New Transmission Solution from Lenco

Lenco Racing Transmissions is a well-known provider of transmission solutions for motorsports, especially drag racing. Recently, the company came up with a new transmission. This solution is notable for light weight, new peculiar technologies, more sophisticated elements, and less rotating mass than its predecessor.

After several significant changes within the company (a new owner took charge of the company and it moved to a new facility), Lenco engineers decided to restyle the ST1200 and to make it the new standard-bearer among racing planetary gearboxes. The design of the new version of the ST1200 includes a fully aluminum billet CNC housing, double O-ring seals, anodized coating, and a wider range of gear ratios for their proper adjustment. Reduced weight of this transmission leads to lower rotating mass which, in turn, results in faster speed-up.

Planetary gearboxes, like Lenco, use planetary gears. They operate with the help of a center gear that is also connected to a sprag (freewheel) clutch, 3 planetary gears, and a ring gear. All planetary gears revolve around the center gear. Their main purpose is to transmit the power of the ring gear to the planetary and to revolve around the center gear if this gear is kept fixed by the sprag clutch. All 4 gears are put together with the help of the special carrier. The largest ring gear encircles the whole composition of gears. The center gear spins only when it is locked with the ring gear.

Lenco upgraded the

with the help of CNC 5 and 6-axis milling machines - Lenco produced the new transmission housing from a solid block of aluminum that is cut down by the end milling cutter. This approach helped to reduce the possibility of casting defects and it provided more control over the end product. Moreover, Lenco engineers had the possibility to reduce as much weight as needed from the completed component. In addition to production advantages, this method gives customers a top-quality product that looks more like work of art than an auto component.

Pure aluminum (clear) or hard-anodized black finishing are available

The new transmission solution is offered with 2 variants of coating layer: pure aluminum (clear) or hard-anodized black finishing. Customers can choose any option, but Lenco specialists encourage potential clients to give preference to the hard-anodized black finishing, because racing gearboxes are frequently exposed to severe operating conditions. The hard-anodized finishing is perfect for these conditions, because it needs no more than a quick wipe with a wet rag, while the aluminum variant would require much more servicing to stay in perfect running order. Despite this peculiarity, the bare aluminum solution is in highly-demanded among the boat racing enthusiasts, so they don’t mind additional maintenance.

Initially, the ST1200 was only provided with 5 gear ratios. Most of customers were completely satisfied with this solution, but it had many gaps that impeded fine-tuning adjustment because the space between the ratios was too stretched out. Thus, it was impossible to make even minor adjustments. To solve this problem, Lenco added more gear ratios, which were supposed to close the gaps to allow customers adjust their system without annoying leaps that used to occur. Added gear ratios expanded the list of possible ratio options to 8. Thanks to such selection range, now the company can satisfy demands of the most meticulous customers. Now any Lenco user can certainly find a sweet spot during the transmission adjustment. The room for experimentation in this direction seems infinite!

All transmissions are collections of numerous structural components put together in one sophisticated mechanism. Lenco engineers who worked on the upgraded version applied innovative methods during the process of gears production, and, as a result, customers have improved products where gears mesh together much better than in previous transmission versions. Gears in the new transmission are affected by lower resistance, thus they turn out to be more efficient and get exposed to less parasitic losses. The original 100 % steel planet holder (carrier) was also replaced with a 2-piece planet holder that is made of steel and aluminum. This measure helped to reduce weight of the unit, thereby decreasing the overall rotational mass. Other modification measure included the replacement of the gasket seals by O-ring seals between the gearbox housing.

Assembled planetary section of the new Lenco ST1200

Manufacturing a Lenco ST1200 begins with developing the key element of this system: setting up its planetary gear sets. Gear ratios are determined with the help of math computation that takes into account the number of speeds needed, engine capacity (in hp), and final ratio. This info helps to select appropriate center gears with related ratios, ring gears, and fitting planet gears that match the center gears with their ring gears. Once specified, these gear sets are installed in their planet gear holders.

Famous shifting mechanism with multiple levers

In contrast to standard manual gearboxes with one gear stick, planetary units have several shifters which are directly involved in the gear shifting process. Each gear stick is responsible for one particular gear set. To engage the 1-st gear the driver has to use the furthest shifter from him, while higher gears can be actuated with the help of the nearest levers. The shifters also differ in length (for example, the R gear is engaged by means of a small black lever). The process of gear shifting in Lenco transmissions can be performed manually of via gas shifting with CO2.

The new ST1200 version significantly outperforms the previous version thanks to advanced technology, renewed components, and reduced rotational mass for better speed-up. This highly efficient and unique transmission solution would be a real asset for drag racers. The new Lenco product is designed to handle up to 1200 hp and shift gears without any delays. Owners of older ST1200 transmissions, also have a great opportunity to refine their transmissions with more reliable parts, ratios, and even new casing, since all new elements are compatible with the older units.