Wanted to let you guys know about some of the changes we have been working on the last couple of years at Circle D Specialties. Most of these have already been incorporated into our line for about 6 months now. We redesigned our entire billet line from the ground up. We incorporated a new deep groove ball bearing into our fronts. This give us an axial and radial load capability for the turbine hub, taking the load off the stator support bushing. Extremely efficient and clean design, very proud of it. In addition to that we have designed the new bearing retainer for greater flow so there are no restrictions in fluid circulation. We also set one standard height for our covers so we can easily interchange different bolt patterns, it is a very cool system. It allows us to build virtually any combo, single or multi in any transmission with any bolt pattern. So no matter what combo you have, we can build a converter for it. We have also updated our multi disk clutches to a stronger steel and heat treat them to eliminate any wear in the outer teeth. So you get a nice and quiet multi disk that will last for years.

Last and definitely not least is our new steel forging. We have spent the last 2 years working on this process from a simple drawing on a napkin to final CAD design and then machining on our CNCs. They have turned out great, very very proud of them. This allows us to machine all our billet fronts in house - single and multi disk - and still be competitive on pricing, while delivering a product that is extremely durable. Also very happy to say they are forged in the USA, we found a great company to work with and were able to keep the money in the USA.

Thanks for reading and would love to hear any comments...

Chris

 

Who makes the bearing?

 

Nice pics, are bearings common things in converters?

 

Looking good definitely has the sex appeal covered

 

We have a few different suppliers for them, but I think they are made in Germany.

The typical 4L60 LS OE converter and most performance converters will have 2 needle bearings and float the turbine to front cover. Without getting to crazy technical, I prefer a 3 bearing setup in a performance vehicle. Allows positive clutch clearance and a tighter end play, removes the chance of internal flexing and a bearing coming off its shoulder. Upgrading to the deep groove ball bearing just makes for an extremely durable setup.

Thanks, we put a lot of effort into fit and finish. Glad you like it!!

Chris

 

Ah yes the needle bearings, I remember seeing them in pics. However, are the roller bearings common in converters whether it be stock or aftermarket units? Curious.

 

There are a few OE converters that use a needle bearing on the turbine to front cover area, and very very few that use a deep groove ball bearing. I have seen the ball bearing in quite a few big industrial converters though, that will give you an idea of the strength it provides. The bearing upgrade is a very cool setup, it is very durable, efficient, and will have a very long life.

Chris

 

Very impressive Chris. Thanks for sharing. I love the technical stuff.

I have to remove the trans and diff from my C5 to fix the torque tube couplers. It's not a trivial task. I am seriously considering a converter up grade as I would like to be able to lock at WOT. I drag race the car as well as daily drive it and was thinking it would be fun to do some road course as well and a locked converter would be a must for that. Current converter is a 3600 stall which wouldn't be happy on the road course for sure.
I'd also love to find a tenth at the drags.

How do you think your stuff would work for that?

Ron

 

You currently have a 245mm single disk. I think our multi disk would be great for the road course, lock it up on the long straight aways, it will remove a lot of heat in the converter and pick up some efficiency. We have used our 258mm before on road course setups, but it might be to tight for you when running the 1/4 mile. Can you send me an "Ask Chris" with all your specs and I will see what I can do for you.

And thanks for the kudos, we love what we do!!

Chris

 

Beauty quality!

 

very nice.......i know where my next converter is coming from !

 

On the way Chris, thanks!

Ron

 

Thanks.... and ready when you are.

Chris

 

Bump for those that have not seen this....

Chris

 

Can you retro the new bearing onto an older circle-d converter?