Onebadwedge

iTrader: (1)

I have "stock" car in the sig.
I'm trying to get a "feel" for how an aftermarket
torque converter is going to drive in the car.

I know that the stock TC is a 1600 1.6str.

Here is the driving impression I have.
If I am in a parking lot and drive it around
at 1500rpm, it will not shift into 2nd gear.
If I go more that 1500rpm, it will shift
and the rpms will drop down to 1200ish.
Now I am in 2nd gear.
If I drive around at 1500rpm, it will not shift.
It will shift once I go OVER 1600rpm.

I'm not sure why this does this.
Is it because the TC is a 1600 or because
the computer is setup to shift like this?

If I get an aftermarket torque converter, let's say
a Yank 3000 2.0 str, does that mean it won't
shift from 1st to 2nd until I get over 3000 rpm?
Then again, the same thing from 2nd to 3rd?


This doesn't sound right to me because at 2200rpm
I am cruising at 65MPH. I'm trying to get a feel
of how a 3000 torque converter is going to drive
in my car. This is a daily driver.

thanks

TheHauntedZ28

When I took my tranny to get it rebuilt, the mechanic told me that it's supposed shift between 15-20 MPH... then again at about 30 mph. I just recently put a 3500 stall in and it's not bad... The only difference is that the RPMs go up a bit more. It still shifts when it gets between 15-20 mph. It's almost as if I put after market gears. When the stall "locks-up" then it's back to normal driving. This is usually after 45 mph(atleast for me) and it's as if you had a "stock" stall. You can still be at 2200 RPM and be cruising at 65. No difference there. Best way to explain a higher stall is just constantly being ready to rip a rustang/slobra apart. I don't know if you've ever driven a manual car but it's like dropping down a gear. If you step on the gas it'll "flash" to the stall speed. My advice is to just hold on for the ride. I didn't think it would make THAT big of a difference but it has. I had the same worries as you have. This is my daily driver and it's not killing me on gas. And if you do a lot of driving over 45 then you won't notice ANY drop in gas. Atleast with the 3500 stall that I have. I wouldn't know how driving is with a higher stall.

DeepBlueZ

first of all the stock stall on an ls1 is 18-1900 rpm not 1600 so obviously the shift point is not determined by stall speed. that said, my converter stalls at around 3800 rpm (vig rates em low). when driving in traffic i can usually have the car shift around 24-2800 rpm so again, the car will still shift below stall speed. the only difference at light throttle with an aftermarket stall is the fact that you will typically be revving about 800-1000 more rpm at slow acceleration. rather than "catching" immediately and the rpm climbimg slowly, you will basically give the car a little gas and it will immediately slip to around 2000-2500 rpm. you wont hear the typical climbing of rpm and then a drop after a shift. it will be more like a steady 2500 or so rpm as you accelerate, then the car will shift and the rpm will drop a little and remain constant again as you accelerate through the next gear.

the more you get into the throttle, the faster the rpm will climb until u hit stall speed. once you give it enough gas to get above stall speed the car starts to pull much harder. flat punch it and your tach will typically jump IMMEDIATELY up past 4000+ rpm. the car will pull like mad all the way up to redline and after a shift will only drop rpm back to the "shift extension". aftermarket converters raise the shift extension to 4000-5000 rpm. this means that at full throttle, the engine will NEVER drop below this RPM after the initial acceleration through first gear. this keeps the motor in the powerband, rather than allowing the drivetrain to drag the motor down to 2XXX rpm at the bottom of the next gear which kill acceleration (basically you wont have that "dead spot" at around 38-40 mph where you punch it and kick down to the very BOTTOM of second gear).

overall, the car will just feel "loose" when accelerating slowly. it's almost like having a slipping tranny. once you step on it though, HOLD ON. if your at a low enough speed where the car will shift down to first, dont even bother flooring it...you will ANNHILATE the tires. like i said my stall is a 3800 with a 2.5 STR so its a little higher than what you want to go with but i can still blow the tires off at 40 or so so the 3000 will break yours loose at any speed up to around 30-35.

for everyday driving, the converter will feel weird for about a day. after that you get used to it and you'll hardly notice it in day to day driving. my car is a semi-daily driver and i have pretty good drivability so a 3000 stall would be a great choice for a daily driven car. IMO, definitely go with the converter. its THE mod to start making an A4 car fast and its just plain fun... you definitely will want to look into some drag radials tho as launching on street tires will basically be impossible. good luck.

Damage Inc.

iTrader: (7)

My YTP4200 is lots of fun. After you get it to hook anywhere /everywhere in the powerband, it's priceless.

You'll get used to driving around town and it actually helps you be tame when driving. It's either smash it or drive like an old lady, there's really no in between with a big stall. Enjoy.

heyitsTaJay

i have had my VIG3200 for about 10 days. after hearing all the talk about ripping the tires up i was afraid to nail it. well today i was feelin good and wanted to see what it was like. (the feeling of your stomach being pushed in as the almighty LS1 flys) so i nailed it and was gone! i only hit it for a second and that thing was screamin for more! VIG is an awesome converter in my eyes bcuz they are underrated. i flashed 3800 which i think is the perfect RPM for LS1's. its high enough to really feel the power band, and low enough to maintain awesome driveability. i got used to my converter within hours.
good luck to ya!


J

elderon

Definately get a converter if you're on the fence about it. You won't regret it. Go high on the stall too. No less than 3500 stall. Once you get used to it you will hardly notice it. I drive mine everyday around the city. Its no big deal.

blkZ28spt

Don't even worry about the driveability. A mid to high 3,XXX stall is perfect. (Vig3200, TCI SSF3500...) I got the SSF3500 in last week, it kicks ***. Normal driving is no problem whatsoever. Also, I can punch it on a roll in first gear and it will just stick and GO. I still havn't figured out how to best launch it from a dead stop without too much spinning though. Maybe I dont spin them on a roll because i have practically bald nittos and my car isn't making as much power as a lot of other people's are?

It is seriously worth it to listen to what people on this board have to say. I have made some of my best decisions thanks to that. When I got headers I ditched my loudmouth for true duals, and when i had money for something big this summer I got a converter and went bigger on the stall than I would have thought I wanted. I probably would not have done either of those two things had it not been for reading up and asking questions on LS1tech. Two of the best decisions I have ever made