LS1BlackBird99

iTrader: (202)

Can someone explain a little bit about stall converters? I am looking for the absolute best street converter for my ls1. What does "str" mean and is that a big factor in how streetable it is? This is my daily driver and it has to be 100% streetable and still get good gas mileage.

TRU-2GM

iTrader: (6)

If you still looking for gas milage i wouldnt recommend going over a 3500. How often do you race the car? Is it a stock tranny? A cooler will be needed as well. I would just do a search and call some places to see what stall would go with your set up. I called up and talked to YANK about there stalls and told them my set up and what i was looking at and they helped me out a ton. I would recomend calling them or shoot "YANK" on the forum here a PM. They'll help ya out.

tjswanson2001

iTrader: (1)

You can look at my mods in my sig... I will still get low/mid 20 mpg on the highway... The torque converter still locks up, so your loss in mpg is from city driving. STR is stall torque ratio.. it's pretty much how much the stall converter multiplies the torque, I think the factory converter is around 1.8 str. My Yank SS3600 is a 3600 stall w/ a 2.5 str. I consider my car still very streetable, I could drive it everyday if I wanted. With the higher stall you just have to give the car a little bit more gas from stop... so in stop and go city traffic, I'll prolly get like 14-17 mpg depending on how easy you are with the gas pedal. I wouldn't get anything less than a 3600 stall, I got mine and now I wish I had a 4000 stall.. I have a tranny cooler (a must), BUT YOU DO NOT NEED A SHIFT KIT. I run my torque converter without a shift kit and it's just fine, although you may want the car tuned after the torque converter goes in. The transmission will need to have shift points and other perameters changed. Take the car to a reputable speed shop to have the car tuned.

LS1BlackBird99

iTrader: (202)

Is it a bad idea to buy a used stall? My budget definitely plays a big part in modding. I found a midwest 3400 with 2.5str. It has about 11k miles on it. I just want to be able to put something it without having to mess with it again for a long time!

tjswanson2001

iTrader: (1)

I would buy from Yank, Fuddle Racing, Precision Industries or TCI..... You don't want a poorly made torque converter. As long as the torque converter wasn't abused, there is no problem with buying a used one... I'd just look around a lot until you find the one you want.. I personally wouldn't buy a midwest for my car. I would stick with one of the 4 companies I mentioned. Just keep looking around, but if I were you I wouldn't buy anything less then a 3600 stall with a str ratio somewhere in the 2.2-2.6 region. Happy hunting.

LS1BlackBird99

iTrader: (202)

Ok well I found a TCI 3500 w/2.5str lockup. It has about 4500 miles on it. Or should I just wait and spend $400 on a new fuddle racing unit?

tjswanson2001

iTrader: (1)

A lot of people on this forum say great things about Fuddle Racing converters... I'd go with either Fuddle or Yank.... Get the Fuddle, it's a great price and you get great service from what I hear.

LS1BlackBird99

iTrader: (202)

That's what I was thinking. Just took advantage of their special that ends tomorrow. $350 for a stall! Who can beat that??

tjswanson2001

iTrader: (1)

That's great, you got a good deal. I paid $600 for my brand new Yank SS3600, I figured I couldn't go wrong with the price I paid for it! Enjoy, there's nothing like driving a stalled A4 F-body!