Hi, I have a '98 Camaro with an LT1 and a auto trans. I am interested in getting a high stall TC but I was curious will a high stall hurt auto crossing? I am more into drag racing but like to do both. Do you auto cross guys use a high stall TC or is factory stall speed the best?

 

I would think that a high stall converter would help coming out of a corner, but might hurt you coming into the corner...I dunno

 

I think that it depends on how hard the converter 'hits' when you pass through the stall rpm with some throttle, as that affects how "driveable" it is. Granted, on some surfaces and course layouts, your start will be improved. And it's perhaps worth more serious consideration if you run Pro Solo. But unless the course has a number of straights immediately following tight turns, I doubt that there's much benefit afterward. You should have more than enough torque to get the rear loose if you're still cornering.

Early last year, I was fighting a throttle linkage that was highly nonlinear and sticky in the lower to lower midtrange RPM's. It seems to me that any cause of nonlinear response to throttle input in that range is likely to give similar effects (and get in the way of driving smoothly up near the combined lateral/longitudinal limits of grip). 'Course, I'm something of a die-hard manual tranny fanatic, so . . .

There's a guy running an automatic tranny '78 'Vette locally. I expect that he'll show up this coming Sunday and I'll try to remember to ask for his thoughts and find out a little about his tranny setup.

Norm

 

thanks norm that would be great. Let me know what he says.

 

Well, I have a 3200 stall and I auto-X. Well.

If you know how to drive your car, you know how to drive it period. I expect if I swapped cars with a non converter a4 car we would both do worse.

 

He hasn't touched the tranny or the torque converter, his engine has only bolt-on intake and exhaust work, and he thinks his axle ratio is a very low 3.xx. Yesterday's event was held on a bumpier lot and I think he was taking it a little easy, perhaps not being used to the extra suspension stiffness or the Victoracers that went on over last winter.

Norm