RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

After lots of TC research on this board, I had pretty much made up my mind on the SS3600 and was hoping to have the money for one in a few months. But several posts recently have indicated that like the SS3600, the TCI 3000 offers near-stock driveability, and is capable of similar gains. Yet it is half the price. My car is pretty much stock, driven daily, 85% in town, 15% freeway, to the track once or twice a year. It may see headers and cam someday, but that's a long way off. What do you guys think?

Wesley SS

The TCI 3000 does act a lot a stock convertor, granted it does slip some taking off but its NOTHING a 4400. I gained around .4 compared to the factory convertor, good luck on your decision.

4mula

im a fan of the tci 3000 stall. its almost stock feeling and ill bet i gained about 4 tenths.
ill be at the track on the 12th and will post results.

samz28

your mpg will suck ***** with any real verter. PERIOD. trust me. see my mods. 9mpg in city, tuned well. hauls *****, but 9mpg???

more like 23-24 on freeway. speed limit is 35 mostly here so 45mph is 10 over and 42 is lockup.

I strongly suggest not getting a 3500 stall for any car that will have a cam of decent size, the shift extension on my tci ssf3500 is too low for drag racing. shoulda gone bigger.

seriously rethink your plan man, the stalls suck ***** in the city, most people that say otherwise drive 2 minutes onto the freeway to work and cruise locked up.

I drive my vw cause the mpg sucks, i will be leaning out the motor (ls1) a good bit in closed loop mode soon to get some mpg back, if i can get 12-14 that would be great but still too expensive at 18 miles per day.

Think about it like this:
it takes me 30-40 minutes each way okay. The same dude rocking a M6 with 4.10's on the freeway at normal cruising speeds say 70-80 will eat the same amount of gas, obviously the m6 will go farther.

I dont say i have the best tune, it does haul ***** and got me plenty of tickets (slippery stall = loud exhaust + slow speed [cops think fast]).

just a tip,check out the video i posted on in town driving with the 3500 ssf 2.5STR. it's probably a wise choice for someone who never plans to do cams just all boltons.

2xLS1

iTrader: (25)

Paul, you know what my car felt like with the Yank ST3500. Both of my cars have ST3500s. If I had to pick a converter today, I would go with a Yank SS3800. That would probably drive real close to a ST3500 and perform better at the track. I disagree with a lot of Sam's post. I still get 18-20 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the highway.

94form2000z

iTrader: (10)

I get descent mileage with mine and I daily drive it 40 miles.

I'd go with the 3500 on your application.

PREDATOR-Z

I have the TCI 3500, W/3:73 and it rocks for Street/Strip. Granted it is not the most efficient or a track killer, but for $500 bucks it kills.
20mpg highway/17 city
On top of that it handles 150 shot dry, IMO no complaints here.
However with my new H/C, I think I will go SS4000

4mula

mpg does go take a ****.
in chicago my car almost never gets to overdrive because of traffic.
when it does get into OD the mpg is fine. around town driving , the mpg sucks.

94form2000z

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like you guys with crappy mileage either need better gears to get you to the lockup MPH quicker or you maybe need a better tuner. Mine locks up at 40MPH and I can get there rather quickly.

4mula

i have 3.23 gears. my car locks up at 39mph. the problem is chicago traffic doesnt get to 39 mph or more.

2xLS1

iTrader: (25)

Then drive in 3rd where the lockup is going to be around 29~31 mph.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Yeah, but locked up at low speeds and low rpms means no throttle response and engine bogging - unless you use the throttle to unlock, which is cumbersome and defeats the whole purpose of this "economy strategy." People often advocate aftermarket stalls for better driveability - but the way you guys are talking, for use that is mostly in town, it would seem better to stay stock. Right or wrong?

2xLS1

iTrader: (25)

The staying locked is for those wanting the better mileage. Where you want to be locked and unlocked will probably change with a higher stall converter. Honestly, I don't even remember what driving a stock converter feels like.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I guess my point it is that I don't want to lug around town, trying to save every drop of gas, just so I can feel great when I bolt on some slicks, go to the track and turn a great time. I want my car to feel great every day, be able to jump on when I want to, and to be maximized at the track. To me, the Yank 3600 (and maybe 3800) epitomized the best balance of those goals. I was wondering if the TCI 3000 would fit the bill for a lot less money.

4mula

its gonna fit the bill.

4mula

so it locks in 3rd, big deal. getting to third with the trans lingering in every gear longer is still gonna eat more gas.
i personally dont care about gas milage.

samz28

lugging the motor around isn't the best thing you can do for it either. you dont see M6 folks doing 40mph in 4th gear around town do ya? the VE of the cammed motor is extremely poor down load anyways, so you will throw mpg into the toilet. i sure as shiz dont drive my vw at 1000-1500rpm in city, more like 2000-3500 to keep it peppy and near peak torque (supercharged). Lugging is just bad news for a motor imo. probably just as bad as misfiring a big cam at idle to sound cool.

Ragtop 99

iTrader: (7)

I have a bigger cam and a bigger stall and while my mpg sucks in town, ~ 13 mpg, it is nowhere near as bad as Sam's car.

The Yank SS3600 is going to outperform the TCI 3000 and have similar drivability. The TCI will deliver a good gain for less money. Is the Yank worth the extra money, that is a personal choice. If you decide you went too small, a common result after six months of driving with a 3000 stall, you'll have to buy a new converter and do another install. That will eat up all your savings right there.

94form2000z

iTrader: (10)

and it seems the thing you guys are missing is you can lock that converter at your preference. You can also shift at your preference. You can make the car not go into 4th till whatever MPH you want. You just need a tuner.

3000 stall <---- waste of money in my opinion, and I too have no clue what it is like to drive one of these cars with a stock converter. I really don't care to remind myself.

samz28

3000rpm in 2nd locked
2000rpm in 3rd locked
1200rpm in 4th locked (incorrect #'s im generalizing).

which eats more gas and which will annihilate the single clutch lockup?

keep in mind:
stopping (engine braking)
starting/traffic
inclines
lockup clutch wear from shifting?
Just curious, maybe some of you tuners can explain how to optimize heavy city street tuning to make that 20mpg or whatever. speed limits are 35mph, already got one 68 in 35, so im not getting near 45 mph as much as possible.