends Pro 5.0 shifters for Tremec transmissions due to their high quality, and most importantly, adjustable shifter stops. Adjustable shifter stops have been a source of debate and banter at the track, in garages, and on Internet forums, and Hanlon set us straight on the topic. "Tremec doesn't recommend using a shifter with stops because of the transmission's internal shifter stops. But (the company) never intended guys to shift these transmissions as hard as they do," he said. Hanlon went on to tell us that while the internal shift stops are good, they aren't designed to handle the quick and strong shifts (especially with long shifter handles for better leverage) performed during aggressive driving-like power-shifting.
Hanlon showed us the proper way to adjust the shifter stops, using a Pro 5.0 shifter with the company's long shifter handle. He likes the long handle for better leverage when throwing gears. According to Hanlon, the length of the handle will contribute to over-engaging the gears, and that can lead to broken and bent shift forks, as well as other internal carnage, over time. Using shifter stops helps prevent those problems.
Hanlon offers this advice: "I like to set the stops in Second and Third because those are the gears you're rowing the hardest. The stops will be set the same for Fourth and Second anyway. With the car at rest, I put the transmission in gear; then I run the adjustment screw/stop in to where it touches the shifter handle, and I mark its location. For an aggressive driver and a long handle, I recommend backing the screw off a half-turn; for a street guy, I go one full-turn. Then you should check the shifter in every gear to make sure each gear engages properly. The most common problem is Reverse not engaging fully. I feel the shift stops are necessary to prevent the shift fork pins from getting smashed, as well as damage to the shift rail/fork roll pin and shift forks. The stops have to be set correctly and locked down. Guys forget to tighten them and eventually the adjustment screws move."
Tremec Five-Speed Facts
| Model | Input Shaft | Output Shaft | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | TQ Rating |
| 3550 | 10-spline | 28-spline | 3.27 | 1.98 | 1.34 | 1.00 | 0.68 | 425 |
| TKO | 26-spline | 31-spline | 3.27 | 1.98 | 1.34 | 1.00 | 0.68 | 525 |
| TKO-500 | 26-spline | 31-spline | 3.27 | 1.97 | 1.34 | 1.00 | 0.68 | 500 |
| TKO-600* | 26-spline | 31-spline | 2.87 | 1.89 | 1.28 | 1.00 | 0.64 | 600 |
The stock bronze blocker rings...
The stock bronze blocker rings are replaced with Hanlon Motorsports friction-lined rings. It slows the gear down better, for a quicker and cleaner engagement. That promotes longevity and makes for smoother shifts.
*TKO-600 is available with an optional 0.82 overdrive gear for road racing applications.
Note: TKO-500 and TKO-600 come with several upgrades over the 3550 and TKO, such as steel shift forks for Third, Fourth and Fifth, upgraded materials on all gears and shafts, multiple shifter locations, and tapered roller bearings on shafts. The upgrades are designed to improve durability and reduce noise.
Earlier Tremec 3550 and TKO...
Earlier Tremec 3550 and TKO transmissions utilize an aluminum shift fork (left). It was replaced with a steel shift fork (right) in later production TKO transmissions, TKO-500, and TKO-600. The steel fork is stronger; Hanlon Motorsports replaces the aluminum forks with steel ones during rebuilds.
The steel forks use nylon-style...
The steel forks use nylon-style fork pads, and Hanlon recommends them for street driven cars since they are designed to last for 100,000 miles. Hardcore racing transmissions are upgraded with bronze fork pads to handle the hard shifting.
On the top is a gear with...
On the top is a gear with the standard teeth; on the bottom is a gear that had its teeth removed and replaced with a Hanlon....
.....faceplate and dog-teeth....
.....faceplate and dog-teeth. The faceplate is one component to Pro-shifting the transmission.
In hardcore transmissions,...
In hardcore transmissions, Hanlon only modifies Third gear with the face-plate to engage the next gear quicker and cleaner. It works great at WOT, but engaging the next gear on the street can be harsh, so he only modifies Third for limited street use. It helps prevent missed shifts because the face-plate drops into place immediately, unlike the standard teeth that take more precision to fall into place to engage the next gear.