tom281

For all of you auto tranny drivers........

The March issue of MM&FF tests and reviews a 2800-3000 rpm TCI torque converter for the new trans. I know some of you don't believe what you read in mags, but I was just excited to see something new about these cars that I haven't saw before.

Long story short: best 1/4 et before: 13.17
best 1/4 et after: 12.94 (with a 1.80 60ft)

Testing was done on street tires. Retail price: $489.37

Anyway, thought I'd broadcast it incase some of you don't get the mag.

tom281

atomic_il

spyder has a 3800 converter. he says it's most awesome

don_w

2/10 better with that TC is not unrealistic IMO.

tom281

I think its possible too. Previous experience on the older cars (Fox, SN95) has proven that with traction, the right converter can drop about 4 tenths.

If I had an auto, gears and a converter would be my first mods (they were on my '92 anyway).

ts

don_w

I have been holding off on the TC until after I get the supercharger. I want to see how it launches with gobs of low-end torque first. If I'm still not happy, then I'll start looking at a TC swap.

spyder7724

i've had mine for about 2-3 months now. it is awesome. my 60' alone dropped 2 tenths. just wish i had gotten it tuned before the end of the season. it picked up .3-.35 overall but i didn't have a good tune for the converter at that time. now it's a beast. will fry the tires 1,2,3 gears. can't wait until bradenton with my new suspension. it should launch great. mine is a custom job. i had them loosen it a little more since i plan to race a lot and don't drive it long distances(under 300miles on a trip usually) anyway with the lock up it still gets normal mileage...i love technology!

don_w

Long distance driving and daily commuting are two more things I need to consider if/when I upgrade the TC. I'm guessing that with a twinscrew blower, I should probably keep it in the 2800-3000 rpm stall range. Anything higher might do more harm than good. 3800 would be a blast at the track, but I'm afraid it would kill the tranny in the longrun. Thoughts?

Cleveland

You are right Don, too high a stall converter is potentially killer on the transmission. Its hard for me to believe that a reputable tranny shop would modify a converter for a customer to that stall rpm.

3800 Stall is for all out racing only, thats not for extended use on a street vehicle. Its going to create a lot of heat for a tranny cooler to dissipate, this is the killer for the transmission.

Also, 3800 stall speed is too much and doesnt offer the same higher performance as the lower 3000 stall. There is no way that who ever owns that converter is putting out the kind of power thats needed to get the car moving the way it should. A long duration cam with 300*+ on both the intake and exhaust is needed to correctly match to that rpm range. Im talking about making power in the 4000-7000 range for that stall speed.

I still own a 385 Stroker Cleveland with 2v heads done to 4v flow characteristics. The cam has .647" of lift with 304* intake and 312* exhaust duration, this is a custom nitrous cam btw. With this combo, a 3800 or greater stall converter is needed and would be a best match.

Get the picture yet?

-Dan