So why are the Midwest converters so cheap as compared to the Vigilante?

How much RWHP can each handle? I am going to need a converter to handle around 600 rwhp. I don't want to have to buy another one in a couple years.

 

The Yank & PI's Vigilante have apx. 37 square inches of lockup surface area. The Midwest, Edge have apx. 17 sq. in. of lockup area. This is one "big" factor in the cost. The Vigilante is the "only" torque converter that I carried that has been 100% trouble free, therefore I think the added is cost is "justified". I can't say that about the A.C.T. 9.5" lockup that I used to sell. As for how much horsepower each can handle?, I don't know. The Vigilante can handle about 800 HP, more than any 700R4/4L60E can take.

 

I think most ppl on CZ28 prefer vig. more than any others verters ....

 

Picking a converter is hard beacuse we want to no which one we could beat up on the most. Its a reliability thing

 

I can't believe that no one has mentioned this yet but Vigilante converters have a somewhat low effiency rating. That is why Yank is usually preferred by most of the top dogs at the track. IMO Yank is hands down the best converters on the market with 98% effiency ratings and extremly good track results.

But yanks are very expensive. TCI on the other hand makes what many including myself believe is the best bang for the buck converter. There have been numerous people running TCI SSF3500 and getting great results with no adverse affects on thier transmissions. TCI has been in business a long time and make quality products so don't buy into the hype that inexpensive=tranny death because that isn't always the case.

The top three converter manufacturers IMO are yank f(number one), P.I. Vigilante (number two) and TCI (a very close third). Personally I would recommend anyone on a tight budget to get a TCI SSF3500 and anyone with more money to spend to get a Yank PT series in whatever stall best suits your car.

Ask the Colonel over at ls1tech.com about TCI SSF3500. He had great results with that converter. There is a guy who has had just about every kind of converter at one time or another and he highly recommends TCI to those on a tight budget.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe Viginante's are better then TCI but not enough better to justify the few hundred extra dollars. That's just my opinion.

 

The difference between Yank & P.I. are mostly a matter of preference. As I know people that have run both, and swear by one & not the other and vice-versa. If it works for you and it will last.......

 

John: anyone make a lockup converter that will handle really high power? Or is the Yank or PI as strong as they get?

Darren: thanks for helping make my point about TCI vs. Vig. Different price range, hard to directly compare.

Rich Krause