I am thinking about doing a 3200 stall converter and maybe some gears but i really like the mileage i get on the highway with my 2.73 gears. Would just adding a converter and maybe a shift kit help out a lot?

Later
Fred

 

Definately get the verter. You will still gain 1/2 a second in the 1/4 mile ET. Don't even think twice about it. Your stock gears will be just fine with any converter you get but a higher str might help tighten things up a bit for a harder launch with your gears.

I highly recommend the TCI SSF3500 torque converter. It's great quality and a great price. It has a 2.5 str which keeps it tighter and easier for daily driving while accomodating a good match for your gears. Believe me the 3500 stall is not too high for you. If you go less then that you may be looking to upgrade in a year or so. If money is no issue then Yank makes the top of the line verters. Just stay under 4000 stalls if you have stock heads and cam.

Oh and definately get the shift kit and Tranny cooler is a MUST.

Good Luck

 

ttt

 

I would definetly get the converter butI wouldn't get the vigalante for all that money! Its not worth it!!!!I would definetly buy a ptc out of muscle shoals alabamathey are about $375 and the stall exactlywhat stall you buy! As for the gears I would move up to a 373 you won't notice much gas milage diferenceand you'll gain alot with both of those I mean alot! probably .5 second in the 8th! As far as the Yank I have a 2800 with lots of mods on the car and it won't stall 1800 it junk! Never buy one go with a PTC! http://www.ptcrace.com/ they rock!

 

I installed my 2400 while I still had the 2.73's and hated it. They don't go together very well IMO. The stall and 3.73's work much better.. I'm going against the grain and suggesting gears first.

As far as which converter to get, there are plenty out there that are satisfied with a converter that costs much less than Vig or Yank. I tend towards that direction as well.

 

i've been struggling with the same question keep the 2.73's and get a TC or just buy some 3.73's and hope there’s time and money in the future to get the TC

any suggestions on what to do to first

 

For any LS1 the Torque converter is the best mod you can do for an A4. If you upgrade your gears I would do 3.42's cheap off ebay but even if you go with 3.73's your gonna raise your MPG and gain about 2/10 in the 1/4 mile. It's not a bad gain at all but consider that a TCI SSF3500 can gain you 5/10 (with traction) while keeping your MPG in check.

For an LT1 you might want to do gears first but for an LS1 you absolutely will gain more from the torque converter. Just don't go less then 3200 stall or higher then 3800 if you don't have internal heads/cam work done. Ultimately I'd get the 3.42's eventually and have both converter and gears. But I would seriously recommend the converter first. It'll be a night and day difference even with 2.73 gears.

Good Luck

 

How does the car react with a 3500 stall in it? I have to drive this car in the winter so......is it still driveable or what? Does the computer have any problems with the converter?

 

3500 stall is fine for your car even in the winter. The only time you might notice the converter as any form of an obstacle is when you are on a steep upward incline and have to move from a dead stop. You'll have to give it a fair amount of gas to get moving. Other then that it'll be just fine. You can still accelerate easy to accomodate the raod conditions. It's when you get into 3800-4400 stall converters that "looseness" becomes a big problem in adverse road conditions.

But remember that LS1's don't handle snow very well so converter or no converter you have to be extra careful out there in the snow.

Any 3000+ stall may require some computer tweaking. Basically you want to delete TM (torque management). You may also want to raise the shiftpoints but a 3500 stall might not need that. You'll know if you do because you'll bounce off the rev limiter on WOT runs.

There are three ways to tune your car after the TC goes in. One is using a diablo predator hand held tuning device. They run $400 bucks and can delete TM, adjust shiftpoints, read and delete SES error codes as well as a few other neat features. Second is LS1-edit that runs about $500. That is a program you load into a laptop (you have to have a laptop computer first) and it does everything the preditor can do and much much more. Third is pay for a basic tune at a performance shop like speed Inc. They can install the TC, shift kit, trans cooler and then tune it afterwards. That way you drop the car off and for $500 in labor/tuning fees you can pick up the car with the converter installed, car fully tuned and ready to go.

Good Luck

 

Any suggestions on what TC to get i was thinking a 3500 would do the trick but what brand is cheap but also has good quality I know those 2 words don't always go together

 

TCI SSF3500 is the best bang for the buck LS1 converter. It costs about $520 new which is almost half the price of a Yank and has gotten rave reviews.

You can buy one from,


www.ls1speed.com


Don't forget the tranny cooler and shift kit. They make a huge difference in how long your tranmission lasts and how sharp the shifts are.

Good Luck