ATI Racing is by far one of the leaders of the performance automatic transmission world, with racer wins coming at a non stop pace. It even goes further as NMCA Pro Street champion and first to the 5s Chris Rini tests all their Pro Street/Mod spec Powerglide pieces before they are ready for public consumption.
Two of those pieces are ATI’s lightweight gear sprag carrier and input shaft. Again both of these pieces have been tested in Chris Rini’s Pro Street Camaro and boast a total weight savings of 3.6 pounds – 2.6 pounds from the carrier and 1 pound from the input shaft. While you might be thinking 3.6 pounds doesn’t sound a lot, understand this is being removed from rotating parts, which has a much greater effect at reducing power loss through the drivetrain.
The next upgrade component is ATI’s 904/727 Torqueflite. One inherent problem with the Torqueflite transmission is that it wants to break the rear sprag on a hard launch. ATI’s new rear sprag, which only utilizes one OEM inner element piece, is a totally new design that promotes more contact area then a conventional roller clutch. It is retained in the case by three 1/4-inch dowels and four 1/4 inch shoulder bolts. This allows the Torqueflites to easily handle 1000 lb/ft of torque.