Torque Converter / Gearing Question
Torque Converter / Gearing Question I picked up a 3000-3200 stall for my 69 Chevelle (3200lb car). Current cam is .585/.585 228/232 112LSA. 10.8:1 compression ration. Trans is 4L80E. Current gears are 3.32.
My thoughts are the car is going to be a turd off the line with that gearing correct (haven't driven it yet, still working out bugs with the trans)? Would 3.73 be a better choice there? I want to maintain cruisability while not being a complete lame duck leaving stop signs.
Ive done tons of reading of the subject and honestly, the material isn't really sticking with me.
My thoughts are the car is going to be a turd off the line with that gearing correct (haven't driven it yet, still working out bugs with the trans)? Would 3.73 be a better choice there? I want to maintain cruisability while not being a complete lame duck leaving stop signs.
Ive done tons of reading of the subject and honestly, the material isn't really sticking with me.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,615
Likes: 1,327
From: Iowa
Torque converter technology has come a long way in the last 10 years.
The old montra that a 4000 stall is gonna drive like its as loose as Stormy Daniels is just not true anymore.
It's not the 90's where you HAD to sacrifice efficiency to get stall.
With the current understanding of converter diameters, fin angles, stator blade angle and fin count, etc etc its possible to get a 4000 stall that drives pretty well.
Yes, it's going to be a little looser than a 3200...but its not going to feel like you're revving it to the moon just to get it rolling
Plus, with lockup...you will notice 0 difference at highway speeds
The old montra that a 4000 stall is gonna drive like its as loose as Stormy Daniels is just not true anymore.
It's not the 90's where you HAD to sacrifice efficiency to get stall.
With the current understanding of converter diameters, fin angles, stator blade angle and fin count, etc etc its possible to get a 4000 stall that drives pretty well.
Yes, it's going to be a little looser than a 3200...but its not going to feel like you're revving it to the moon just to get it rolling
Plus, with lockup...you will notice 0 difference at highway speeds
I would contact the manufacturer of the converter or someone that services other manufacturers converters, such as ourselves, and talk to them about re-stalling that converter before you go trying to buy a new. It's normally the cheaper route.
__________________
FTI COMPETITION CONVERTERS AND TRANSMISSIONS
"IT'S NOT CHEATING, IT'S THE COMPETITIVE EDGE."
1-866-726-8358
info@ftiperformance.com
FTIPerformance.com
FTI Converter build sheet
FTI COMPETITION CONVERTERS AND TRANSMISSIONS
"IT'S NOT CHEATING, IT'S THE COMPETITIVE EDGE."
1-866-726-8358
info@ftiperformance.com
FTIPerformance.com
FTI Converter build sheet
TECH Junkie
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,913
Likes: 366
From: White Bear, Mn
Trending Topics
That was kinda the plan but thought I would get your opinions first. I got a stupid deal on this 10" tci with billet front. I wouldnt be out much if buying new made sense.
I did more reading on stall, I still don't get how to calculate what's ideal.
I did more reading on stall, I still don't get how to calculate what's ideal.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo TECH Junkie
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,913
Likes: 366
From: White Bear, Mn
I would not run the junk, inefficient tci street fighter converter. I would contact FTI who posted above and get a quality converter. It will drive night and day better compared to the tci
DO NOT use that TCI 3000-3200 convertor.
A 3200 lb car is light compared to our 3800-4000 lb cars and since we run convertors with the stock gearings of 2.73,3.23,and 3.42(some A4s' put in 3.42s') and things are good. A GOOD stall(Yank CirceD)(can't comment on FTI not that there's anything bad about them) of about 3500-3600 should do very well with the 3.32s' and that cam. Being that the 4L80E has overdrive,3.73s' would not hurt you.
Ideal ??? What is your definition of ideal ?
For me,4.56s' are ideal. They're going back in in about a week,ran them for 4 years. Was still able to do 140mph and where the hell can use use/do 140 on a continuous basis. !st and 2nd gear was brutally vicious.
A 3200 lb car is light compared to our 3800-4000 lb cars and since we run convertors with the stock gearings of 2.73,3.23,and 3.42(some A4s' put in 3.42s') and things are good. A GOOD stall(Yank CirceD)(can't comment on FTI not that there's anything bad about them) of about 3500-3600 should do very well with the 3.32s' and that cam. Being that the 4L80E has overdrive,3.73s' would not hurt you.
Ideal ??? What is your definition of ideal ?
For me,4.56s' are ideal. They're going back in in about a week,ran them for 4 years. Was still able to do 140mph and where the hell can use use/do 140 on a continuous basis. !st and 2nd gear was brutally vicious.
Last edited by FirstYrLS1Z; Jun 26, 2018 at 07:03 PM.
TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 898
Likes: 71
B&M and TCI converters are loose and slip a ton. In the 90s I had a B&M 3200 stall in my 69 Chevelle with th400. The motor would have to turn 2500 rpm just to start rolling at a stoplight that's how loose it was.
Today I have a 4K FTI hard hit. It's nowhere near as loose and it locks into overdrive at 50 mph and there's no slip... so yeah, it's come a long ways. FTI, Circle D, etc. all make premium converters.
Today I have a 4K FTI hard hit. It's nowhere near as loose and it locks into overdrive at 50 mph and there's no slip... so yeah, it's come a long ways. FTI, Circle D, etc. all make premium converters.
I posted this 2 months ago in a thread,
My setup is 3.23s' and stock engine(no mods,do much travelling and want the reliability of stock).
2006 put in a TCI 2800(big mistake,a stock off the shelf unit),very loose in city and top end. 2011 put in a Yank SS3600(the tranny was being replaced due to a broken sprag and since the tranny was out,a good time to put in the Yank). Very tight in city driving. Neither convertor was 'tuned' as it's strictly a street/DD. Never had any codes thrown or questionable unusual shift points,whatever was in the computer was fine.
I've let other locals(that had concerns about how high a stall to go/fear of higher stall) drive it in city traffic. ALL were amazed how 'tight' it is and no annoying higher rpm slippage. One was coming from a TCI 3000 'streetfighter' and how his 3000 is loose compared to the tightness of my SS3600.
My setup is 3.23s' and stock engine(no mods,do much travelling and want the reliability of stock).
2006 put in a TCI 2800(big mistake,a stock off the shelf unit),very loose in city and top end. 2011 put in a Yank SS3600(the tranny was being replaced due to a broken sprag and since the tranny was out,a good time to put in the Yank). Very tight in city driving. Neither convertor was 'tuned' as it's strictly a street/DD. Never had any codes thrown or questionable unusual shift points,whatever was in the computer was fine.
I've let other locals(that had concerns about how high a stall to go/fear of higher stall) drive it in city traffic. ALL were amazed how 'tight' it is and no annoying higher rpm slippage. One was coming from a TCI 3000 'streetfighter' and how his 3000 is loose compared to the tightness of my SS3600.
Well if you don't realize what 30 years of technology can change GOOD LUCK. You can google this and find TCI's assembly line process and FTI's custom process. Just two examples. Or you can buy a TCI see how loose it is, or get a B&M and see how it takes a ****, flat out breaks.
I'm not selling anything so I'll leave it to you to figure out. I'm not explaining to you what you don't understand.
I'm not selling anything so I'll leave it to you to figure out. I'm not explaining to you what you don't understand.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,615
Likes: 1,327
From: Iowa
Jays may be a little grouchy at times, but he has a lot of valuable information so take it with a grain of salt and just learn what you can. Don't take anything to personally on this page.
To answer your question, read up to my previous post...TCI has got a bad rap for their lack of effiency based on the things I stated above...fin angles, stator blade angle and blade count, etc etc. They still use the same principles that were used a while ago rather than changing things up how places like FTI, YANK, Circle D, etc do it.
Since you're looking for a longer list:
FTI
Yank
Circle D
PTC
Pro Torque
Coan
Jakes Performance
That's most of the big names in the game right now
Smaller names (none of whom I would use unless you're willing to take a risk and report back with your success or failure):
Freakshow
Edge
Huges
Thor
ACC (AKA Boss Hog)
To answer your question, read up to my previous post...TCI has got a bad rap for their lack of effiency based on the things I stated above...fin angles, stator blade angle and blade count, etc etc. They still use the same principles that were used a while ago rather than changing things up how places like FTI, YANK, Circle D, etc do it.
Since you're looking for a longer list:
FTI
Yank
Circle D
PTC
Pro Torque
Coan
Jakes Performance
That's most of the big names in the game right now
Smaller names (none of whom I would use unless you're willing to take a risk and report back with your success or failure):
Freakshow
Edge
Huges
Thor
ACC (AKA Boss Hog)
I looked at the 'transmission specialty site. 4L80E convertor 12" 2400-2700 just under $400. $400,you get what you pay for,NOT MUCH,not a performance convertor. As with so many before you on this site that 'cheaped out' and then regretted it,because they had to do it TWICE,so will you. You posted to get opinions/recommendations/help,yet you seem resistant to what we're telling you. I could pull up many threads referencing this.
TECH Junkie
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,050
Likes: 716
From: Poplarville, MS
When buying a torque converter you need to look for a converter that has a billet cover. These converters are about $350 to $400 more than a converter that doesn’t have a billet cover. I had a TCI converter that only lasted for 2 months before the sprag or bearing inside the converter broke, destroying the converter and in the process dumped all of that metal into the trans requiring the trans to be rebuilt. Neither TCI nor Summit would warranty the broken converter much less help pay for the trans. I hope this helps with your decision.
Last edited by bbond105; Jun 27, 2018 at 01:52 PM.