98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

I've got a 98 t/a with mods in sig. I really want to get into the low 12's or high 11's but to get there I know i'll need a torque converter. I just ordered a FAST90/90 and need to get the car tuned, but i still can't really see the car making more than 350rwhp, right? It seems pretty hit or miss on when the stock tranny will give up but I really just don't want to spend the $2000 to have one built just so I can have a converter. I was looking to go with a Yank 3800 or 4000 but when I called, they strongly recommended to wait until I could do both at the same time, converter and tranny. Because if the tranny goes with the converter in there I have to send it back to them to have it reconditioned and cleaned. Only problem is that's close to $3,000 and i just don't have that right now. Not to mention as soon as it hooks the rear end will probably go too. Damn GM for putting a shitty tranny and rear in these cars!

Do you guys think I should wait too? Will the tranny hold up for a while? How can alot of people say that the conveter is one of the first things that an A4 guy should do when it kills the transmission? I see alot of guys on this board running converters and running good numbers with them, do you guys have a build tranny, or are you on the stock one?

I guess what I'm saying is that I want to get one, but I don't want to have to buy a tranny too. I'm scared to throw a converter in there and have the tranny go immediately. I will invest in a new tranny and rear end when i do the heads and cam that I have planned. Only because then i hope to be making upwards of 450rwhp, and I could understand needing to replace those units for stronger ones. The car has about 65k miles on it now, so it's not alot of miles on the tranny at all, and it seems to be holding up just fine right now. I'm really just not sure what to do. Sorry for the long post. Thanks

c0ncEpT

iTrader: (4)

Your not gunna run high 11's with out a converter A converter alone could put you down in the 12.4-12.5 range

performabuilt

iTrader: (25)

There is something to be said about getting the trans and converter as a set , But I have also noted there are many people running just a converter in your power level with the stock trans and seem to be doing quite well

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

so do you guys think that I'll be alright as long as I don't go with a heads and cam?

performabuilt

iTrader: (25)

Well with the stock setup you have you should be ok as long as the trans is in good shape to start with,Nobody can say for sure though like I said some are fine and some are not but your odds are decent

germeezy1

A4 guys tend to have less ten bolt failures. Also remember that a stall by itself won't make a tranny fail but its very important to get the best tranny cooler money will buy you.

h8s2w8

iTrader: (3)

Personally I would buy it and put it in. My tranny is at 51k... not as many miles but its still going strong. Its a somewhat easy install for the most part. I had mine on the ground completely taken apart and had it back in and running in 3 hours with me and one other. Just by a damn good cooler.

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

If you have taken care of your transmission, I would go for it. Along with the required transmission cooler, I would also go ahead and put a TransGo shift kit in while it is sitting on the floor. It will make your shifts quicker and can lengthen the life of the clutches (less slippage during shifts).

rgriffin

Dude you bought a fast 90/90 and are worried about spending cash on the tranny and verter. :?

I would just pick up a good verter and tranny cooler and toss it in. Just continue to save up your coins for the day when your tranny dies.

SeriousPWRTRIP

I just got my car back 2 days ago after a tranny freshening, transcooler, and having a Vig 2800 installed. Its a totally different animal now. The car lagged on shifts before and got progressively worse over time. Now, it shifts quick. If your transmission isnt in bad shape right now, I would add a shift kit, a converter, and a cooler and call it a day until you install heads and cam. That should last you awhile before you add more power and have to upgrade it again. In which case, you can reuse those 3 things!

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

rgriffin, I bought the FAST 90/90 because I found a hell of a deal on it and bought the entire set up for like $800 shipped. I thought it was a pretty good deal since I plan on going VERY big with a heads and cam setup down the road and didn't see any point in doing an LS6 now, and then switching in a year or so....

As far as everything else goes, I'll probably go ahead and pick a converter up then. I was wanting to go 4k stall. But do you guys think that's too high? The heads/cam package I was wanting to go with was the Vindicator/Trick Flow package from Vengeance Racing.

What cooler should I go with to keep the tranny the coolest? and What shift kit should I use? Can I put it in myself or should I have a shop do it? thanks

ChocoTaco369

it says a lot when a tranny can last behind a stock 350 hp V8 typically for 120,000+ miles, 150,000 in many cases. it says a lot when you see a website full of guys putting cams in their car after 100,000 miles, still on their stock A4. it says a lot when you see people sporting full bolt-ons and torque management deleted for tens of thousands of miles, power level over 50 horsepower above stock, still on stock transmissions as the norm. so i kinda laugh when i hear people call the 4L60E junk because a stock one breaks when you supercharge your car or cam it and raise the shift points 800 rpms over the recommended max. it's kinda funny, like a fat person complaining about being fat, then drowning their sorrows with a pint of ice cream.

4L60E's die because idiots put full bolt-ons and a cam, shifting 800+ rpms over stock, with a stock driveline. everybody wants more power, but no one wants to pay to support that power. the 4L60E is a fine transmission, vastly superior to most out there. it breaks because of user ignorance and neglect, and gets talked down on because of a community of trans builders that generally don't know how to build it.

ChocoTaco369

how much did it cost you to get a converter, shift kit and cooler installed? did you do servos and accumulator pistons, too?

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

I recommend calling the converter company and asking them, telling them what the ultimate goal of your car will be. The worst thing you could do is go too small and want a larger one later. But they are the experts and should be able to tell you the correct model to purchase.
There are a lot of choices in coolers. I went with a B&M, which has served me very well. For more $$, you can even go with a unit with a fan installed. Installation of a cooler is very easy and straightforward.
The TransGo HD2 kit is the only way to go IMHO. Very high quality unit. You could install it yourself if you take your time. I found a shop that knew the little tricks with the valve body that make it shift smoothly, and have been very pleased with the results. BTW, 2 washers is the way to go. When you get the kit, you will understand.

tigertales

Just do it. Best mod for the $$$.

rgriffin

Yes the verter was one of the best mod investments Ive made. Just get you a 30k tranny cooler and run the verter till the tranny starts acting up. Just do it dude... you will like it trust me. Even if I didnt gain anywhere else, getting rid of the 30mph deadspot in the A4 made it a worthwhile purchase. Dont kid yourself, alot of people will try to jump you around this speed if they know you have an A4 LS1.

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

Alright, thanks guys, I think I'll just go for it and get one. I'm not going to be running heads, cam, spray boost or anything wild like that until I have the money for a built trans and new rear end, so I think i'll be alright. I just want to get the biggest cooler possible, just to be safe, along with a shift kit.

So I'm assuming that with a 4k stall ill probably need a tune, correct? But what exactly will I need to get tuned? and will it be okay to drive it to the shop after I install it? The shop is about an hour away.

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

Oh, and chocotaco369, when I made the comment, "Damn GM for putting a weak tranny and rear in these cars" I was mainly referring to the rear end. And I'm quite certain that pretty much everyone on this board would be more than willing to show their abundance of appreciation towards GM for choosing the 10 bolt of all rears. However, I do agree with your point that the primary reason that the 4L60's fail is due to lack of maintenance or people throwing upwards of 400whp at them and expecting them to hold up. And to their credit, some of these trannies will in fact, hold up for a little while. But the majority of them don't.

My only gripe with the transmissions chosen for these cars is that they can handle the stock power fine in most cases, but look at what we drive... We drive muscle cars. We drive F-Bodies; Trans Am's and Camaro's. C'mon GM, do you really think that we are just going to drive these cars nicely on the street, and that they are going to stay stock forever? Hell no, we are going to beat the crap out of them and take them to the track, and add horsepower to them whenever we get the funds.

They had to have known this. I just wish that they would have thought it out a little bit more and maybe stepped up to something in the neighborhood of maybe the 4l80? That would have been just fine for most mild modders out there. Hell, most of us are now not even sticking with a built 4l60, we're getting rid of it all together and taking it upon ourselves to step up to the 80. Anyways, I suppose the point of this entire thing was to tell you that I agree with what you said and to explain where I was coming from.

germeezy1

What is a 4000 stall now will be a different stall entirely with power changes. I would go with something more appropriate to what your setup is now, and have it redone when the time comes. Do not remove the shift torque management when you get it tuned if you want the tranny to live.

germeezy1

With a stall and FLP tranny mine has no soft spots anywhere it just pulls and pulls even from the 40 mph zone which is too much for 1st and too low for 2nd.