When a convertor says it has a high efficiency (SY3500 has 97%, I believe), what does that mean? I assume it means that it eats up less hp. Is this less power than the stock converter. If the SY3500 has 97%, does that mean that it only eats up 3% of the hp from the fylwheel? I don't think that is right since I've seen some convertors dyno with less hp than before. So, how does the efficiency rating work? Thanks for enlightening me.

 

Its not the loss from the flywheel to the rear wheels, but it is one of the factors there. RWHP is less than flywheel due to turning the tranny, the driveshaft, the rear gear size and ratio, the tire and wheel weight, etc.

If a converter is locked up, its showing 100% efficency. Of course the weight of the converter is going to drag the motor some as well. If you have 320 rwhp with the converter locked up, and 97% efficency, when you're going wide open and the converter is unlocked you're getting 310rwhp. If you're only 92% effecient, you'd only get ~295 to the wheels.

Make sense? Its kinda hard to explain.

J.

 

Alright, I kinda get the idea. Thanks.

 

You can get a manual lock up switch, that allows you to lock the converter at WOT. Locking up a converter that is 97% usually wont show much of a gain. If you lock the converter too soon in 3rd gear, it will bog the engine and fall on its face. Locking a converter that is 92% usually will show a gain (mostly in mph though, not so much in ET)

J.