Cryo Treated Transmissions

The Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. cryo treats racing enthusiasts’ transmissions for longer life, higher levels of durability and smoother shifting. We have treated thousands of transmissions since we started cryogenic processing in 2003.

Transmissions wear with age and mileage. As a result, some fail prematurely and need to be replaced. In addition, racers who tune their vehicles to higher levels of horsepower and torque also induce more stress on their transmissions. This can also lead to a premature death of your transmission.

Steel components will benefit from three transformations. The first is residual stress relief. Steel parts still retain a certain percentage of residual stresses after heat treatment. Cryogenic treatment will further eliminate these stresses, reducing the micro stresses that a part could fatigue along.

The second transformation is termed the precipitation of eta-carbides. Steel parts will see eta-carbides populate dramatically in the crystalline structure. The precipitation of eta-carbides allows parts to enjoy a higher level of wear resistance, often 100% or over what it would be if left untreated.

Third, the crystal structure will become more robust with increased toughness after cryogenic treatment. Retained austenite from the heat treatment process will be converted to martensite during the cryogenic treatment process. This creates a more uniform microstructure free of imperfections and voids that could result in part failure.

Transmissions shipped to our location need to be disassembled prior to cryogenic treatment. Also, all plastic and rubber parts should be removed as they will not survive the process. We do not recommend that you treat the casing of the transmission.

Cost to cryo treat a transmission ranges from $150 for a 4 cylinder transmission to $350 for a V8 transmission. If you are tuning your vehicle and don’t want to experience a sudden, catastrophic failure of your transmission, then you should look into cryo. The cost outweighs the price of losing a race or even the time and labor to find a new one.

If you would like to learn more about cryo treatment for your transmission and other racing parts, please visit our cryogenic treatment for motor sports page. If you have questions regarding cryo treatment, please email us at info@nitrofreeze.com or call us at (800) 739-7949.

Tuning your car? Destroying Transmissions? This Might Help…

We all know modifying your car equals sweet speed and better performance but, the resulting gains in torque and horsepower can cause some serious issues to your stock parts. I am not the one to decide but ECU tuning is a great start for anyone looking for increased performance but, with each stage of increased horsepower and torque, mechanical parts must be replaced for the tune to work correctly. In particular, you may need to add parts such as an air intake, intercooler, exhaust, downpipe, stronger pistons, larger cams, or bigger turbos.

But, what about that transmission in your newly tuned car? Its stock and all you did was change the transmission oil previous to tuning the car. It is understood that not all tuned cars need their transmissions to be upgraded if only doing a stage 1 or 2 tune. However, it is highly dependent on the vehicle itself. The biggest issue arises from transmissions that are not made for the extra wear and tear from the extra tuned power. Other transmissions are built to handle extra power but only to a certain point. No matter what, tuning usually results in an upgraded clutch sooner or later.

So, if you are tuning that car or truck and adding significant power, then you need to think about your transmission. Some people have the money to buy a custom upgraded transmission; many do not and will go with a used transmission. Regardless of it being new or used, you should consider cryogenically treating your transmission gears and synchros before putting it all back together, especially if you are tuning that car significantly.

Cryogenically treating your transmission gears and synchros will increase their wear resistance significantly. They will wear far less when pushing out all that newly tuned power through them. At the same time, residual austenite will be converted to stronger martensite. This improves the structural integrity of the part and will keep it from flexing under stress. Cryo treating these gears and synchros will ensure that the transmission does not need to be torn down for years to come. Many people think that cryogenic treatment is a very expensive process. Gears and synchros can be cryo treated for less than several hundred dollars. In the case of 4 cylinders, treating these parts is less than $100 dollars. So, if you are going to spend money on new parts and equipment for your transmission, why not ensure that they last?

For more information about cryogenic treatment and its application to auto, truck, and motorcycle equipment, please visit Nitrofreeze: Cryo Treatment for Motor Sports.