As one of Australia’s most trusted aftermarket 4WD brands, Direction-Plus continues to release innovative, market-leading aftermarket products designed to help protect your vehicle investment and now offering Transchill transmission cooler kits.
One of the most recent additions to the long line of Direction-Plus products is its range of TransChill transmission cooler kits.
A key component that is all too often overlooked by 4WD owners is the importance of fitting a premium quality transmission oil cooler kit to their vehicle, especially when using these vehicles to regularly tow and carry heavy loads across vast distances.
A transmission oil cooler is a heat exchanger, similar to a vehicle engine radiator, that is used to cool your 4WD’s automatic transmission fluid. In most cases, the factory oil cooler is only effective when the vehicle is being used under normal operating conditions. There are two specific types of transmission oil coolers: Air to Oil, mounted at the front of the engine radiator; and Water to Oil which uses the engine coolant to cool the transmission oil. Heated transmission oil flows to the cooler, which has fins using either airflow or water flow to dissipate heat to significantly cool the fluid. The cooled transmission oil is then returned to the transmission via a return line, keeping transmission operating temperatures at their optimum to ensure excellent performance and longer operating life. As these components are purely flow-through devices, they do not affect the operation of any internal transmission components.
The tremendous heat generated in 4WD automatic transmissions lessens the ability of the automatic transmission oil or fluid to perform its essential lubricating function once operating temperatures exceed 93C degrees. As the role of the transmission oil is to cool, lubricate and clean internal automatic transmission components, it is imperative to control the amount of heat generated within these transmissions, particularly under demanding four-wheel driving and towing conditions.
The lifespan of a 4WD’s transmission oil, transmission seal, and internal moving parts is significantly reduced when the transmission is subject to prolonged high-temperature operation. These higher internal temperatures also increase the wear rate of the transmission’s friction and clutch plates. All of these factors are bad news for the efficient operating life of any 4WD automatic transmission.
Driving a 4WD in regularly hot conditions, driving off-road on sand or snow, regularly high vehicle internal and towing load driving all lead to the overheating of automatic transmission oil. This leads to a reduction in automatic transmission longevity, durability, and overall reliability. Transmission oil cooler kits are also particularly important for 4WD commercial vehicles that regularly carry heavy loads of tools and equipment in heavy stop-and-go urban traffic conditions or across long, hot, and dry rural road distances.
The relatively easy fitment of a Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kit provides an economical solution to protect against very costly 4WD automatic transmission repairs further down the line.
Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kits represent the first line of defence to significantly extend transmission life for hard-working 4WD vehicles used on or off the road. These application-specific designed and tested aftermarket transmission oil cooler kits can reduce automatic transmission oil temperature by as much as 33C and there is no risk of overcooling. Testing has proven that an automatic transmission oil temperature reduction of just 11⁰C can double the life of the transmission along with its transmission oil and all internal components.
Each Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kit arrives complete and ready for specific 4WD vehicle application fitment, including the air or water variant oil cooler, stainless steel mounting bracket, automatic transmission oil filter, connection hose, adapters, and fixing hardware.
Selecting the right transmission oil cooler kit that has been designed and tested for specific vehicle applications is crucial. The Direction-Plus Transchill range of transmission oil cooler kits has undergone detailed testing for 4WD vehicle makes and models operated in Australia, under local off-road, highway, and urban traffic conditions.
You can view the local testing program for a Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kit for the top-selling Ford Ranger on YouTube at https://youtu.be/I6CD-M6QLz4.
According to Jeremy Bettison, Direction-Plus Product Manager, the fitment of transmission oil coolers is essential for serious 4WD recreational or commercial vehicle owners.
“No one wants the unwelcome surprise of premature and expensive 4WD automatic transmission repair or replacement issues. Given the ever-increasing popularity and heavy commercial use of these vehicles on Australian roads under demanding driving and towing conditions, significantly preserving and extending 4WD automatic transmission life and performance is important.
“Our Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kit range provides mechanics and DIY enthusiasts with everything that they need, sourced from quality local and global manufacturers and tested to ensure that they provide the thermal management necessary to significantly extend automatic transmission life,” Mr. Bettison stated.
Direction-Plus offers Transchill transmission oil cooler kits to suit the most common vehicles such as the Ford Ranger and Everest models, Toyota Hilux, Prado, and Landcruiser models, Isuzu D-Max and MU-X models, Mazda BT-50, Holden Colorado along with Mitsubishi Triton and Pajero Sport models. Finding the exact application required is easy from the Direction-Plus online catalogue at www.directionplus.com.au.
The Direction-Plus website also includes a vast range of additional quality 4WD specific aftermarket products that make a visit essential for anyone seeking to enhance their recreational or commercial 4WD vehicle.
To find out more about the Direction-Plus Transchill transmission oil cooler kit product range or for any fitment information and support locate your local stockist at www.directionplus.com.au.
