Lenco Transmissions Explained: How They Work And Why They're Unique

You're astatine a car show and you spot a gnarly looking '69 Mustang pinch a 14-71 blower sticking retired of nan hood and rear tires truthful wide they look for illustration a steamroller drum. It has superior mojo and a stance that angles nan tile truthful much, nan driver astir apt can't spot postulation lights. Peering successful nan window, everything appears normal isolated from for a statement of levers that look for illustration a Terminator manus is waving "Hello." These levers power nan Lenco transmission, which is stout capable to harness nan powerfulness of a spinning neutron prima and person its power into quarter-mile domination and tyre smoke.

Lencos' creation is unique. It's arsenic if Lenco racing transmissions snuck up down immoderate automatic and manual gearboxes successful nan acheronian and pilfered nan finest attributes of each. From nan automatic, it stolen nan planetary gears and clutch packs, but near down nan fluid valve-actuated cogwheel selection. From nan manual, it nabbed nan clutch and flywheel, but ditched nan slow H-pattern and dogleg shifters successful favour of a bid of levers nan driver tin simply slam into place. Also, nan Lenco decided that nan clutch straight connected to nan motor would only beryllium basal erstwhile starting retired successful first aliases reverse. Otherwise, it acts for illustration a canine container transmission, letting you tally done nan gears sans clutch pedal.

Giving each cogwheel its ain lever is benignant of an overseas decision, though. The setup deserves a spot among the weirdest car shifters, looking benignant of for illustration nan Hurst Lightning Rod from nan 1980s Hurst/Olds. Why not a azygous lever for illustration a sequential gearbox? 

Well, nan logic galore Lenco applications usage individual levers is that multi-speed Lencos aren't conscionable 1 transmission successful a azygous case, but alternatively abstracted two-speed transmissions centipeded together. So arsenic nan driver pulls a lever, 1 of nan transmissions goes from "low" to "high," which past stacks pinch nan ratio successful nan adjacent transmission, and nan next, and truthful on. It's abstracted levers for abstracted segments, which keeps things simpler, mechanically. Lenco does connection nan action of shifting via c dioxide unit from a bottle, but past you wouldn't get that "robot precocious five" aesthetic.

To further exemplify what's going on, let's usage nan ratios outlined by Lenco for a four-speed setup, comprisingthree segments stacked together (there's a 4th segment, but that's for reverse). The gearbox segments are arranged pinch nan reverse conception adjacent to nan driveshaft, past a 1.31:1 ratio box, a 1.37:1 ratio box, and a last 1.37:1 ratio container closest to nan engine. With each 3 forward-gear levers successful nan "unshifted" positions, nan ratios harvester to create a 2.47:1 first gear. Shift nan first lever and you person a 1.80:1 2nd gear. The 2nd lever produces a 1.31:1 third, and nan 3rd lever delivers a 1:1 fourth.

Each transmission conception has its ain clutch battalion that compresses a rotating sun cogwheel assembly that outputs to nan adjacent segment. In theory, you could stack these individual gearboxes to infinity, though nan assembly gets rather agelong erstwhile you get beyond 4 speeds.

While Top Fuel dragsters don't moreover fuss pinch transmissions and alternatively conscionable usage a clutch pack, location are plentifulness of drag-racing bid that trust connected aggregate speeds. Cars successful nan National Hot Rod Association's Pro Mod bid nutrient 3,000 hp aliases more, moving nan 4th successful nan fives astatine complete 250 mph. A Tremec T56 Magnum isn't going to trim it here. Racers looking for eventual powerfulness handling and nonstop power complete shifting move to Lenco's magnesium-cased CS1 Standard Design racing transmission, which tin grip successful excess of 3,500 horses. Lenco besides offers much compact CS2, CS3, and CS4 gearboxes, arsenic good nan ST1200 Street Strip exemplary and nan Lencodrive Automatic.

Scores of resistance racers still trust connected bully aged standbys for illustration nan 727 Torqueflite, Powerglide, TH350, and TH400 (which tin apparently grip nan torque of a 27-liter twin-turbo V12 vessel engine). They're awesome transmissions, particularly pinch each nan upgrades disposable successful nan aftermarket and moreover ground-up racing builds from ATI, Coan Racing, and FTI Performance. Still, it's difficult to hit a Lenco's powerfulness handling. 

That's not to opportunity that they don't require maintenance, however. I called Lenco to spot what nan fluid alteration intervals are, and here's what nan institution told me: For thoroughfare use, you request to alteration it aft 500 miles pursuing nan install, past each clip you alteration nan motor oil. For resistance racing, high-horsepower applications necessitate caller fluids aft each event. Lower-horsepower resistance racing tin widen that to each 2 aliases 3 events. Always inspect nan fluid, though, because if it's still clean, you're good. If there's clutch worldly floating successful there, alteration it. The recommended fluid is simply a light-grade petroleum-based centrifugal oil.