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I bought a used Circle D converter locally for my 99 Z28 4L60e, previous owner said it stalled to 3600. When I measure the outer diameter of the entire converter, it looks about 278mm. However, the 278mm converter says it only stalls to 3200 on Circle D's website. I know higher HP cars will stall higher but I believe it was just a bolt on car. Any ideas? Thanks
Heres that same converter less than 18 months later.
No stampings, no nothing. The FTI sticker flew off.
It's been restalled. It's the same diameter.
When you buy a used converter it's pretty much a mystery. If the guy said it stalls at 3600 rpm, that's probably the stall speed, if he's honest. Did you ask him what it was in when the stall speed was 3600?
Oh yea EDIT: Why did I have FTI re-stall a Circle D converter... Well the circle d I ordered on the phone stalled way higher than I wanted, it was a loose POS all around. What I'm getting at is it wouldn't surprise me one bit if a circle d 3200 stalled at 3600.
I drove it (the converter) to FTI after talking to Greg. When I got it back in the car it was the exact converter I wanted.
Last edited by Jays_SSZ28; Feb 16, 2020 at 11:22 AM.
Heres that same converter less than 18 months later.
No stampings, no nothing. The FTI sticker flew off.
It's been restalled. It's the same diameter.
When you buy a used converter it's pretty much a mystery. If the guy said it stalls at 3600 rpm, that's probably the stall speed, if he's honest. Did you ask him what it was in when the stall speed was 3600?
Oh yea EDIT: Why did I have FTI re-stall a Circle D converter... Well the circle d I ordered on the phone stalled way higher than I wanted, it was a loose POS all around. What I'm getting at is it wouldn't surprise me one bit if a circle d 3200 stalled at 3600.
I drove it (the converter) to FTI after talking to Greg. When I got it back in the car it was the exact converter I wanted.
what diameter converter is it? 258mm? Have you tried to measure it?
what diameter converter is it? 258mm? Have you tried to measure it?
Have I tried? Nope, why would I?
You might have missed my point so I will attempt to make it more clear.
I talked to Chris from Circle D and told him what I wanted AND what I didn't want.
I waited for the converter to be built and shipped. It was exactly what I didn't want.
FTI re-stalled it for me, and they got it dead on the first time. It's the same converter. It has a different pump and stator. It's roughly 9 1/2" with a billet front, it's not an oem converter rigged to stall high.
My whole point is, diameter is not going to tell you what the stall speed is on that converter that you have.
People on this forum might make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and tell you some bullshit like if it is a 258mm then it should be a 3200 rpm stall speed. Maybe it was a 3200 and it was re-stalled to 3600. Still going to be a 258mm.
One easy thing you can look at are the dimples on the pump. Make an imaginary line between the dimples from the center out. Remembering that the converter turns clockwise when installed. Do the dimples make a line that curves counterclockwise or clockwise?
The pump covers on the converter I have pictured are a great example, the top picture shows a negative fin angle, thats going to stall higher than the bottom picture which has a positive fin angle.
You might have missed my point so I will attempt to make it more clear.
I talked to Chris from Circle D and told him what I wanted AND what I didn't want.
I waited for the converter to be built and shipped. It was exactly what I didn't want.
FTI re-stalled it for me, and they got it dead on the first time. It's the same converter. It has a different pump and stator. It's roughly 9 1/2" with a billet front, it's not an oem converter rigged to stall high.
My whole point is, diameter is not going to tell you what the stall speed is on that converter that you have.
People on this forum might make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and tell you some bullshit like if it is a 258mm then it should be a 3200 rpm stall speed. Maybe it was a 3200 and it was re-stalled to 3600. Still going to be a 258mm.
One easy thing you can look at are the dimples on the pump. Make an imaginary line between the dimples from the center out. Remembering that the converter turns clockwise when installed. Do the dimples make a line that curves counterclockwise or clockwise?
The pump covers on the converter I have pictured are a great example, the top picture shows a negative fin angle, thats going to stall higher than the bottom picture which has a positive fin angle.
I get what you’re saying. I had a PI converter that slipped way too much years ago, yet the same diameter and stall rpm from another manufacturer was way more efficient.
That looks like it would stall higher than 3200, it has a negative fin angle. Does it have a billet front? It actually looks like a trailblazer converter.
That looks like it would stall higher than 3200, it has a negative fin angle. Does it have a billet front? It actually looks like a trailblazer converter.
That looks like it would stall higher than 3200, it has a negative fin angle. Does it have a billet front? It actually looks like a trailblazer converter.
Definitely a 278mm(11") converter. We only go up to 3200rpm on these. If you are wanting 3600 you'll probably need a 245mm or depending on the setup... a 258mm.
List the specifics on your car/truck and we can help you decide what would be best.
make sure to include weight, tire size, gear ratio, HP, power adders(if any), cam specs, engine size, track distance, shift rpm, launch rpm.
__________________ 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
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Measuring Circle D Converter 
