I am putting in a new 355 sbc crate motor in my 1985 buick regal. the motor and transmission that are in it now are coming out and i have heard alot of talk about which is better. does anyone have any input on whether i should go with the 200 or the 700. and also any sites to look for i found a site called bowtieoverdrives.com any comments on them would be more than appreciated as well. please let me know any information or opinions thanks
200r4 or 700r4
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not an expert on the subject, but I've run into the same decisions myself... The 700r4 has a very short 1st gear, so it's nice for a little extra boost off the line, but the 1-2 shift can often seem extended. They are also not ment to handle any power, so a shift kit and rebuild is highly recommended.
the 2004r has more evenly distributed gears. 1st is also a little larger, so it's nicer for naturally torquier cars. I don't know what the overdrive ratio is, but it's roughly similar to the 700r4. They were build to handle a little more power than the 700r4, but rebuilds and kits are still recommended.
running a high rear gear like 4:11 on a 700r4 will make 1st gear seem TOO short, where the 2004r will seem nicer.
the 700r4 is 3" longer than the stock setup in a Gbody. So the driveshaft will need to be shortened and the crossmember will need slight modification. The 200r4 requires no modification, I believe, and I believe it is the same length as a th350.
I am using a 700r4, but from my research a 2004r seems a better choice for my mild 355 with 3.42 rear gears.
I hope this helps...
the 2004r has more evenly distributed gears. 1st is also a little larger, so it's nicer for naturally torquier cars. I don't know what the overdrive ratio is, but it's roughly similar to the 700r4. They were build to handle a little more power than the 700r4, but rebuilds and kits are still recommended.
running a high rear gear like 4:11 on a 700r4 will make 1st gear seem TOO short, where the 2004r will seem nicer.
the 700r4 is 3" longer than the stock setup in a Gbody. So the driveshaft will need to be shortened and the crossmember will need slight modification. The 200r4 requires no modification, I believe, and I believe it is the same length as a th350.
I am using a 700r4, but from my research a 2004r seems a better choice for my mild 355 with 3.42 rear gears.
I hope this helps...
The 200r4 is better and has better overdrive. The only thing is that they are expensive to get a built one. The guy who really got the 200r4 on the map was a guy named Art Carr. There are articals out there in mags that can tell you a lot about them. Just keep researching and your find the answer. There is a ton of info already discussed on here and other forums. Good luck, but I would get the 200r4!
Sorry sirm but your wrong. The 200r4 has a shorter gearkhan0165 said:
2004R 700R4
1st Gear 2.74 3.06
2nd 1.57 1.62
3rd 1.00 1.00
4th .67 .70
The 700 DOES have a lower first gear.
3.06 is lower than 2.74 which equates to a better launch, but a loss of efficiency between 1st and 2nd gear. You end up with a bigger rpm drop between those two gears so the engine has to catch back up.
I'm a fan of the 200-4R too. Once you start making serious torque you need to get your wallet out. I've always heard good things about bowtieoverdrives. There's a ton of info out there. These guys seem to be pretty popular too. http://ckperformance.com/
http://www.cpttransmission.com/
3.06 is lower than 2.74 which equates to a better launch, but a loss of efficiency between 1st and 2nd gear. You end up with a bigger rpm drop between those two gears so the engine has to catch back up.
I'm a fan of the 200-4R too. Once you start making serious torque you need to get your wallet out. I've always heard good things about bowtieoverdrives. There's a ton of info out there. These guys seem to be pretty popular too. http://ckperformance.com/
http://www.cpttransmission.com/
Being someone who just got done fighting myself about this and ended up going for the 700r4 behind my 406 instead of a 2004r. What weighed in on my choice was the fact there is so many parts available for a 700r4 to beef them up and power for power you can build a 700r4 cheaper to handle more power than you would be able to a 2004r. Both are descent trannys but they both need built up a little bit to handle anything over 400tq. I found this out the hard way my 406 has about 425tq and when my 700 shifts into 2nd it slips and it already has a B&M shift improver kit in it which isnt enough. The mods needed to make a 700 fit in a G-Body are simple you dont need to modify your cross member you can take a piece of angle iron and make a piece that comes off your factory mount location of the 200-4r and meet the 700r4 3 inches in front of that factory mount. You will however need to shorten your driveshaft 3.25inches. I just did a swap from a 307 olds motor and 200-4r over to a 406 and 700r4 in my 87 cutlass supreme so all the info on the swap and stuff is still fresh in my memory. I asked everybody I know and visited every website i could to try and find a definitive answer on which is the smarter choice and take it from me there isnt one it all comes down to personal preference whats available to you and money wise what you want to put in my 200-4r that came out of my cutlass had 177K miles on it and I already had a 700r4 built with no miles on it so my choice was easy but i saved my 200-4r just in case my 700 gives up on me cuz it can be built to suit my needs.
i would definitely get the 200r4. cheaper to install and a well balance trany. i just bought my 200r4 from bowtie, great people to deal with and good info. i got the stage 2 set up, it comes with everything you need to install the trany...everything!!!
i got everything for $1900 but it came with everything from the bulit transmission, new crossmember to the tv cable etc.
...getting tired of this argument lol. All the points brought up are valid. 700r-4 will launch quicker but 1-2 drop is larger than 200-4r. They can both be built to handle about the same hp and tq. 700 is 3" longer so driveshaft will need to be cut and crossmember altered or replaced. They are both pretty easily upgraded due to the fact that both came in a GM performance vehicle...GN and T-type got beefier 200's and corvettes got beefier 700's. When it comes to parts availability 700 has got the 200 beat. Both have weak sunshells that need replacing, the other issue that no one touched upon is the input shafts. 700 has longer shaft which should make it stronger but in fact it is weaker than 200 b/c 200 has only 2 oil-through holes leaving a thicker shaft where the 700 has 3 oil-through holes. At the same time that should make the 700 better lubricated. The only real gripe I have against the 200 is that some parts are harder to upgrade, such as the governor. 700 governor can easily be upgraded to corvette governor or weight and spring kits are easy to find. 200 is not as easy. Last side note is 700 governor comes out from side of the trans so you don't have to remove pan, where 200 is internal and pan must be removed to gain access. The small differences for me are really no issue. It cost me just under $1000 to beef up and completely rebuild my 700r-4, if I recall correctly my last 200-4r cost me about $1400. Hands down though 200 is easier to install into a g-body.
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