Hi Guys,
This thread is for all you auto guys sitting on the fence about doing a performance torque converter in your auto trans cars. I was on that fence for the last few years and would like to thank Brian (FiveOhBrian) for giving me all the info and input necessary to push me into this mod. After lots of input from guys on this forum and Brenspeed I decided to go with a 3000 rpm stall converter. I am N/A and a daily driver so depending on what you use your car for and your mods you may want to go to a higher stall. A good friend of mine and yours that lives 3000 miles away wants to know what adding a TC feels like. I don't know how to convey it to him over that distance. He is Colby (Colbymh). I live in Ohio and he in Oregon. Our mods have paralleled each others for several years now. I took several vids for him tonight so he might compare his stock converter to mine. These vids are with the car idling in drive (no power braking) and just stomping on it. I am running 275 Nitto's all around. Before the Precision Industries TC I could lay a pretty fair patch in 1st and squeal in 2nd and a minor chirp hitting 3rd. Now as you can see in the first vid I am hitting 100 mph (probably 4th) and banging the rev limiter with ease. It fact I have to feather the pedal alot. So a fair question is what are the benefits of a TC other than smoking the tires? Here is what I have found in the last 3 weeks. If driven normally you won't notice any difference from the stock TC. When you get moderately into the go pedal you can tell the car revs quicker and feels lighter, accelerates quicker. Much like an aluminum driveshaft feels but X2. The biggest difference is at a standing start and hammer time. It's like dumping the clutch on a manual at 3000 rpm. So to get the most benefit from this mod you will need bigger and sticker tires. I hope Brian chimes in about his experiences because he is way smarter about this mod than I am. Here you go Colby....you asked for these!! Anybody know where to pick up some new Nitto's cheap? The 3rd vid is using my new linelocks...but the new TC makes this alot easier also.
Scott

http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=smoking2.flv

http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=smoking3.flv
http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...nt=smoking.flv

 

Scott, glad I could offer you enough input to help in your choice to get a bigger converter. It's very obvious that you're enjoying this mod a lot, and you're probably wondering why you didn't do it much sooner. 3000 rpm's is plenty for our cars, but those who see more track duty may want a little more. Also, the more power you make, the higher a given converter will flash.

My converter is a bit more aggressive. I chose a Fuddle Racing Converter that was rated to flash to 3600 rpm's with a stock 4.6L 3V. N/A with just couple mods, my '07 GT would flash to 3800 rpm's. With the added power of the supercharger it now flashes to 4800 rpm's.

As Scott pointed out, around town in normal driving it's not much different than the stock converter, but give it a little more throttle and it does rev easier and doesn't need to downshift nearly as often. Plus, the rpm's don't drop off during shifts like a manual transmission, so you stay in the powerband (especially useful for keeping boost in a blower or staying at peak torque). And launching at the dragstrip is like being catapulted now. My 60' times improved by 3 tenths of a second, as did my 330' and 1/8 mile times.

Here's a vid I took from inside my GT before the blower went on, but right after the converter went in. Listen to how gentle (almost stock like) the car sounds when I pull out onto the street with light throttle. Compare that to when I launch at the stoplight from idle (no power braking required).





Here's another vid, but with the supercharger and at the dragstrip. Drag radials were heated and super sticky. Listen to how fast it goes through the gears and how the converter doesn't let the revs drop off during shifts. My opponent in this run has a purple 1970 Olds Cutlass. Big block, drag slicks, open exhaust, and trailered in. Not even close to street legal, but watch him fade in my rear view mirror...





A bigger stall converter works wonders in these cars!

Colby, if you need to see one in person doing its thing, I'm in the Portland area occasionally (I'm just north of Tacoma, WA). Or, if you're ever in the Seattle/Tacoma area, stop on by my place and we'll go for a drive.

 

I knew I could count on you Brian!!!!! This mod costed me in round numbers about $1200 installed. It is a mod that you will never know is there when you drive your auto sanely. But lay the hammer to it and ..........

 

Scott I've been telling you for two years...... a converter is hands-down the best "seat of the pants" mod you can do for an auto car.... well other than N2O anyway. I believe you even doubted it a little bit at breakfast that one morning....... Congrats man nice vids Can't wait to see it in person.

 

I know you have and you were right. I'm just a little thick in the head at times.

 

Awesome vids Scott...It definitely winds up fast. Nice rubber loss also.

Appreciate you making those just so I could see the difference. It would be sooooo cool to just be able to roll on down the road, stop by, toss a beer back and shoot the sheeet with you.

Brian, I'll definitely take you up on that. I usually come to Seattle atleast a few times a year. Definitely for supercross races.

So Scott, how come you haven't bit the bullet and went with a SC? Heck with a setup like Brian's, you would be in the mid 450 rwhp non cooled. I guess I would be right about there also. Its definitely easier to swallow than 8k. I'm thinking tax time, I might con the lil lady into letting me do it.

 

OK that does it. I'm going to install a auto trans in my car just so I can add the converter.

 

Ha Ha Colby on the SC'er. There is a story behind why I haven't yet. It would cost me alot more than 8K because I won't do it until I could afford a complete forged bottom end. I'll tell you about it next time we yak on the phone. Get a TC it a whole bunch cheaper!!

 

Well from one old geezer to another. At least you don't have to be talented with a stick shift to do a burnout!!

 

$1200 total parts and labor sounds about right. I managed to get a killer deal on mine. I caught Fuddle Racing during a big sale and paid $460 for their converter. I work at a Ford dealership, so I got employee rates on the install, which only cost me $250. Paid for an hour of dyno time to work out shift points, shift firmness, lock-up timing, and drivability. All together, about $860 for mine.

 

That's the spirit!

 

Excuse the newbness, but what is the overall benefit to getting a torque converter and line locks? Would this still work if I ever when with a turbo?

I have my exterior almost complete so performance is next on my mod list.

Thanks.

 

One of the single best decisions for an auto IMO, PI makes great converters with even better customer service. They can also re-stall your converters should you change your mind down the road.

 

Fuddle Racing offers everything PI does, but at a lower cost. Great warranty, free stall speed change in the first 2 years, clutch is twice the area of the factory clutch and will hold lock-up at WOT even with a supercharger, etc. TCI is another good choice for converters, but they're spendy. All three brands offer a great product.

 

I get discounts from PI and TCI so I can't really speak for any others, but I prefer the third pedal mod anyways. TC's and Clutches are something I won't ever recommend because someone is always looking for something different, you really need to ride in one with something similar before buying IMO.

 

Hey Robert,
Bet me and Brian can shift a bunch faster than you... Watch in the first vid how quick my car reaches 100 mph. I would guess that is in 4th. I will admit when I was your age I would have never been caught driving a slushbox. But these auto trans cars properly tweeked by someone like mine (Brenspeed tuned) never miss a shift and are so fast and hard I don't know how I could never on my best day out shift one of these auto's. But that is what age teaches us!

 

My '68 I'm finishing is a slush box, nicer for cruising. That's a vert to though, so I don't really want to do anything but punch the pedal.

 

0-100 mph in 9.9 seconds for my car. 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. This is with drag radials, of course. The computer shifts so much faster and harder than I could manually, and I used to swear that I'd never own an automatic! My first 5 Mustangs were all stick shifts.

If you look at the really, really fast Mustangs out there (8 and 9 second cars), you'll find that most have been converted over to some sort of automatic transmission (powerglide, lentech, C4, C6, etc.). There is a point where shifting for yourself is costing valuable time at the dragstrip, regardless of skill level.

 

Haha didn't mean to start anything fellas, I do it because I love it, never claimed it was any faster. I'm no drag queen, just enjoy driving it. The vert has a C6 sitting in the garage waiting for me to finish the motor actually

 

Brian is correct...and trust me the older you get the slower you get and these ain't you daddy's auto tranmissions anymore!



We are cool Robert. But in all fairness to us you really need to drive one of these cars with a TC and a tweeked tune. Not sure what you would do with your left foot but your right hand might have other duties.