Biggest cam with stock converter?
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: League City, Texas
Biggest cam with stock converter? whats the biggest, most powerful cam anyone is running with the stock converter still in their A4. I'm going to get a cam in my car and then in the spring throw in a 3000 stall or so. So im wondering whats the meanest sounding and most powerful cam i can run without really f-ing my car up. i really dont care if its a hog off the line until i get the converter. any help would be cool!
BTW - I think the cost is about the same for a cam kit ~$599 to $750 depending on which cam you get. This is close to the cost of a converter of your choice..$450 to $800 depending on what type of converter you want.
I thought about doing heads and cam before I did my converter and you know what I got my Vig3800 stall and 3.73 gears instead. You dont sacrifice ride quality that much. Im serious when I got my converter in it was like the first time I drove my camaro and layed a nice healthy patch, grinning ear to ear. I cant say it enough DO A STALL!!!! DO A STALL!!! DO A STALL!!! You will not regret it. Just dont go too big if its your daily driver 4000 stall is the limit for most people for daily driver but a few have said they were very comfortable with 4400 in a daily driver. I blew my motor a month after I got my stall and every time I think about driving my car I always think about how great the car was with the stall. GET A STALL!!!!
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: League City, Texas
thanks all you guys for your help! im not looking to race this thing right now...i guess basically what im asking is, if i got, say the TR224 or something equivelent BEFORE i did a stall would it be harmful to my car?
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Troy, AL
It wouldn't be harmfull, you just wouldn't get the kind of kick in the pants that you'll get with a converter. A converter presents less tuning problems, no decrease in highway MPG, and less loss of drivability (unless you're talking about a HUGE stall) while giving you a better performance gain than a cam.
But, it would be interesting (if not funny) to see track times with a moderate cam and a stock stall. Then later add a good converter.
But, it would be interesting (if not funny) to see track times with a moderate cam and a stock stall. Then later add a good converter.
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Your Reality Check Bounced...
Cam before converter....whoa...it takes like 4hrs to swap converters and a lot less trouble and you'll pick up just as much ET as going w/the type of cam you're talking about. My stock 99 went 13.0's with stock converter, cutout, and MILD weight reduction....I put a 2800 Vig in and went 12.6's....then stepped up to a multidisc 4000 Vig and went 12.3'....then I got FULL advantage of my H/C combo.
I don't think I'd do anything but freemods, exhaust to an A4 before I got a converter then I wouldn't ever get less than a 3500 converter...these LS1's Love a big stall...and u'll get quite bored w/a smaller stall.
I don't think I'd do anything but freemods, exhaust to an A4 before I got a converter then I wouldn't ever get less than a 3500 converter...these LS1's Love a big stall...and u'll get quite bored w/a smaller stall.
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Temple, TX
A cam like the TR224 would be ok in a stock stalled car but I would seriously consider doing a converter first. Also just my opinion but look into a bigger stall. I went 3600 in hopes it would be big enough and I wouldn't want to change, I'm now up to a 4600.
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Chattanooga,TN
I would say go with the stall. My drivabilty could be a little better but I'm sure I can take care of that with a little tunning but I have a Vig 3600. At the track I picked up .5 in the 1/8 with no tunning what so ever.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: League City, Texas
thanks again guys, but i drive my car over 100 miles a day to and from work and i dont live at a race track, so all these numbers dont mean anything to me because the stall will come shortly after the cam. i have a 1 week period out of the next 6 months that i will not need my car everyday so id like to get the cam over with then. this isnt an either/or thing, im definitely putting BOTH in (stall and cam) i was just curious if it would be fine to have the cam in there without a stall for a couple of weeks.
Well with almost any bigger cam your going to need to spin the motor up higher to take advantage of it. Thats what a stall does. Listen I drove my camaro with a VIG3800 stall 1200 miles in one day and the stall didnt bother me at all. I regularly drove it for the month I had it over 1000 miles a week. I drive my car alot. 
Maybe it 
up because I drove it for 38,000 miles in one year and drag raced it 4 times a month.
Maybe it up because I drove it for 38,000 miles in one year and drag raced it 4 times a month. 