Every time I fire up my snowmobile to head into the backcountry, I find myself looking over my gear and my machine, knowing that where I'm going could potentially put me in harm's way. I rely on the products that are bolted on to my sled to be the very best components in the industry.
The same checklist applies with my truck. I put my truck to the test throughout the season and need the same reliable products to help me get the job done. That is why when it came time to replace the transmission in my Dodge project truck, I made one call, to one company that has one goal: ATS. ATS is a company that prides itself on building the most dominant, reliable products in the diesel industry.
Located in Arvada, CO, the white and purple building stands out above the rest. Clint Cannon, ATS' man in charge, holds down the fort in a 100,000-sq.-ft. plus facility filled with highly trained diesel mechanics and more diesel performance parts than you can imagine. I recently had the opportunity to head down to ATS for a transmission upgrade on my Dodge. I also had a chance to learn more about the company and its day-to-day operations.
At first glance into ATS' shop area, your eyes seem to dance from one side of the building to the other, picking up on all the lifts and tools carefully positioned throughout the mechanics' areas. You soon realize the situation you are in: there are trucks everywhere and each one seems to be ready for something. Transmissions, compound turbos, intake manifolds and the electronics to make it all work are just a few products that are all strategically built and tested in house at ATS. A truck that enters that shop area will never be the same and will always make its mark once it leaves.
The best was yet to come for me. After seeing the shop area, we worked our way back into the manufacturing rooms where mechanics and various ATS employees were busy assembling everything from valve bodies to torque converters. I was blown away at the amount of parts and pieces that all seemed to be laid out as if they knew I was coming and they wanted to make an impression. The truth of it was that everyone at ATS plays a significant role in keeping all the products they build up to unbeatable standards. These standards are set and discussed every day with a morning meeting between the owner and crew so that everyone knows the importance of their commitment. I understood the methods and appreciated the amount of professionalism each employee showed me as I walked through the facility.
Once on the rack, my Dodge dually was in the hands of Jacob Looney, Chris McGarva and Mike Dorsey. The three mechanics took great care and time to walk me through the install process. Although the install is only a portion of this article, here are a few shots of how it went down. With the stock transmission removed, the new ATS 48RE was getting prepped for install under the Dodge. A few of the major improvements the ATS transmission include are: the input shafts are a 2-piece design which takes stress off the joint area where the shaft meets the hub. The accumulator piston is billet aluminum vs. the stock plastic one. The transmission pan is cast aluminum and can hold 4.5 quarts more fluid. The Five Star Torque Converter lockup clutch system uses a five-clutch viscous drive with locking tabs compared to the stock one-clutch friction-to-metal system.
Here you can see Jacob Looney (left) and Mike Dorsey (right) installing the new and improved billet flex plate from ATS. The added strength from being machined out of solid billet steel not only awards this part the SFI standard, its 12-bolt design is exclusive to ATS and will ultimately make this truck more reliable. The torque wrench sealed up the flex plate at 105 ft. lbs.
This is a comparison between the stock flex plate and the new ATS flex plate. The photo says it all and the difference under your feet is immediately apparent.
Now that the old transmission is removed, a routine leak inspection performed and a new billet flex plate installed, Looney uses a transmission jack to carefully attach the new ATS transmission and start bolting things back together. Notice the ATS aluminum pan, which not only reduces heat due to its design; it also features a magnetic drain plug for servicing the transmission.
With the transmission bolted up, the drive shafts back in position and all the last minute checklists performed, the transmission fluid is added and it is time to go after the Co-Pilot installation.
The Co-Pilot was installed in an easy view location for the driver and all the wiring was buttoned up under the dash and in the engine compartment. The key features to the Co-Pilot are electronically controlled "lockup timing" based on mph and boost pressure. The module also improves acceleration and helps create firm shift points. It also serves as a brake even without an exhaust brake, making towing heavy loads safer and easier on your truck.
As my truck was being operated on, Matt Bozarth of ATS took my dad and me on a tour through the building to discuss each and every part of the daily demands of the company. We went into each area with still and video cameras blazing so I didn't miss anything. I was like a sponge soaking up massive amounts of information from Bozarth, along with each member of the ATS crew. The major differences between this company and so many others were the amount of products that were built right inside and how much attention to detail the talented professionals paid to their designs.
Dan Lichtenstien was busy designing things but took some time to show me how he had created the torque converter for a Dodge Ram on a CAD program. Most of the innovative products at ATS start here.
As Lichtenstien was busy clicking and dragging on his computer, Zach Stapleton was carefully putting the final touches on an ATS Co-Pilot controller.
Dan Walters of ATS assembles the transmission internals. He installed the clutch packs at this station and made sure everything was balanced perfectly before bolting the back half of the transmission together and sending it down the line.
The ATS valve bodies are assembled here and are computer calibrated for optimal flow. They are built with CNC-machined throttle valves, laser cut separator plates and line pressure issues are handled by custom springs and a pressure regulator. The bottom line is, shift quality is greatly improved and you know when your transmission went into gear with a firm, crisp movement.
When we arrived at the torque converter assembly area, we watched the top and bottom housing to the Five Star being precisely welded together by this robotic machine. The Five Star Torque Converter is one of the most unique components to the ATS lineup.
When all the components are assembled, the complete transmission is put through a vigorous dyno inspection to make sure everything is up to "standards." Bob Wichmann runs a series of tests with the transmission bolted down to a 500 plus horsepower Dodge Cummins. Proper shift points, temperatures and lock-up control are just a few tests that performed before the transmission leaves this station.
After walking around the entire facility learning about each phase of ATS, we headed upstairs to more manufacturing rooms, including this area where Dave Oliver was busy cutting out several transmission internals with this laser cutter.
I was starting to ask myself how much more one roof could hold inside. I also noted that the heating system throughout the building was comprised of huge holding tanks full of used motor oil. They recycle the oil by burning it in a large oil-burning furnace. They also recycle most of the unused transmission components by melting them down to create new products. Building "green" is something very important within any company and ATS goes above and beyond where this is concerned.
Once the truck was finished, I tried to remain calm as I left the building. It wasn't long before I put the hammer down to feel the difference of the new transmission. Now that I knew the inner-workings of the ATS Five Star Torque Converter, billet shafts, flex plates and Co-Pilot controllers, my Dodge project was ready for whatever I wanted to throw at it.
Looking back on my experience, I've never been more impressed with a company, its commitment, its standards and its mission in the aftermarket world.