Is a stall converter bad?
Is a stall converter bad? Ive been looking into getting a stall converter for my 1994 camaro z28. Ill be putting in a shift kit too, but is a stall bad for my tranny? will it hurt my gas mileage? What are the bad things about a stall? Also which one would you recommend. Im just looking for maybe a 2500 one, and im only a kid so im on a pretty tight budget too.
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Larger stalls can hurt the gas mileage, but that 2500 shouldn't. I'll quote you a PM from Ray@Nitrous Outlet
Originally Posted by Ray
My car has a 3200rpm stall...it just means that you do not get full engagement of the converter until at least 3200 rpm. Below 3200 it will "slip" kinda like slipping the clutch in a standard. The car will move but not at full power. Converters also have a lock up clutch. This usually engages at cruise speeds. this allows the stall to not "slip" below the stall speed.
Flashing means the converter is engaging at a higher than rated stall speed.
example:
my stall is 3200...it will flash to ~3800 on motor....and 4500-5000 on a 200 shot
The stall speed is indicative of the amount of TQ it is trying to move from the engine to the drive wheels. The more TQ the higher a given converters stall speed will be.
It will feel looser than stock...but a ~2500 stall is not going to be an issue when street driving.
Flashing means the converter is engaging at a higher than rated stall speed.
example:
my stall is 3200...it will flash to ~3800 on motor....and 4500-5000 on a 200 shot
The stall speed is indicative of the amount of TQ it is trying to move from the engine to the drive wheels. The more TQ the higher a given converters stall speed will be.
It will feel looser than stock...but a ~2500 stall is not going to be an issue when street driving.
A larger stall will create more heat and heat is one of the things that kills transmissions. Thats why its strongly recommended to run a trans cooler with one to reduce the heat and help the transmission last longer. A 2500 stall is pretty small, that with a shift kit and a cooler I would not be worried about, definetly the best mod for an automatic car.
If you budgeting, then spending less $ on a converter is not recommended. Buy a good name brand converter that is reputable because if you get a cheap converter and it lets go, your going to be in for a world of hurt when you have to buy another converter AND trans.
If the 2500 stall is a cheap 12" it will likely build more heat than a quality 9.5" 2800 and not drive any better.
I had a Level 10 2600 stall 9.5" billet unit and then went to a 2800 stall 9.5" Edge, theEdge ran coller and drove better, the Level 10 was a giant pile of crap even though it cost $200 MORE.
If you want to go cheap as possible talk to Edge or Precision about 12" units, if you want a good converter talk to Edge Yank or Vigilante(Precision) about 9.5" nits. The Edge is the cheapest of those three but the cost is specifically tied to the fact they do not have billet covers like Yank and Vig. The billet cover is overkill of the vast majority so this is something to consider when folks say "you get what you pay for" there is some truth, but I would argue the billet cover in unnecessary expense and you are not taking a step back in quality.
I had a Level 10 2600 stall 9.5" billet unit and then went to a 2800 stall 9.5" Edge, theEdge ran coller and drove better, the Level 10 was a giant pile of crap even though it cost $200 MORE.
If you want to go cheap as possible talk to Edge or Precision about 12" units, if you want a good converter talk to Edge Yank or Vigilante(Precision) about 9.5" nits. The Edge is the cheapest of those three but the cost is specifically tied to the fact they do not have billet covers like Yank and Vig. The billet cover is overkill of the vast majority so this is something to consider when folks say "you get what you pay for" there is some truth, but I would argue the billet cover in unnecessary expense and you are not taking a step back in quality.
As far as gas mileage goes, I haven't even noticed a change in going from the stock converter to a 3200 Vig. If it's a lockup converter (mine is) your highway mileage should be identical. On the street it might be slightly worse, but like I said, I haven't even noticed. The gear swap was the mod that hurt my mileage the worst.
