platinum310

im debating on which stall/torque converter to get:
slp 2800 $424
yank 2600 $359
tci 3000 $439

keep in mind im on a tight budget, does the 2600-3000 really make that much of a difference, is it really worth $100 more. i dont race that often nor drive my baby that much

DeepBlueZ

in my opinions anything under a 3200 stall is pointless....3000 is marginal but to really see a gain in the car's performance, go with a 3500 or so....i love my 3800. driveability is still very good and the car pulls like crazy. if you're looking to spend under 500 bucks, you can't go wrong with a TCI Super Street Fighter 3500. these cars don't make any real power below 3000 rpm so they need a decently high stall to really get moving. the 2600 is NOT in any way worth paying for.

platinum310

dont i need better gears though, i only have 3.23

DeepBlueZ

not at all. i ran my 12.11 pass on 3.23s with my old 3400 stall TCS converter. the converter will help regardless of gears. if you intend to use nitrous in the future, i wouldnt even WANT a gear higher than a 3.42 (MAYBE a 3.73). a big stall plus big gearing causes major league traction problems and like i said, on spray, can cause you to actually run out of gear.

i know of guys going 11s (maybe faster) still on 3.23s. trust me on this one, i don't know everything but i DO know that LS1s LOVE a 3200+ stall. slightly taller gears would help, but you're not gonna be mismatched or anything with the 3.23s still in there.

heyitsTaJay

TCI3500 if your on a budget. nothing lower tho. it will be a huge waste of money

94form2000z

iTrader: (10)

Look into the TCI SSF 3500. Don't go smaller or you'll be doing another TC swap before you know it.

Colonel

3.23s are fine. I ran 11.20 heads/cam with them. I also ran 11.82 (1.61 60ft) with a TCI SSF3500 and an internally stock engine with these gears.

platinum310

thanks guys, i will go with the tci3500 from texas speed for $519, it will still drive the same right? will it only increase power from a complete stop 2 go or on highways also

DeepBlueZ

it will drive ALMOST the same. you will feel a slight "looseness" of the throttle at low RPM because the converter will slip slightly more to get the engine closer to its powerband. for example, if your car used to shift at 1800 rpm at 15% throttle it will now shift at around 2300-2400 rpm at 15% throttle. however, the slipping will go away as soon as u get near stall speed so dont think the TC will slow your car down in any way.

the converter will make the greatest difference from a stop (with traction of course) however you will get a slight boost from a roll too due to the fact that when you hammer it, the converter will downshift and flash to a much higher rpm then it used to. ya know that DEAD spot where you're just a little too fast to downshift to 1st? that will be reduced because the converter will flash up higher right off the bat. in addition your shift extension (the RPM that the motor drops TO after an upshift) will be higher, thus keeping the engine in its powerband ALL the way through each gear.

in short, you will probably (like i did) hate the converter for about the first 15 minutes of driving it. its a slightly awkward feeling at first. however the first time you romp on the gas from 20 mph and the tires go up in smoke, you will be QUITE happy.

Colonel

The first time you drive a 3500 converter it goes like this...

Ick! What's wrong with my car?!? Is this normal? This CAN'T be good! Is the tranny slipping???

15 minutes later...

WOW!!! This thing hauls AZZ!!! NO MORE DEAD SPOT! Still kind of loose now but maybe it isn't so bad.

30 minutes later...

Feels fine now. I love it!

1 hour later...

Hmmm....I need stickier tires.

3 days later...

This thing feels almost stock to me now. Maybe I should have gone with the 3800?

94form2000z

iTrader: (10)

exactly!

DeepBlueZ

couldn't have put it better myself Colonel....

Myth01

any of you know any tranny shops around the bay area for an instal on a converter(thats halfway decent

Rick01SS

Exactly..

Just get a Yank SS4000 and be done with it.

MNR-0

Is the Yank SS3600 a better street converter than the TCI SSF3500? In other words, does it pull more like stock and is tighter all round? Will both perform equally well at the Drags? If so, whats it like compared to the Yank 3000?

Colonel should know as I reckon hes tried every converter known to man and then perhaps some.