Want a Torque Converter, scared to put one in...
Originally Posted by 98RedBird
I've got a 98 t/a with mods in sig. I really want to get into the low 12's or high 11's but to get there I know i'll need a torque converter. I just ordered a FAST90/90 and need to get the car tuned, but i still can't really see the car making more than 350rwhp, right? It seems pretty hit or miss on when the stock tranny will give up but I really just don't want to spend the $2000 to have one built just so I can have a converter. I was looking to go with a Yank 3800 or 4000 but when I called, they strongly recommended to wait until I could do both at the same time, converter and tranny. Because if the tranny goes with the converter in there I have to send it back to them to have it reconditioned and cleaned. Only problem is that's close to $3,000 and i just don't have that right now. Not to mention as soon as it hooks the rear end will probably go too. Damn GM for putting a shitty tranny and rear in these cars!
Do you guys think I should wait too? Will the tranny hold up for a while? How can alot of people say that the conveter is one of the first things that an A4 guy should do when it kills the transmission? I see alot of guys on this board running converters and running good numbers with them, do you guys have a build tranny, or are you on the stock one?
I guess what I'm saying is that I want to get one, but I don't want to have to buy a tranny too. I'm scared to throw a converter in there and have the tranny go immediately. I will invest in a new tranny and rear end when i do the heads and cam that I have planned. Only because then i hope to be making upwards of 450rwhp, and I could understand needing to replace those units for stronger ones. The car has about 65k miles on it now, so it's not alot of miles on the tranny at all, and it seems to be holding up just fine right now. I'm really just not sure what to do. Sorry for the long post. Thanks
Do you guys think I should wait too? Will the tranny hold up for a while? How can alot of people say that the conveter is one of the first things that an A4 guy should do when it kills the transmission? I see alot of guys on this board running converters and running good numbers with them, do you guys have a build tranny, or are you on the stock one?
I guess what I'm saying is that I want to get one, but I don't want to have to buy a tranny too. I'm scared to throw a converter in there and have the tranny go immediately. I will invest in a new tranny and rear end when i do the heads and cam that I have planned. Only because then i hope to be making upwards of 450rwhp, and I could understand needing to replace those units for stronger ones. The car has about 65k miles on it now, so it's not alot of miles on the tranny at all, and it seems to be holding up just fine right now. I'm really just not sure what to do. Sorry for the long post. Thanks
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 686
Likes: 0
From: Seattle area
Mine ran a 11.1 @ 126 mph on spray with no stall thru a stock 4L60E and thats with the torque management removed.
But I won't tell you what happened shortly after because you already know.
But I won't tell you what happened shortly after because you already know.
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,117
Likes: 3
From: Philly
Originally Posted by 98RedBird
My only gripe with the transmissions chosen for these cars is that they can handle the stock power fine in most cases, but look at what we drive... We drive muscle cars. We drive F-Bodies; Trans Am's and Camaro's. C'mon GM, do you really think that we are just going to drive these cars nicely on the street, and that they are going to stay stock forever? Hell no, we are going to beat the crap out of them and take them to the track, and add horsepower to them whenever we get the funds.
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
ask yourself this: would you have been willing to pay another $4,000 and add another 100 lbs to the weight of the car to get a 4L80E in there? because that was GM's only other option at the time, short of redesigning a whole new transmission for the car, which would be exceedingly expensive. people complain that the 4L60E can't take it, but how many of those same people would bitch even more about a much higher price tag and a much higher race weight? when you put it into perspective like that, the 4L60E was a good choice.
I highly doubt that we would have paid an EXTRA $4,000 ontop of the already stickered price. And I personally would gladly trade 100lbs for a strong tranny. But that's just me...
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,117
Likes: 3
From: Philly
Originally Posted by 98RedBird
I highly doubt that we would have paid an EXTRA $4,000 ontop of the already stickered price. And I personally would gladly trade 100lbs for a strong tranny. But that's just me...
think about it: it's a $500+ upgrade for a higher optional gear ratio - and that costs them NOTHING extra. (actually, technically, 2.73's are a more expensive gear to make than 3.23+'s since they're thicker. the "aggressive gearing" actually saves them money but costs us more 
) any idea what they'd have to do to make a 4L80E stock? not only is the tranny a heavy duty model and much more expensive, think of all the modifying they'd have to do to accommodate the larger trans. many parts would have to be changed, and since the tranny would be bigger and heavier, the parts would all have to be heavy duty by comparison. there's hardly any room in our undercarriage as it is and we'd have to fit bigger parts under there.$4,000 for the heavy duty trans may actually be underestimating it. why do you think they only put 4L80E's in the expensive, heavy duty trucks and not the 1500's and SUV's? they only get 4L65E's.
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
i don't think about it: it's a $500+ upgrade for a higher optional gear ratio - and that costs them NOTHING extra. (actually, technically, 2.73's are a more expensive gear to make than 3.23+'s since they're thicker. the "aggressive gearing" actually saves them money but costs us more ) any idea what they'd have to do to make a 4L80E stock? not only is the tranny a heavy duty model and much more expensive, think of all the modifying they'd have to do to accommodate the larger trans. many parts would have to be changed, and since the tranny would be bigger and heavier, the parts would all have to be heavy duty by comparison. there's hardly any room in our undercarriage as it is and we'd have to fit bigger parts under there.
$4,000 for the heavy duty trans may actually be underestimating it. why do you think they only put 4L80E's in the expensive, heavy duty trucks and not the 1500's and SUV's? they only get 4L65E's.
think about it: it's a $500+ upgrade for a higher optional gear ratio - and that costs them NOTHING extra. (actually, technically, 2.73's are a more expensive gear to make than 3.23+'s since they're thicker. the "aggressive gearing" actually saves them money but costs us more ) any idea what they'd have to do to make a 4L80E stock? not only is the tranny a heavy duty model and much more expensive, think of all the modifying they'd have to do to accommodate the larger trans. many parts would have to be changed, and since the tranny would be bigger and heavier, the parts would all have to be heavy duty by comparison. there's hardly any room in our undercarriage as it is and we'd have to fit bigger parts under there.$4,000 for the heavy duty trans may actually be underestimating it. why do you think they only put 4L80E's in the expensive, heavy duty trucks and not the 1500's and SUV's? they only get 4L65E's.
Hey I just clicked 70k on my 98 and did my converter about 1k ago. I have a yank SS3600 and it is worth it. You can mod and mod and slowly feel gains but do the converter and you will feel the power. I did a transgo shift kit before I did the conveter so I got a good look at the inside of the trans and things looked good. I know what my future plans are for my car and I drive it everyday so I felt the 3600 was right for me. When I spoke with Yank they laid it out like this if you have 2.73's - 3.42 you would want to stay in the max of 3600 range. If you have 3.73 then the 4000 is great. If I was to do it again I would probably do the 4000 but I still think the 3600 keeps me in my realistic plans for my car.
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
From: Brandon, Mississippi
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
how much did it cost you to get a converter, shift kit and cooler installed? did you do servos and accumulator pistons, too?
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