can the torque converter take it?

When i am doing the burnout in the burnout box with my slicks this heats up the torque converter right? Does this compermise my times by haveing a hot torque converter?

I highly doubt it would make much of a difference. If it's an aftermarket converter it's made to take the heat anyway. Since performance converters cause heat, it'd be ignorant for them not to be built to handle it. As long as you have adequate cooling you should be fine anyway. A tranny cooler is a must in this situation.

it is a stock converter. There was a guy at the track that said doing a big burnout will heat it up and make me run slower. He must have been a newb or something.

Holla If ya here me

Yeah I doubt it will make a noticable difference if at all. People have been doing it for god knows how many years and it's never posed a problem before. That guy was probably just talking out his arse.

eh, i wouldnt say its completely bs... my truck has a 700r4 (similar trans) and it does act different when its hot. the main difference between hot and cold is it seems to grab at a lower rpm (weaker launch) when its hot. If its semi cold, it will usually melt one tire without any problems, but when its hot, it seems to take more to brake them loose [or a tire for that matter]. The truck doesnt have a tranny cooler or anything though, so that might remedy it. It also shifts slightly slushier, but thats barely noticeable compared to the difference in launches.

Maybe on one hand doing a burn-out will heat up the converter, but then I'd like to know how the hell you're supposed to heat up the tires if you can't do a burn-out?!??:think:

Keep doing your burn-outs, and don't worry about heating up the converter, because obviously no matter what, it's going to get hot (whether by normal driving, drag racing, or doing a burn-out;)).

Sorry for the newbish question... but what exactly is a touque converter and what does it do?

If the conertor heated up that much during a burnout, just Imagine how hot it would get under full-throttle load all the way down the quarter mile. :eek: Probably pretty hot compared to doing a burnout. You are fine. Does anyone on this board have a tranny temp gauge on their car? If so maybe you could look at the temps the next time you go the the track and inform us how much heat a slipping convertor produces during a burnout and during the run.

Sorry for the newbish question... but what exactly is a torque converter and what does it do?
The torque converter goes between the engine and transmission, and takes the place of a clutch for an automatic transmission (manuals use a clutch). It lets the motor spin free while the transmission is in gear, but when you rev the motor up, at a certain RPM (anywhere from ~1800 stock, to ~4500 using high-stall aftermarket converters) the torque converter "locks" and forces the transmission to turn (same as letting off the clutch pedal with a standard). From idle to the stall speed of the converter, they are slipping though, and this creates a certain amount of heat.

The torque converter goes between the engine and transmission, and takes the place of a clutch for an automatic transmission (manuals use a clutch). It lets the motor spin free while the transmission is in gear, but when you rev the motor up, at a certain RPM (anywhere from ~1800 stock, to ~4500 using high-stall aftermarket converters) the torque converter "locks" and forces the transmission to turn (same as letting off the clutch pedal with a standard). From idle to the stall speed of the converter, they are slipping though, and this creates a certain amount of heat.

i have a stock 96 ta a4. when im at a red light and i pull away, theres a strong vibration in the car for a few seconds. my idle rpms are normally 600-700, and once rpms hit about 1000, the vibration stops. if i hold the brake and get rpms to 1000, theres no vibration when i pull away. im wondering if it might be the torque converter. any ideas?