Hi
For Ford Explorer 2006 4.6 L V8 4WD equipped with 6R60 transmission, mileage 200K. When replacing the entire transmission, it is preferred to upgrade to 6R80? I read they are identical in most of the parts, & 6R80 is superior in torque.
The swap, honestly, is not worth it.
The 6R family of transmissions is very robust and the 6R60 is plenty dependable. The 6R80 can handle more torque, yes, but even swapping a 6R60 to another 6R60 requires very careful electronic changes. The main differences between the two are internal, but the 6R80 uses an entirely different software package. You would need a new PCM, custom tune, etc.
A much more affordable option would be to just beef up the internals of the 6R60 you already have. Then you can skip quite a bit of headache because a complete swap would easily be $10k+.
People do upgrade transmissions sometimes. But you have to be reeeeeally careful.
You have to make sure everything matches, or you could have problems.
- electronics
- auto to auto, manual to manual
- output shaft and tailhousing type.
- torque converter stall rating.
It's best to match the years as closely as possible. It really ought to be done by a professional if you don't want any surprises, and it's hard to find good ones. I would only attempt such an upgrade if you really needed. It won't be cheap.
