One of my customers has a 4200# Impala SS that I built a 4L60E for a few years back. Car runs 10.20 @ 133 MPH and cuts 1.30.

Frank

 

That is the only case of an exploding 4L60/700R4 I have heard of in more than a decade on several LT1 platform forums.

Rossler has an albeit heavily modified 4L60E in a 4400lbs Impala that runs low 9s at nearly 160mph. He has to launch soft or he wipes the teeth off the pinion of the 8.5" 10-bolt. Based on performance the car makes well over 900rwhp and the whole build sheet on the car is "things that wont work" like the 4L60E, opti, stock pcm, AC, ABS, 8.5" 10-bolt. The only tranny failure I ever heard him talk about was caused by the studs on the moser axle shearing at launch and it rolled a sprag. He does have it regularly refreshed, then again "regularly refreshed" at is not such a big deal when he is hitting it with more than twice the power most guys who give up on the 4l60/700 line of trannies do.

I do not have a Rossler but if looking for 9s I would certainly consider it.

 

Jeff paid $4500 for that 60E. Car has been in the 9.5's.

Frank

 

Sounds like you need to find a better builder...

Frank

 

Last I heard it has done at least 9.3. He just doesn't make a lot of public updates about progress because his stated goal is 8s. Based on the 1.5 short times I think he could run 8s if he would just put a 9" in it. He has the power dialed back out of the hole because if he lets the engine work he can take out pinion gears at will a few feet out when the power comes on.
I didn't say it was a cheap tranny, what I said is it is staying alive at more than twice the power most people give up on the 4L60E at.