I am looking at having a custom torque converter made by a local company out here in the chicago are for my 93 z28 a4 and i really dont know jack about whats actually in the converter being that i've never taken one apart, what should I have put into the converter, I was looking at trying to replicate something like a yank converter..

Currently I am looking at going with a 3600 stall, with the 3.5 STR. They said that they ussually just do that with the 10 inch converter, would going down to a 9.5" link the yank or vigalante make a huge difference and be worth a few extra bucks?? What else should I request be put in the converter???

 

I know someone on this forum has to know something about torque converters... help me out here..

 

You'll probably have more luck in the Torque Converter (Drivetrain) forum

 

I know a smaller converter is more efficent but I am not sure if there is going to be any diff. in 1/2" What kind of horse power are you making? Do you have a cam? 3600 sounds with a 3.5 STR seems pretty high for stock. I would definitly do some research before you pick one. I personaly went with Edge racing converters which I like very much, but would also recommend Precision Industrys or Yank.

 

I am going to be running the LE 2 head/cam package with a 125 shot, i am looking at going with the custon torque converter just because they guys quoted me at $325 for the converter with the balloon plates and they told me I could go with just about any setup i want and just to let them know exactly what i want and it'd still will be under $400

 

can anyone help me out here and tell me exactly what a company like yank is using to make their converters better than the other competitors??? (besides the 3.5 stator) I'm pretty much just trying to replicate one, but with some customization to my car, and this company that makes these out here will prolly end up saving me a ton of cash in the process if i can figure out a little bit about what yank is using.

 

ttt

 

You don't specify what you are trying to accomplish. But I would think long and hard about a 3,800rpm stall for a street car. Have you ever driven a car with a converter this loose? You may not like it. It will make the car very hard to launch on street tires - you will tend to go up in smoke. As far as this particular brand, I don't see how anyone can comment because you haven't even given the name of the company. But I doubt they are making you a "custom" converter for less than $400. It might be fine for your purposes though.

As with other performance parts, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Paying for a high dollar converter does not guarantee quality, but a good expensive conveter will always be better than a cheap one.

Rich

 

The company is performance plus, they are located in chicago ridge. give them a call at 708-424-0199 and you can see for yourself what their prices are.. actually what i was asking was what makes specifically in this "expensive" converter, (yank) makes it better when it comes to parts (bearings, pistons, clutch, etc)...

what I am trying to accomplish is to pretty much replicate a converter like yanks 3600... what what is going on the car
-LE 2 heads/cam, with all the neccessary modifications (LT headers, 1.6 rocker arms, 58 mm TB, etc, etc)
-125 shot N20, not spraying out of the hole

 

Everything from the housing to the impeller, turbine, stator and small parts like bearings, seals, etc. can be of either higher or lower quality. The tolerances are going to be more precise on a better converter, etc. Of course, what everyone wants to know is "what do I need" for my own use. The best way to figure this out is to go with something that works for someone with a similar combo, keeping in mind what I posted before about the general relationship between price and quality.

I still think a converter that is that loose is not a good choice for a street car.

Rich

 

i've actually never driven anything with a big stall before, how does that effect drivablity on the street? as for the tires i only have DR's, i dont use street tires. this is not my daily driver, i actually only drive the car 2-3 times a week currently, but i do drive this car on the street more than at the track, I do a few runs from a stop on the street but more than anything else i do a lot of highway runs.. i guess i havent really looked into it that much , i was just deciding to use that stall based on the cam I am using which lloyd highly recommended either a 3600 or 4200 stall with atleast a 2.0 str but said that 3.0 or 3.5 would be much better. what do you think?

 

It would be better for the strip. But for the street, you are better off with a tighter converter and a shorter rear end gear, IMHO. As far as "STR", there is not a standard way to measure it and basically, when it's given as a spec it really a guess on the part of the builder. If you are buying an "off the shelf" converter from a major manufacturer, they may have actually tested that model to measure the STR. But again, even in that case there is every chance that the measuring technique they used will differ from any other manufacturer. So, I would basically discount STR as a specification. Use a tighter converter, shorter rear gear, and be sure you are in the right gear if you go roll racing.

Just my $0.02. Some people think loose converters on the street are the ****z. I think they seriously detract from the driving experience and offer no performance increase over the "right" (tighter) converter and an appropriate rear end gear. This is not so on a prepped surface with race tires, where you can launch at high rpm without blowing off the tires.

Rich

 

what about just locking up the converter when racing from a roll?