DANOZ28

hey everybody, i'm really happy with how my car runs & drives but getting the itch to go faster. i still have the stock torque converter & 2:73 gears. please comment on ET gains , gas milage etc pros & cons of upgrading. im concerned if i change gears my speedometer wont read accurately , gas milage will drop (current average 21 mpg). thinking about a 3k stall, i dont want to chirp the tires normal driving. will my car run worse / no benefit if i add a 3k stall with 2:73's? thx in advance! ps i believe i read a post where someone added gears and went .3 tenths faster, then added stall for another .5 tenths does that sound right? cheers!

FirstYrLS1Z

You told what stall you're thinking about but didn't tell which gears you're thinking about !

DANOZ28

im pretty sure i'd go with 3:42's, since i enjoy highway driving. i wish a few people were chiming in however i'll ask another ? aftermarket stalls appear to be 20 lbs lighter than stock, doesnt this reduce rotational mass and free up any rwhp? i never here people saying they gained rwhp by adding a stall. thx

FirstYrLS1Z

With your 2.73s',you're probably at about 26mpg at freeway legal speeds,3.42s' would drop you to about 24mpg.
Changing to 3.42s' from 2.73s' will increase your rear wheel torque by 25%.
The general consensus for a stall is to go to the 3600-4000 range,and don't go INEXPENSIVE. By 'inexpensive' I mean a convertor that is in stock on the shelf ready to ship. TCI,Hughes,B&M fall into that catergory. A custom CircleD or Yank is the way to go. Since you'd still have 'lockup',freeway mpg wouldn't be affected.
I've not seen hp figure gains,probably because it's small and relatively insignificant in relation to what our engines put out.
I had a TCI 2800 with both 3.23s' and 4.56s'.It was very 'loose' compared to the OEM 1800 AND no change in performance. I was familiar with someone else's 2002 Z28 that had 3.73s' put in and then a TCI 3000 streetfighter. The gears helped but the convertor didn't,just a lot of 'looseness'. My current Yank SS3600,4.56s' then back to OEM 3.23s',jumps into the powerband when needed yet drives as tight as the OEM1800 in city traffic.

DANOZ28

just so im crystal clear you say no gain (zero) by adding a 3k stall? i read that 3300 stall or higher needed pcm tuning to adjust for the slippage. and not to disagree w you but letting you know where im getting my info the old slp catalog says a 3200 stall (made by yank) would work with gears from stock upto 4:10's, shaving upto 5 tenths ET. part 2 do you still have a 10 bolt? im struggling with adding gears to my 10 bolt since im not drag racing my car vs 12 bolt vs beefing up my 10 bolt with upgraded posi , axles. very confusing whats the best way to go.

FirstYrLS1Z

No gain with a 3000 stall because it was an off the shelf TCI,a 3200 Yank would be a world of difference compared to the TCI.
Still the little 10 bolt at 170,000 miles. 7 years with OEM 3.23s',then 4.56s for 4 years,then back to the oem 3.23S'.

scottshwtm

I don't think you have the motor for a 4000 converter as mentioned. Shoot for 2600/2800 converter with a 373 gear. Traction pending your ET will pick up.