Aftermarket Transmission Cooler?

[astronerd]

Hello All,
My JT is on order and I’m occupying a good portion of my time now on thinking about mods/upgrades. I decided to go with the Gladiator not because of its off-road capabilities but rather that is has the best towing capacity out there for the midsized truck segment. I ordered a Sport S with the Max-Tow package.

For now Im towing an Aliner LXE (A frame hard walled pop up) the weighs 2,500 loaded (has a GVWR of 3,000lbs but the axle is rated for 3,500lbs - go figure). I’ve been towing this camper and our previous standard pop up camper with a 2004 Honda Pilot, it’s done a great job. These Pilots were known to have weak transmissions and died prematurely due to overheated. From day one, I ditched the puny Honda transmission cooler and went with a robust Hayden cooler with low temp bypass. I now have 202k miles on the Pilot, with the original transmission and it runs beautifully.

My wife and I will eventually upgrade to a larger camper, something around the 20’ to 25’ length under GVWR of 6,000lbs. I like to boondocks so the smaller the camper the more places we can go.

My question to you all, how good is the heavy duty transmission cooler? Any need to eventually upgrade? Has anyone put in a more robust cooler?

-Mike

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[ShadowsPapa]

(has a GVWR of 3,000lbs but the axle is rated for 3,500lbs - go figure).

That's a standard axle rating. Go by the trailer frame and structure rating.
Too many don't understand or "get" what the ratings really mean or how they are arrived at. It's not how much weight it can handle sitting in a driveway without breaking.
I think it's why people believe they can simply add or change one thing and increase capacities. There's a lot of engineering and testing goes into such things.

I'd not even consider a cooler for pulling 6,000 pounds. Those trucks are rated to pull more all stock. You'll be well under the rating. It was rated with the equipment you bought it with.

And adding a cooler isn't all that simple as there's a lot to checking the fluid on these transmissions - as well as a process for adding fluid - which can take some time.

I admit I was pulling only 5,000 pounds, but the transmission temps on my truck while towing never exceeded what they are when driving in warm weather. Towing seemed to make almost no difference in transmission temps.

 

[Hootbro]

If you are at the margins of thinking of needing a transmission cooler, you may want to buy another truck with a higher rating.

Messing with the transmission cooler system on this truck brings higher risk in the event there is a warranty issue remotely related to your transmission.

 

[LordEnzo]

With these trucks, you'll see coolant Temps and sometimes oil Temps are the real issue. Haven't heard of tranny issues much, they're stout. Just keep an eye on those 2 Temps and ur good. On that light a load I wouldn't worry. But I can tell u from experience towing a 7.5k boat in my sport s, u WILL see some high coolant Temps. I kept an eye on them tho and averted any possible disaster. I'm also lifted 3.5" and on 37s for reference, no regear and she drove just fine, in FL.

 

[astronerd]

If you are at the margins of thinking of needing a transmission cooler, you may want to buy another truck with a higher rating.

Messing with the transmission cooler system on this truck brings higher risk in the event there is a warranty issue remotely related to your transmission.

Currently I’m nowhere near the limit nor will I be when I upgrade the camper. I’m not familiar with the JT as it has not been delivered yet. I’ve installed transmission coolers on other vehicles, granted these were vehicles built in the 2000s. That said, it’s a pretty straight forward process, not sure how much more complex it could be on the Gladiator unless the cooler is now computer controlled.

I see so many people majorly modifying their JTs, regearing, new axles, using the Tazer to modify various computer controlled settings, etc. Not sure why the transmission cooler would be an exception in terms of upgrading the performance?

 

[CerOf]

Currently I’m nowhere near the limit nor will I be when I upgrade the camper. I’m not familiar with the JT as it has not been delivered yet. I’ve installed transmission coolers on other vehicles, granted these were vehicles built in the 2000s. That said, it’s a pretty straight forward process, not sure how much more complex it could be on the Gladiator unless the cooler is now computer controlled.

I see so many people majorly modifying their JTs, regearing, new axles, using the Tazer to modify various computer controlled settings, etc. Not sure why the transmission cooler would be an exception in terms of upgrading the performance?

I think what people are saying is the factory system is up to par. You won’t see any real gains or improvements. It would be money spent that has no real tangible benefit.

 

[Hootbro]

Not sure why the transmission cooler would be an exception in terms of upgrading the performance?

Not saying you cannot do it, just there is a "risk" of push back in case you have a warranty claim related to the transmission.

Been more than a few threads of people having warranty denied or push back with dealerships looking for anything to blame your problem on regardless if it was the actual cause of the problem.

Also, the Gladiator has a thermostatically controlled transmission cooler and is not a constant flow at startup. There is a bit of an extra layer of complication to it.

 

[astronerd]

Thanks all for the comments about the factory transmission cooler and the the complexity of the cooling system. I’m no longer planning on upgrading the transmission cooler.

-Mike

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