Got a 98 WS6 A4, already has aftermarket lid and catback exhaust so i guess next step is a new stall. I know there's lots of threads about what stall is best for what(i've been sifting through the forums here looking at just about everything for probably about 36 hours now minus sleep) so I wont get into that. What i don't understand is people say that a stall too inclined to drag racing will be a pain in the *** for normal driving. I don't understand why that is.

my understanding is that the stall makes it so that I can keep my foot on the brake and gas to higher revs before the back wheels break loose and start spinning. how does this effect normal street driving where my foot is all the way off the brakes before I hit the gas? is my understanding of what it does wrong or am I just missing something?

 

a quality stall will be very streetable and make even everyday driving more enjoyable.

of course with sticky tires itll help you launch alot harder and keep you in your engines peak power range longer.

 

The higher TC just takes more RPM to get the car moving at same speed as stock TC. My ss3600 isnt a PITA at all! Im totally used to it now. I cant say exactly how many more RPM it takes over stock TC but its probly 400-500 more RPM. Very easy to drive and I bet a 4k stall would be no problem for me.

 

stall speed is the rpm at where your Converter will stall teh engine no matter where your foot is if you were on a trans brake...
a 2800 stall would transbrake up to 2800 rpm, a 4400 stall wold transbrake up to 4400rpm

Flash stall(also transbrake stall) is the true stall of a torque converter. Brake stall, or “foot brake stall,” is the rpm that occurs when the engine overrides the brake system and the car begins to “push” forward. You simply hold the brake and slowly accelerate until the car bogs the engine down and then begins to move forward.

STR is just what the name implies. The ratio of torque multiplication at stall. As soon as the turbine rotates (car moves) the ratio starts dropping rapidly until enough RPM has been reached for the ratio to drop to 1:1. The RPM that the ratio reaches 1:1 varies depending on other factors in and out of the torque converter such as impeller exit angle, stator design, impeller to turbine clearance, input torque (engine), etc. A fact that most everyone overlooks is that a torque converter does not make torque! It takes the torque the engine produces and multiplies it for a very short period of time. This is why some cars perform better than others with the same torque converter.



heres a great read that is very helpful in understanding what your converter is doing

http://www.converter.cc/tech_talk/

 

In all honesty I dont see why youd get a stall now without a cam. In your case drivability would be bad even with a small one. JMO

 

you dont need a stall till you get a cam...it's a waste of money....and a stall WILL cost a lot in gas for a DD. i have a 3400stall and it locks up at 48mph...which means untill I get to 48mph the stall is eating gas because its turnig the motor at a higher RPM to move the car. When the stall locks up it's like adding another gear. The cool thing about the stalls is that it keeps the motor reving while the trans is shifting..it never drops down between gear changes.....does that make any sence??

 

Theres no way its a waste of money. I would say its one of the better mods to do to an auto f-body. stock or not. Just the type you get depends on what you plan to do with the car or if your leaving it as is. Far from a waste

 

It doesn't net you that much less mpg and is fun even on a stock car and better for racing weven with a stock setup

 

I agree with this. Even in a stock car you are going to see great track results from a stall change. Unless you are using FI, you will not see any gain from any one mod that you will from going to a bigger converter.

Before you make a stall choice you have to think of what you would like to use the car ,for example, Street/Strip or both and also your future mods. You want to get the right stall that will complement your setup. If it’s a car that you plan to street drive and go to the track a couple times a year I would recommend a stall of 3000 to 3600. That’s just my opinion and there are many guys in this forum that would agree and disagree. It honestly really comes down to what you want to do with the car and what you are going to be comfortable with.

To answer the main question, it is going to affect gas millage of your car by a little when you go from a stock stall to an aftermarket stall. You will be giving the car more gas to get it moving and also the converter will usually not lock up and your car will be cruising at a higher RPM range. This is the only trouble you may see from a larger stall. Hope that helps!

 

That is totally incorrect. I have over 6 years on my DD bolt-on Yank SS 3600. It's the best bang for the buck you could ever spend.

 

OP, Ill say this. You need to decide what the car will be used for the majority of the time (whats your goals for the car). Also, if youre going to cam it later its better to pick a stall now that will compliment that cam if you really want a stall first.

 

PFWHAT?!?! A stall is a waste of money without a cam?! WHAT?! OP dont listen to that nonsense because thats just what it is...nonsense. Get your stall. And fwiw it looks like I get better mpg on highay but less city with the ss3600. But even with less mpg with city driving it isnt that bad one bit.

 

you obviously have no understanding of how a stall works or how it really reacts...
I know your signature says you have a vig3200...
but seriously... I daily drive a yank Py3600, that stalls up to 4400 on my car...
and its incredible to drive...

the only reason a stall would suck is if your tune is so out of whack that you dont have good throttle response until you get to WOT..
which on F-body's a bad tune for the engine = a bad feeling transmission as well.
Unfortunately in the GM cars where the PCM is the TCM, they tied together a bunch of fueling tables that greatly affect how the transmission behaves...
perfect example being even the slightest hint of a misfire and your converter will unlock...

as far as picking a stall...
its really dependent on the end user...
obviously a lower rpm cam that is a stock to small profile doesnt usually make sense to have a 5500 stall...
and vice versa, a big duration cam that wants to see a lot of upper rpm wouldnt like a 2200 stall

small stalls are put in OEM applications to help keep wear and tear down and to make it perform similar to a manual transmission.
this helps with both emissions and with the average customers perspective view of how it should drive.

at part throttle you may have to give it a little more gas with a bigger stall, but its not going to hurt your MPG by all that much... especially once you are going down the road..
its no worse than putting in a higher rear end gear and you get more benefits by staying in your engines torque and power range more.

as far as what converter to get, that is really all personal preference...
I highly suggest joining a local forum near where you live and try to take a ride in as many vehicles as you can with various different stalls in them before you decide what is best for you..
really the brand is trivial... the actual real stall speed is what you need to be most concerned with.
once you figure out which size you want, then you can start thinking about the brands and specifics within each brand... there are differnt feel's to how the converter launches at the line and how they rev up to flash stall RPM...but otherwise they are all the same basic machine internally.
some will hit harder on the line than others, some series are designed with Nitrous in mind, etc, etc, etc...
always get a stall with a Billet Cover.. there is no reason not to...its stronger than an anti-ballooning plate and better in the long run
also, dont go cheap... cheap converters are not generally going to hold up as well and will need rebuilt a lot more than a higher priced one...
figure that you should spend between 700~1000 for a good one

 

I have a vigilante 3200 stall and it drives very much like stock. I have no doubt that i could daily drive a 4k stall easily. I would atleast suggest go with a 3800 size stall.

 

Just stop posting

 

so then I don't need a cam before a stall?

 

Hell no you don't. I ran a 3200 on the stock cam and honestly the car needed more stall IMO. It did good with the 32 but a 36 woulda been better. I then ran the 3200 with a tr224 and after a couple thousand miles I couldn't stand it anymore and I went to a Yank SS4k. Loved it. I went a little bigger on the cam after that, and now I'm itching for a 4400 to match, but I'm gonna keep what I got for now.

 

Getting a cam before a stall is "WHAT NOT TO DO"
You need a stall first.

 

the cam and the stall come hand in hand.....why wast the money on a stall if you dont have anything else done....soo you can wast gas....you guy have more money then me...LOL

 

I think you should stop posting... I get the feeling that you are probably one of those guys who believes that an Auto isnt fun on the street and the only way to have fun is own a manual transmission...




guys are going up to a half second quicker bone stock with only a stall...
its not a waste of gas...if going from 23mpg to 22mpg is a waste... then you shouldnt drive a v8 in the first place.