I'm sure it'll drop a bit, but I've only driven maybe 40 miles so far. Without eliminating the thermostat like I've done I doubt you'd see any temp change.
I wish I took better records of my transmission temperatures before I swapped to the PPE pan. But I "feel" it used to run in the high 180s to low 190s *F, and now it's rock-steady at mid-180s *F at steady-state highway driving (we'll see how it does in the sand in about two weeks). So, maybe a little lower? Maybe?
Well this sucks. I have to drop my exhaust because the crossover is too close to the pan. I couldn't even get the stock one off after loosening the bolts. So far everything that could go wrong has. The PPE pan requires filing of every hole to get the inserts to fit. Just a little venting because at 3 hours in I still don't have the new pan even on yet.
I can see that. Since the exhaust could be at slightly different heights for any given truck due to the rubber hangers/isolators being tweaked just slightly differently at installation. Personally, my OE pan came right out, but I had to "force" the PPE pan in, just ever-so-slightly, past the solenoids. I can see you having even slightly less clearance than I. I can also see someone else having no problems at all. It should be possible to tweak those hangers to lower the exhaust just enough. I'd look into that so you don't have to jack up the transmission every time you want to drop the pan. Maybe someone else can comment on whether that's more of a PITA than your route.
Also, like
@Wild one said, I too did not re-use the metal bolt sleeves with my PPE pan. Someone else mentioned it, but I also believe they were in the original plastic pan to prevent over-torqueing of the bolts, causing highly uneven compression of the gasket and possible leaks. That's possible because plastic flexes more, and the gasket requires relatively even pressure along its length for a good seal. The aluminum PPE pan, being alunimum, is much more rigid and flexes less between bolts. Even if you over-torque a bolt, the aluminum can take it and spread that compression more evenly along the length of the gasket than the plastic one could. So, in my opinion, the sleeves are not needed. Since I haven't had any leaks for over 8,000 miles so far, and
@Wild one way longer, I'm inclined to think my theory is correct. Nevertheless, if PPE instructions say to re-use the sleeves, I'm betting that won't hurt anything, except the amount of work you put into it.