My birthday is coming up and I think I may just be able to ask for a torque converter from a certain someone... Anyway, I need to know the exact specs to have them get though if I am going to ask for it, since they have no idea what they are or what they mean. I was planning on getting a Yank, and that's still what I'm planning on I think. Here is how the car will be used and the plans for it. It is mostly a street car. I only went to the track 3 times all year last year and did maybe 4-5 runs per trip. So I would much prefer it to be fast on the street than fast at the track (although i wouldn't complain if it was fast there too ). Right now it is just a bolt-ons car, and i think it will be staying that way for a while (college student = lack of $$ for expensive car stuff ). I would like it to remain as close to stock feeling a possible when driving around normally. I also will probably be running it just on some good street tires (Eagle GS-D3s or something), but possibly some DRs in the future (probably not though)... I was pretty sure I was going to just ask for the SS3600 from Yanks site, but I just read the newer sticky about the converters and the STR and everything, and now I'm not sure. I have two conflicting needs. It sounds to me like I would want a low STR with my car since it will be on street tires so it will launch softer and then have more of it's power up top still. But, that means it will drive less like stock... So I'm not sure what to do about that. I think I still want a 3600, but that is the max. I would consider a 3200 also since that is what I wanted originally. What would you suggest I get? How high in the rpms would a... say 1.6 or 1.8 STR car have to go just to get moving in normal traffic? That might help me decide too.

Thanks for the help

 

I had a Yank ST3500 and upgraded to a Yank SS4000 and I love it. My car is 90% street driven. I also have a loud exhaust which makes a bigger stall seem really big. My converter has a 2.6 STR so it is nice and tight on the street. It takes me about 2500 rpm's to accelerate with traffic, but I can ease it around at 1500 if I choose. Bigger converters aren't for everyone, although I absolutely love my low end. And since I plan on running a 230/230 cam, a bigger converter helps in that department.

I think you would love the SS3600, but the 3200 sounds more like what you think you want. I don't know if Yank still makes it, but you might ask them about the SY3500. It's supposed to be the penultimate street converter. Drives close to stock but pulls like a raped ape up top. Easy on tires too. Good luck with your decision whichever way it goes. Converter is the best A4 mod period.

 

Hmm... How much top end would you really lose going with a higher STR like that as compared to a lower one like the 1.6 or 1.8 like I said? If you lose a lot I don't like the idea of going higher, but if you don't really lose much of anything I don't mind at all. Especially since that would mean lower rpms for normal driving...

 

id suggest a yank 3500 stall, i dont know much about the different types of yank but a 3500rpm stall would make you happy. a 1.6 or 1.8 str isnt even worth it. get at leasts a 2.0 str. the hp is marginal, maybe 10hp.

 

Their SS3200 and SS3600 are the two closest to that they have. They have a 2.1 and 2.5 STR respectively.

 

Yank described to me a difference of .1 seconds from a highway roll between a PT4000 2.25 STR and a SS4000 2.6 STR. Comparing the STR's of those two converters (SS3200 and SS3600) isn't a good comparison because the 3600 will flash higher and have a higher shift extension. Comparing a 3200 stall with a 2.1 STR versus a 3200 with a 2.5 STR.....the lower STR would be a tick faster from a roll, the higher STR would be a tick quicker out of the hole provided you had traction.

Get the SS3600 and don't look back. For reference, going from the ST3500 2.5 STR to the SS4000 2.6 STR changed nothing on how it drove daily. All the differences were noticed on WOT runs. My point is that the 3200 will probably drive very similar to the 3600 around town.......the 3600 will really shine at the track and on WOT runs.

 

.1 over how long of a race? lol. Cause if that's a one second race that's too much of a difference for me . haha. Ok, well I think I'll try asking for their SS3600 and see what happens. If I don't get it I guess I'll just be saving my money for a bit to get one myself. I just keep wondering to myself if it's even worth a stall with normal street tires... I'm not going to be getting much better on the launch... oh well, everybody says get it .

 

yeah get the ss3600. i just ordered mine a few days ago and im waiting for it to come in and then ill be putting that thing in. a few words of advice, get rid of the street tires. go get yourself a nice set of radials. with street tires your going to roast the **** out of them and you will never hook. when my car was stock i was roasting tires off the launch. good luck with your decision

 

Yeah, the SS3600 should work just fine. You can run on street tires fine, but you'll have to learn to feather the throttle out of the hole. I've yet to have someone take me from a light on the street and i'm on my orginal beat F1's......it can be done!!

 

I know a guy who had street tires with a 4k stall on his GTO, did 1.7 60's

 

The hardest stall to launch is a low stall speed, high STR converter (e.g. a 2800 with 3.0 STR). A high STR high Stall speed converter (e.g. SS4000) isn't that hard to launch because there's a fair amount of slip that makes it easy to learn to pedal the launch and not spin. I could kick *** on the street when I had 3.23 gears and a YTP 4200.

 

Hmm... I'm still debating whether to get drag radials of some sort or to get street tires... I don't really drive in the rain (unless I forget to check the weather when it looks nice and get stuck in it), so that isn't really a problem. The real problem I guess is having to replace the drag radials 4x as often as the street tires, and the risk to my rear end... :/

 

just get a pair for the track and put them on some extra rims... they'll last a long time if you dont go that often.

from how it sounds the SS3600 is your best bet. I run one in my truck and it LOVES IT!!! great converter for the bottle too.

 

Nitto drag radials last 8000 - 12000 miles depending on how you drive and weather conditions. They're decent in the rain for the first 8000 miles. Mot grippy street tires are only going to last 20000 miles at most on the rear, so it is just a 2x factor. They are really nice in warm weather, but really suck when the temps drop below 50*. Around here, I'd use them from April - October.

 

I don't drive too hard on the street. Well really not hard at all compared to what I think a lot of younger guys who own these things do... I would really like to run the EXACT same setup on the street that I do at the track. I suppose I could run DRs on the street if I'm really going to need them after the converter. What would be a good tire you would recommend for 90% street driving but some trips to the track every now and then?

Edit: I forgot to ask, would having the DRs in the back and not being able to rotate them cause problems for the tire wear? I don't want to run them if it's going to make the front tires wear weird by not being able to rotate them.

 

To the top for my last questions and one new one...

Would I have to worry about my rear end if I went with DRs? I'm a little worried after my tune. It feels like a totally different car with SO much power. I can't even use first anymore . lol. I can only imagine what first would feel like with a stall and DRs.... But if there is a chance it will break my rear end I don't want to risk it since i wouldn't have the money to fix it right now..

 

I don't think odd tire wear would be an issue at all. These rear ends are a gamble. I busted mine after 16,000mi with a lid and a cat-back on the street and a guy from our club has made 100's of passes deep into the 11's with his (stalled a-4 also) I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe get a TA cover to help you out.

 

Drag radials aren't going to be the downfall of your rear. It's not like every time you take off from a stop light you're risking the rear becuase you have DRs. FWIW, On the street, I kept mine at 26lbs, so they hooked better than regular tires, but were not hooking like a set running at 18lbs after a smokey burnout at the track.