hasenbonkers

ok, i know how a stall converter works, (i think). I mean, say you get a 3200 stall, you can powerbrake it to 3200 rpm's and launch the hell out of it. But everyone says getting a stall gets rid of your dead spots? How do the stall converters do that too??

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

at a 35-40mph punch you go to 2nd, your rpms are prolly 4500 and you aint making much power. with the stall, same punch, you drop to second and your rpms are higher then before(depending on the stall) meaning your car will pull harder and faster. also right after shifts your rpms dont drop as much meaning you stay in a better part of your power band. these motors love high rpms. mine screams from a 30 punch to second gear. used to at that speed in second gear a honda civic could have nosed out on me.

8sec-z

iTrader: (14)

Stall converters keep your motor RPM's up in the powerband when you are at full throttle, thus keeping your engine away from low rpm's and low TQ and HP. (It works like a snowmobile's clutch and clutch kits) Also, just because you order a "3200 RPM" converter doesn't mean you will get to bring your RPM's up to 3200 at the "tree" whether foot braking or using a transbrake (you are racing at the track?? right?? . You may only get 2800 or so out of it. BUT, if you were to buy the same converter and you had ported heads and a serious cam and intake, then you will get much closer to the magical 3200 rpm mark. If you really want a specific rpm converter then you will have to talk to the manufacturer or rep and tell them exactly what motor combo you have and they will build you a converter made for your setup. When you upgrade your setup, you can send back your converter and have it cut and modified to compliment your new combo. Hope this helps along with 01ssreda4's answer.

jimmyblue

iTrader: (11)

Your "dead spots" are due to stupid factory part-
throttle shiftpoint settings. Your car would be more
responsive if these were fixed. But a converter will
also generally give you more torque multiplication
than stock and put you into the powerband too.
One is not really a substitute for the other, you
want both of them right.

darrensls1

That is incorrect. A 3200 stall will flash to 3200 rpms when you launch. But 2500 rpm's would be the max you could brake stall it prior to a launch. I've tested the limits of my TCI 3500 at the track and I can only get up to about 2400 rpm's before I start to brake the tires loose. I actully found a 2000 rpm brake stall nets me my best 60' and ultimately my best ET.

A 3200 stall won't exactly get rid of the dead spot. It would just reduce it to more acceptable level. The stock stall is 1800 rpm's. So lets say your cruising 35 mph at 1200 rpm's with 3.23 gears (major dead spot). You punch the gas and the stall flashes you to 1800 rpm's which is way below the LS1 motors powerband. The pull feels weak and sluggish while the rpm's build to where we make decent power.

Now lets say you have a 3200 stall and do the same 35 mph punch. It'll flash you to 3200 rpm's which is much stronger but still below the powerband. So the pull will be stronger but you'll still notice a little weakness compared to a non dead spot wot run like say from 25 mph.

Now lets say you do that same 35 mph punch with a 4400 stall. You flash to 4400 rpm's which is much closer to the peak powerband and the pull will feel much harder. That is a stall that may actually eliminate the dead spot or darn close to it. But the bigger the stall the looser it feels and the more gas you use. Gotta take the good with the bad and ultimately weigh the pros and cons.

z28_YOU_HO

iTrader: (7)

get a stall you will love it

sixvi6-camaro

iTrader: (9)

Stall will keep the car in the powerband all the time. Example.. watch this Vid of a stock stall car and pay attention to how the RPM's drop to around 3600 rpm just after the car shifts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uce9wGMn4UQ&NR=1

then watch this old vid of my car doing about the same but with a stall. the rpms never drop below 4800 rpm so it stays at peak power all the time.

View Video on FQuick

hasenbonkers

Ok, so say you get something like a 3500 stall, what rpm would it drop to shifting into second? Cuz the stock converter brings it down to 3600

TXws6

iTrader: (10)

well said darren

darrensls1

About 4,700. Of course it'll depend on the exact brand but my shift extension on my TCI 3500 is around 4700 give or take 100 rpm's.

Generally the higher you go with a stall the higher the shift extension will be. I just ordered a 5C circle-d converter and I can't wait for that to get installed. 4400 rpm's with a 2.6 STR and a 5500 rpm shift extension

Thanks.

02nbmvert

I don't want to hijack the thread, but do you guys have a good way of explaining how much any specific stall would effect gas mileage? Thanks

darrensls1

When you're driving a car with a stock converter around town at 30-40 mph you probably notice the rpm's at 1000-1500. My TCI 3500 stall makes that rise up to around 1500-1900. Those extra rpm's while somewhat minimal do cause a decrease in my city mpg.

Now when I take off from a light under normal throttle (not racing) I need to give it a little more gas to get moving then I did before with the stock stall.

In other words on the stock stall I might take off at 1/4 throttle and feel a decent acceleration. With a 3500 stall I need to give it half throttle to get that same decent acceleration feeling. That's because of the extra slippage that the higher stall converter creates. This is also what people mean when they say how "loose" or "tight" a converter feels. Generally the bigger the stall, the looser the converter feels and thus more gas is being used during city driving.

Now my converter locks at 40 mph. So any cruising at or above 40 mph means the converter goes to sleep and my rpm's drop back down to normal. This means the highway MPG will be unaffected for the most part. I never tested it but if I had to guess I would say my TCI 3500 lowered my city mpg by a couple. Maybe I went from 18 city to 15-16 city or something like that. But I only added a stall. Add a cam and gears to the mix and the city mpg really takes a hit.

But even with todays gas prices it's not worth sweating. The performance gains from a 3500-4000 stall are well worth the mpg loss. From a dig or roll the car is whole new animal

RaggedRides

iTrader: (8)

I've started experimenting with these "dead spots". My car downshifts and hits hard at 35, and at around 55, but in between it's an absolute turd. If a 5-speed Mustang or even decent little import catches me in a bad spot, I'm playing catch up for a little bit. I'm never lucky enough to get a roll from where I want it.


3.73's are next on my list, but will a thorough tune do anything to slap the turd out of this thing?

JScamaro

iTrader: (6)

You can expect to lose 1-3 mpg from an aftermarket converter.

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

i lost a couple mpgs. but on the highway you are good to go.

Kingc8r

iTrader: (21)

My buddy just got a SS4000 and is getting a MS4. I can't wait to drive it to see if I can live with a similar setup