This may not make a whole lotta sense to most people here....but I actually want to keep my stock converter as my car is a daily driver....with lots of city mileage. I don't like the lag of big stalls.

So, I want to make more top end power....how big of a cam can I get for a stock converter. If I ever buy a second car.....I'll put a bigger TC in....but for now that's not going to happen. I'm not looking to get into the 11's at this point, I just want to trap at 110+.

 

I'd say ~220/220 114lsa. Any bigger and you need to increase idle, not good with stock stall, and also it will bog off the line.

 

fyi i would go with a vert before any cam...your gonna gain more with pretty much any tc than you would with even a huge cam...fwiw i picked up nearly 7 tenths with my 3500 stall over stock.

lata
Bill

 

i would stick with an ls6 am, but like he said, get a converter first. it will be a completely different car.

 

He has stated that he does not want to get a converter. I will say that a mild 3000 stall converter is a very good mix and a nice selection. You'd barely notice it even with DD.

There are several cams that will work very well with the stock converter. PM me if you want one option. Can't post it because the grinder isn't a sponsor.

 

IMO, the stock cam is WAAAAAAAAAAY too big for the stock converter.

Why not at least go with a mild converter? It can actually INCREASE drivability over stock. Some converters you'de be very hard pressed to even tell they are in there unless you put the pedal to the floor (like the Yank Stealth converters.)

Have you driven any 3000 or lower stalls?

 

A 3000 is almost unnoticable.

 

[QUOTE=Colonel]IMO, the stock cam is WAAAAAAAAAAY too big for the stock converter.

QUOTE]

oh yea!

 

I have a 224/226 with my stock converter. It drives just fine. It tugs slightly when comming to a stop. That is it. No problems. With that said, I do need a bigger converter to take advantake of my new power band.

 

"With that said, I do need a bigger converter to take advantake of my new power band."

That's an understatement.

Like I said before, the STOCK cam needs a MUCH bigger converter to take advantage of it's power range. When LS1s very first came out many people thought they were slower than LT1s after a quick testdrive. Why? Because they didn't make good power waaaaaaaaaaay down low where the tight converter forces you to be much of the time.

A higher stalling converter is undoubtedly, unarguably, undisputedly, and undeniably THE SINGLE BEST MOD that can made to an LS1 A4 car...all things considered.

 

i would think you would need a higher stall to hit a 110+ with even a small cam.my tr220 is a little soft down low,and that's a pretty small cam by today's standards.i just went to the track tonight and with the stock verter went a best of 13.19 at 108.70.granted,that's with crappy street tires,and i'm still on the stock tune but i think you get the picture.even a mild conveter will keep your rpm's up between shifts a lot better than the stock one. if i'm wrong somebody chime in and correct me.

 

I'd do a converter WAY before a cam. so many people are in the LOW 12's/HIGH 11's on the stock cam with bolts ons and a decent converter.

I run a 3800 stall in my car, now I know what you''re thinking (holy **** that is WAY too big to run on the street) but really its not. My dad drives the car and he can't tell it has a converter, until he hits it.

A converter is the single best thing you can do for your car, seriously, it makes your automatic car "alive" and really fun and enjoyable to drive.

gas mileage isn't affected, daily driving is the same, etc etc.

Listen to Colonel he knows what he's talking about. I basically copied his setup when he ran 11.85 in his full interior car and I'm at 12.2 and I'm untuned. That shows the potential a stock internal car has..

feel free to pm me with questions.

 

On street tires the gains with high stall high STR converter are not that huge. On 1/4 using street tires the gains of a suitable cam only are roughly the same as verter. On street the verter of course gets rid of the dead spots which has more significant effect overall.

 

Buy a new converter first!

BTW.. if not properly tuned, the cam will cause a larger lost of MPG than a converter.

 

who makes a good converter around 2500? if it matters it will be going in a 4000lb 03 silverado with a 5.7 ls1 pushing it.

 

TCI does! That is what I have! Just installed it. But I talked to the techs at TCI and Lunati where I bought my cam. They deal with these questions every day. Theey can recomend the right combo for you, but you have to be honest with yourself and them. I also drive alot in the city and wanted a converter that would allow me to have a bigger cam, but not with the normal problems associated with a high stall converter. Allot of the guys on here think I need a bigger converter, but I don't. Niether did the techs at TCI or Lunati! I should have mine running this weekend.

 

keep me posted on how it runs...... also how much did you pay for the converter? part # ? 4l60e right?

 

So....what you're saying is screw the cam......and get a converter....cause I'm not too sure.....could you guys be a bit more clear?

I didn't want to go with a converter because I was worried about the car 'feeling' loose and a decrease in gas mileage.

I realize that this post has now gone from internal to automatic transmission........but does anyone know of a good thread or link to where I can learn a bit more about converters? I've been reading for months but I still don't understand STR....etc.

The car is my daily driver....

 

Will do!

Summit Racing Equip.

TCI-242800 GM: 4L60E, 12 in., lock-up, torque converter - Tomorrow - $389.95

I believe this is the correct number: #242938. This is 11" breakaway converter that I have! The one above is for 93-97 The price is the same

 

Yank's website would be a good start. www.converter.cc/

And of course, do some searching and reading in the auto section here at LS1Tech.