Torque Converter Install!!! What Will it feel like??

TC is going in friday night after 1 failed attempt! (3rd allenhead bolt torqued WAY TOO TIGHT) But ive been anxiously waiting for a couple of months now and i just wanted to get an ideal on what to expect the first time i WOT the first time after the install?

stalls are more for off-the-line acceleration, you won't notice a night and day difference from a roll--- I think. Being that I own an M6 I can't really back this statement up.

Supposed to be more or less like dumping the clutch at 3600 right??? the guy i bought it from said they liven up the deadspots in an A-4??? anybody??

Supposed to be more or less like dumping the clutch at 3600 right??? the guy i bought it from said they liven up the deadspots in an A-4??? anybody??

Not so much dumping the clutch at 3600...more like feathering the clutch there (at a more agressive part of the power band) until the car's speed catches up to the 3600 rpms the motor is turning. The STR is what tells you just how hard it will give you that "punch" out of the hole. That's why, if you have a higher STR, they suggest drag radials or slicks.

It'll get you into the rpm range quicker from a roll, you'll feel way more torque off the line w/ just everyday driving...yea and it'll take care of your dead spots

You'll definately want sticky tires. I'm a very brave soul, who has a 3800 stall with a 2.6 stall ratio... and street tires. Yeah, any speed under 40mph is a waste :lol:

Also, once you get it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one. I almost think that all auto sports cars should come with a more aggressive stall from the factory.

lightly feathering the gas at low speeds will feel less responsive... like you lost power...


but like someone said...


dent the floorboard from a 20 roll on street tires....


and you'll be leaving ghost strips all the way to 90 :metal: :D :cool: :bow:

i had a 2400 in my lt1...

to this day... the only bigger difference i've felt was when i changed from lt1-ls1... and the ls1 change was all high end...

they feel the same down low cause of the lt1 torque curve

wow i can't wait till i get me a new TC. If it makes half the difference you guys says it does, looks like i'll be in for a treat. :D

i dunno what you run now...

but with a 02 z... if your bone stock...

it WILL put you in the 12's :)

but like someone said...


dent the floorboard from a 20 roll on street tires....


and you'll be leaving ghost strips all the way to 90 :metal: :D :cool: :bow:



Man i cant wait!!!!!!!! BTW it has a 1.5 str

maybe not 90... but possibly... i can see a high stall ghosting you all the way to 2nd redline... which for me is 86mph

hell, right NOW from like 10-15mph... if i flat out floor it... i make little light faded tracks all the way after it shifts to 2nd

with a high stall.... :eek: :bow:


kinda makes you feel tingley all over don't it? :D

i dunno what you run now...

but with a 02 z... if your bone stock...

it WILL put you in the 12's :)

From running a hartop A-4 vette multipe times i put his nose at my rear bumper and stayed that way to about 140 every time so im guessing somewhere in the mid to lower 13 second range! Sound right?

umm... a c5 hardtop a4 should be around 13 flat stock, if not 12's actually.... more likely high 12's


maybe you got a good runner...



you need to hit the track to get some times buddy

STR??? :confused: what is this, how does it affect stall performance, what would be a "good" (?) STR for street use with a 3500 stall?? Thanks

Damn this warrenty. :( That is officially the first thing i do when my warrenty ends.

no one says you have to wait till the warranty is up... im not... in fact im going to buy an EXTENDED warranty when it is... and still take it in for warranty service... if its anything to do with the transmission... i'll just replace the stocker before i bring it in... otherwise they will be none-the wiser... and they can't take it for testdrives without your consent.

that's true, but what if you have to have it towed to your house to put the stocker back in? :shrug:

that's true, but what if you have to have it towed to your house to put the stocker back in? :shrug:


AAA

STR??? :confused: what is this, how does it affect stall performance, what would be a "good" (?) STR for street use with a 3500 stall?? Thanks

STR = Stall Torque Ratio. The higher the number the harder it hits the rear tires. The stock stall in these cars has a 1.6 STR so as you all ready know it can break loose the tires a little but for the most part it handles street tires pretty well.

High stall torque converters can make a car feel "loose". By that I mean when you give it just a little gas the car feels more sluggish then before. Like a manual car with a slipping clutch. The higher stall you get (3500,3800,4000, ect) the looser it will feel. In other words you need to give it more and more gas just to get the car moving. This can be annoying to some who drive thier cars all the time in the street. But when you go WOT the car will throw you back in your seat like never before. I'm talking tires smoking, screeching and you moving sideways. The higher STR you go the "tighter" it will feel. Taller gears also help tighten up some of the looseness. A 3500 stall with a 2.5 STR on 3.73 gears will feel very tight. But a 3500 stall on 1.6 STR with 2.73 gears will feel much, much looser.

A good STR for a 3500 stall that sees mostly street driving and street tires is 1.6 - 1.9 or so. You get a little looser and lose a little power at the track but at least you can launch on all weather tires. A good STR for a mix of street/strip duty on drag radials is 2.0 - 2.2 or so. That will hit harder for better 60' times and still keep the car plenty launchable on DR's. A great STR for drag racing is 2.5 - 2.8 or so. This will hit real hard, give you great 60' times and help tighten up the "looseness". But this STR hits so hard that unless the Drag Radials are really heated up good it'll be hard to launch from a dig. But you just need to learn how to feather the gas a bit and all will be fine.

I myself got a TCI SSF3500 with a 2.5 STR & Nitto 555R Drag Radials. I highly recommend this combo to anyone :bow:

Good explaination, thank you :thumb:

I finshed my install on my TCI 3000 stall torque converter 2 days ago. I drove it alittle and yes theres a difference that you will feel. My car seems louder now with the stall. I haven't floored it yet but after I put a few miles on it, I'll let it rip.

darrens99formul, is your 13.1 time before or after your stall?

darrens99formul, is your 13.1 time before or after your stall?

Before the stall. I havn't been to the track yet since I installed it or the Nittos for that matter. That run was just lid, muffler, SSRA and on BFG KDWS street tires. I'm hoping to hit the 12.5 - 12.7 range when I do finally hit the track.

so how do i go about figuring out what STR i will get with a certain converter, and my stock 3:23's?

so how do i go about figuring out what STR i will get with a certain converter, and my stock 3:23's?

Depends on your goals. Off the shelf converters have a preset STR attatched to the stall speed. For example the TCI 3000 is automatically a 2.2 STR, 3500 is 2.5 and the 3800 is 2.7 if you buy them off the shelf from a vendor like Texas Speed & Performance. However you can get most torque converter companies to custom build a torque converter for you with any stall/str combo you like.

For most applications the shelf converters with the standard STR's will work well. I really like the 3500 stall/2.5 STR/3.23 gear combo. But many people prefer the 4000/2.7 STR/3.73 combo for a real kick your ass kind of ride. But others prefer the 3000/1.6 STR/3.23 combo for a close to stock but you know it's there when you punch it kind of ride.

3000 stalls with lower STR's are great for daily drivers.

3400-3600 stalls with mid size STR's are great for mostly street/some strip cars. This is also a popular size for cars that are or will spray 100+ shots of N20.

3800-4200 stalls are great for mostly strip/some street cars. This is also a good size for heads/cam cars with higher rpm redlines.

4400+ stalls are the big dogs for drag racing machines. While some people do run 4400's in street driven cars it's rare as most find this way too loose for stop light driving. Mostly these are for heads/cam cars that are pulled to a track on a trailer.

The most important thing is picking the stall size that fits your goals first. Then decide whether you need a higher STR because you will run sticky tires and hit the track occasionally or a lower STR because you drive on the street all the time and need to drive in rain/snow occasionally.

There's a chart about 25% down the page @ http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/GTO/gtotransgears.html that can be useful for getting you a good idea where you want to be.

stalls are more for off-the-line acceleration, you won't notice a night and day difference from a roll--- I think. Being that I own an M6 I can't really back this statement up.

I respectfully disagree with the above statement. I have a Y3000 2.0STR in my 01 Z28 coupled to 3.73:1 rearend gears. When I accelerate aggressivley (sp) to get on the freeway (not a dead stop), my RPM will rise to 4800, and I will come out of the shift @ 4500 RPM, vice 2100 RPM with the stock converter. This difference in the RPM is called "Shift Extension". With a performance converter the "Shift Extension" keeps you in the powerband when upshifting, therefore eliminating the dead spot from 3rd to 4th that the stock door stop imposes.

JMHO

SteveC :)

Man i cant wait! It feels like time is going in slow motion! Plus i got a 6 hour drive tomorow before it goes in? But sat. morning it will be in so ill let ya know!! One of my allenhead bolts is stripped out, Will this be a big problem for the shop? I broke 2 extensions trying to get that f**ker off before i had to make the desision of leaving the car in the garage like that, trying the next weekend and steal my wifes car, or put it back together! :cry:

I have a question how do I know if I need a tune with my new TCI 3000 stall converter? or would my LS1 edit tune with my 373 gears be already good enough for my new stall? How would I know if I would need a tune for my new converter? what should I look for?

from what i understand... no engine tuning is needed for a stall converter?

from what i understand... no engine tuning is needed for a stall converter?


ive heard before people getting a converter tune? is there a such thing as a converter tune?

I have a question how do I know if I need a tune with my new TCI 3000 stall converter? or would my LS1 edit tune with my 373 gears be already good enough for my new stall? How would I know if I would need a tune for my new converter? what should I look for?

Believe me, YOU WILL KNOW. I have an 01 Z28 with a Y3000 2.0 str coupled to 3.73:1 rearend gears, and that combo alone will make your stock shift points useless. You probably could get away without one with the stock 3.23 gears. My vehicle could not hold gear before the tune. Example going down hill with my foot off the gas doing 50 MPH, the vehicle kept shifting from 3rd to 4th back and forth. Vehicle could not hold idle due to the smaller converters rotating mass, and if your vehicle is an 01 or 02, you WILL need your TM deleted.

GET THE TUNE

SteveC :)

from what i understand... no engine tuning is needed for a stall converter?

absolutley incorrect on 01 and 02 vehicles.

SteveC :)

oh crap... :o


ok... what tune do i need exactly? and wheres the easiest cloest place i can go to do this...


im in tulsa oklahoma btw...

oh crap... :o


ok... what tune do i need exactly? and wheres the easiest cloest place i can go to do this...


im in tulsa oklahoma btw...

First of all, DO NOT PANIC. Find a dyno tuner that is familiar with LS1 powered vehicles. You can also manipulate the PCM settings with LS1 edit EFI live, or HP tuners, however you have to know what you are doing (which I do not) and have the vehicle on the dyno to do it.

I purchased my torque converter and TCI SF29 flexplate (which you should consider being you have an 02 vehicle), and before I had them installed, I already had an appointment setup with the dyno tuner, for a week after the install. I consequently only had to go through a week of misery before everything was corrected.

The dyno tuner will also minipulate other settings in your PCM to make the vehicle run smoother. As far as the TC, the settings that should be changed would be, deletion of the Torque Management System, readjustment of the shift points, raising of the vehicles idle (through PCM) depending on the od of the new converter, and possible raising the redline of the vehicle.

A aftermarket 24K trans cooler IS A MUST, and a Transgo shift kit is a very good idea. I would stay away from manipulating the line pressure electronically to make the shifts crisper, the Transgo will accomplish this mechanically by replacing certain springs and washers.

A torque converter upgrade is awesome for a automatic vehicle, however, dont go into it blindly (sp) have all your ducks in a row, with all your I's and T's dotted and crossed. I would go anywhere from a 3000 to 3200 stall with 3.73's with no higher STR than 2.2

JMHO

SteveC :)

ive heard before people getting a converter tune? is there a such thing as a converter tune?

Tunes are different for different cars, and for the different setups people want.

For my car, I had TM deleted first. After that, it was A LOT of testing the waters. After some driving, I decided that I needed more line pressure to take some sogginess away. I called up my tuner (F-body Central in Baltimore) and he told me to forget about the shift kit, and he could change the line pressure settings. I went up, we did it, good to go.

After some more time driving the car, I noticed that there was a vibration when the 'verter was locked and I was trying to accelerate very slowly (around 50mph or so) We found out that the 'verter was too loose, so we put 3.73s in and the problem was solved.

More driving showed me that I kept getting a stupid code to show up. I don't recall the code, but it was for the Shift Solenoid A, or something to that effect. Had my solenoids checked and all were fine. It was just a false code that the computer was throwing because of the converter, so I had it deleted.

Now, there might be some speculation as to what all I did, and if it was the right way to go (not getting a shift kit...) But judging by great driveability I have, and the GREAT times I've run with this setup, it's easy to see I did something right. :cool:

BTW, my converter is a rebuilt TCI 3800 with a 2.6 STR. She hits HARD at the track, and other than the shift extension, is barely noticeable on the street.

Well its installed now! All i can say so far is :eek: After dropping it off me and my wife were driving around and i decided to stop back in and see if they were having any trouble with that bolt! They were letting it down and my wife said "see they just started" well turns out they were done and were about to take it for a test run! 20 mins we came back and they mech. came out with a big grin on his face. I said, well how did she do? He said i cant give you these keys! Why is that i said!!!! Cause i cant have somebodys death on my conscience! That thing....... SHEEW.... Fill F**ck'n run!!!! Ive not really had the chance to REALLY play around its been raining most of the time but I can tell a HUGE difference in the top end SOTP feeling! I had to put the cap on my cutout because regular accelleration ussually keeps my rpm's to about 2500 to 3000 and there is no decrease of rpms between shifts, just solid accell. Im trying to be easy for a while but the two launches ive had first one sorta spun for a minute and took off pushing me to the back seat it felt like and the second time it ROASTED the tires through first and half of second and left lots of blus smoke! from a 40 roll once it got sideways!!! My car is pretty loose now but not too bad, I did notice that while sitting my rpms will be at 900 then up a little and the car will roll then stop and go back down to 900 over and over. and on a hill ill roll backwards! on the freeway itll stay up around 3000 until 65-70 and will drop into Overdrive and quiet down to about 1900 rpm but decelleration to about 60 will cause a bump feeling like downshifting sorta :confused: and last night a averaged at 23mpg which is 3mpg less than ussual! I was wondering though if i stomp the gas from a stop shouldnt my rpms go to 3600?? i dont think they do??? anyways sticky tires will be a must and the cutout lid will have to be on most of the time but that feeling is AWESOME!!! :bow:

Today I was driving my LS1 and my service light came on and I check the code and its a P0751 Shift Solenoid A, CKT Performance or Stuckoff..Do i have a bad shift solenoid? Would my TCI 3000 stall cause this code to pop up? When the service light was on the car shifted fine didn't miss any gears. When I got home I cleared the code and then I drove it and after 15 mins it came back again? What should I do? Nothing seems to be wrong with the transmission, it shifts fine and I notice no problems except for that code PO751 that keeps on coming on? Anyone here had this problem before?

yeah, i've heard of that recently... i forget what thread... from what i recall its normal... nothing to worry about. i forget how to take care of it tho :think:

Today I was driving my LS1 and my service light came on and I check the code and its a P0751 Shift Solenoid A, CKT Performance or Stuckoff..Do i have a bad shift solenoid? Would my TCI 3000 stall cause this code to pop up? When the service light was on the car shifted fine didn't miss any gears. When I got home I cleared the code and then I drove it and after 15 mins it came back again? What should I do? Nothing seems to be wrong with the transmission, it shifts fine and I notice no problems except for that code PO751 that keeps on coming on? Anyone here had this problem before?


Thats Ironic, After mine was installed my light thats been on for 9 months went off! :confused:

Its just annoying that everyday I drive my car that dam service light comes with the P0751 code. It just annoys me seeing that light on when I drive.

Since my TCI 3000 torque converter install everything is all good except one problem, the idle. I notice when I tap the gas especially when I go to park my car in the garage and sometimes when I make a complete stop the idle goes down and the car seems it wants to die then the idle goes back to normal. When its night time and when my lights are on and when I tap the gas ( a light tap like when you are going to park your car in the garage slowly) the lights go dim and flickers and the idle goes down like it wants to die but it doesn't die. It seems like a alternator charging system problem but its not I check out the alternator at a auto parts store and it checked out good. The car drive fines except for this idle problem. What would cause this? Iam thinking it this has to deal with a tune? If so what tune would I have to get? what would I need to get adjusted? any suggestions?

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=362974


let me know what you get done, where, how much, and how it goes!

:)

There's a chart about 25% down the page @
http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/GTO/gtotransgears.html that can be useful for getting you a good idea where you want to be.



That chart answers a ton of ???s thank you!

I put a 2400 b and m nitrous holeshot in my 80 trans am. Its pretty loose converter even with 3.42 gears but it does roast them nicely with blue block 400 with some mods on it.

I just recently installed a 2800 vigilante that bought used off this board and when I picked up the car I thought they had forgot to put the stall in. The car acted exactly like before its very tight but after driving for a few days its definitely in there!!

Street tires with 3.42 gears and the 2800 vig are pretty useless nittos are pretty much required on the street and same or better for the track otherwise the stall will likely make you slower from wheelspin.

I ,like others wish that maybe would have went up to 3000 or 3200 vig even though hear that their converters stall about 400 higher than rated. So in a sense I have a 3200. Its fine like I said but a 3000 or 3200 might have been even better but don't think that free restall is left and not going to take the thing out again and put it back in. Its fine the way it is.
I call it an invisible mod as really you can't really notice it .I am curious to see if the wife noticing anything ,the vert is her car actually but I plate it ,gas it and fix it so I also sometimes drive and race it!!

I usually tell her to leave the traction control on.. and with the new stall she better!! :D :eek: