I'm doing heads and cam this winter and want to upgrade the tranny as well. After reading tons of posts about performabuilt and how good their customer support is I think ive decided to go with them for my transmission. The Heads and cam i've chosen is the MS4 PRC 2.5's. I already have the FAST 90 setup so I'm hoping for 450+ rwhp. I know this cam loves high rpm and the low end isn't all that strong so I need a stall that will be strong on the top end. I plan on spraying the car later but only about 150 shot.

Orignially I was looking at the Yank SS4000 or PT4000 and was told that they hit pretty hard and are generally regarded as the best for converters. But now I'm thinking about saving myself some money and just using one of Performabuilts converters that come with their trannies. Plus the warranty goes to a full year rather than six months. I've read a little about the converters and alot of people say that they are alot tighter of a converter and don't hit quite as hard or pull quite as hard up top as do the Yanks. Is there any truth to this statement? I want to do it right the first time so I don't mind spending a little more and getting the converter that's best for me. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

 

anyone have any opinions?

 

well before I started working for them I recieved One of our converters a 3000 stall thay are really efficient I wouls say to go with at least a 36 though

 

well I was going to go with a Yank 4000 as stated... should I maybe push it up to a 4200 with one of your stalls?

 

Thats what I would do I also sent you more info on them in PMs

 

I was shopping for a converter when performabuilt introduced their converters. I had done a ton of research and a Yank or Vig simply cost way more than I was willing to spend. After talking with Frank, I decided on a performabuilt 9.5" 3000 stall for my LT1 car. I've had mine for over a year and honestly couldn't be more happy with how it's performed. It drives good on the street and I've pulled 1.700 60' times with a pretty much full weight bolt on LT1.

 

If you wer'e thinking about a PT4000 and if you go the Performabuilt route, do yourself a favor and get atleast a 4000, maybe even a bit more. Also make sure you get an STR of no less than 2.1, more preferably a 2.5.

I have a PB 4000 and at the time I unknowingly got a 1.69 STR (stock rating). The thing is a dog off the line compared to my old TCI SSF3500 w/ a 2.5 STR (60" went from consistent 1.65 to 1.78). The PB has better top end but the off the line performance is weak. Also it just seems a little too tight and I seem to get a good deal of wheel hop at the track. The old converter just set you back.

My advice is it's a decent converter just make sure you get it built with a higher STR. Lockup feels good and it's well balanced and drives fine. If you never see the track it would make a good converter from a roll having the lower STR and it would be more of a dyno queen. I will be removing this converter hopefully sooner than later and either have PB rebuild it for me or I will go to a Yank PT4000 myself.

I think you would be happy with either, just make sure you specify your needs when ordering. PB does have good customer service and it's hard to beat the prices.

 

I have a level 2 trans with the 3000 stall and it kicks ***. I now have no dead spots anymore, I have 2.73s and when I hit it at forty the tach jumps to around 4000 and goes. Its nothing like stock on the street but its great.

 

we presently offer our converters in 3 STR ratings different from the past for those interested

 

What STR ratings would those be?

 

1,69, 2,0 2.5

 

So with the MS4, PRC 2.5's Fast 90 combo and a level 2 tranny good for 700hp with a 4200 2.5 STR converter, how well would that setup work together? What kind of numbers would it be good for at the track?

Thanks!

 

Low 11's, high 10's with some tweaking and weight removal.

That is a big cam for a 346 if street driven.
239/242 .651/.609 111 LSA

If this is a weekend car it should be fine, but if you like to drive this one I would consider something under .600 lift and a 112 LSA. You can make good power with something a little more manageable and not loose as much as you think.

A big cam and a big stall, especially with stock gears won't be too fun on the street for daily driving. Plus you won't have to change the springs every 15-20k miles.

My advice is a smaller cam and more compression. Don't get caught up in the big cam = big power scenario. Look for more power under the curve and something that doesn't need to spin over 7k.

I think you're converter choice is fine. I would love to see a side by side dyno of Performabuilts converter's locked with the 3 STR rating's. The higher STR you will loose some in the big end, but it will rip you off the line. The goal is to find the happy medium. If you go w/ the MS4 I'd get a 4500 stall. It also depends on what gears you plan on running.

 

I have a performabuilt lvl 2 tranny with a 3k stall and love it. Much better than stock (of course) but i would definately recommend them