i need help chosing the right t converter....

[hot ss]

my L99 car, has a maggie, ARH, corsa, BAP, ADM intake, and is a low miles driven daily car which sees some track time. on track days. i slap on the 3.4 and run vp 109. being in canada, i need to be concerned about overly low winter temps if i run a separate cooler. a thermostatically controlled bypass to run thru the cars rad would be sweet, but likely costly and may be dificult to execute. ive looked at yanks, but i cant help but feel 3200 is too much stall. of coarse, i would want a TC that is uber efficient. unsure of what STR would be appropriate as well. i have HPT if i need to tweak the tcc applies, etc, so that is a non-issue. future mods may include 3.73 and maybe a 75 wet shot to help the burn.

any suggs?

[chevyconvert]

Call Yank and/or Precision Industries (Vigilante) directly and give them the details of your vehicle and they will suggest a stall for you.

[SC2150]

A 3200 would be the minimum I would suggest. Can't tell you how many times a customer has come back and realized they should have gone with a higher stall. The key to the right stall is what you want out of yor car with what type of driving.

All the A6 converters will be lock-up so highway cruising is close to stock, but when you need it the TC should put you into the power band so your not lugging or over revving.

If quick exceleration is the goal and your not going to auto cross or road track, look at your dyno graph to see where that band is. Say 4500-6000? That is where you want the converter to put the enine as soon as possible (like revving a standard & dumping the clutch).

Look for a 3200-3600 stall.

A good converter properly stalled (the converter builder will need to know as much as possible about your build, and a copy of the dyno sheet will help a ton. Make sure cam grind, heads, etc. are all info you provide to the builder.) will improve your ET from .5 to .7 sec. No more HP than you started with, just making it all work. A quick ET converter will free-wheel when decelerating, and apply too violently when accelerating causing traction issues while exiting a turn. So this is not what you want for auto cross or road track use.

The autotrans is a disadvantage for road track/auto cross as keeping the car in the power band while slowing for a turn is not as efficient as a manual car, but if this is part of your intended use of the car you can still go with a 2400-2800 stall that is tight enough to allow engine braking when downshifting.

So just picking a stall speed is only part of the info needed to match the TC to what you want your car to do.

Having been a drag racer for years I prefer the FTI converter over any other for a lock-up as we have used most of the well known names through the years and none have matched them for 4L60, 4L80, & A6 trans. FTI makes for quik ET's and consistancy. No matter who you go with, take this all into consideration and put your faith in the TC builder to match the unit to your build & intended use.

[hot ss]

i do appreciate the responses.
i did make mention of STR....not just stall. i think efficiency is key for rpms past stall.
i personally believe that 3200 may be a tad high for a supercharged motor, as
its making big block power at 2500 rpm. the butterfly slamms shut at 2200 rpm.
i was looking for opinions of other with a similar setup if possible.
if i were to guess, on my rich/ low boost/ lesser timing tune, i'd say 450-475 whp.& tq.
on 9.5 lbs boost, race gas, and 22 deg timing? i think around 550 whp (dreams of 575 whp), and similar tq.
i do not have a dyno chart of my own, but i bet using someone else's would be a close guess.

please keep the input coming.

[toehead93]

I was think a 2800 stall for supercharged cars would be ideal. I've heard from several others also. How does STR affect the car on a road course, for instance compare 1.7 vs. 2.5?

[Slowhawk]

I would call Dave at Yank and talk to him. Just saying a stall # and STR means little while comparing different brands. I've driven multiple car with 3200 stalls.Some felt really loose while some were tight. I have a feeling Yank will point you towards a tight 3000/3200 stall.

[hot ss]

great stuff. i know you cant go by advertised numbers, that why im asking the community for their real life experience and input.

[Jason 98 TA]

Give us a call, we've done a few verter Maggie cars. I bet we can help. I stock yanks and order vigilante verters all the time.

[hot ss]

seems like i have no choice but to have one custom tweaked, but its tough being in another country, and putting your faith in an unknown builder to myself.
i only want to pull my tranny once unless i break something. maybe i should buy another tranny as well, so i have a stock backup....

[VADER SS L99]

I would have one built between 2400-2800. I would also not touch the gears. SuperchargedSS just did a 10.5. I think he dropped his times by half a second with the onlymod being the convertor over his previous best. He has a untouched drivetrain and motor with a maggie,pulley upgrade, LT headers,full exhaust,methanol injection, and cai with tune. 10.5 with those mods was pretty impressive in my book and getting a half second reduction in ET with only a converter is equally impressive. Did I mention that it was a tiny 2600? Like I said, get one between 2400-2800. PD supercharger cars dont need big stalls or gears because they have instant torque and almost full boost below 3000 rpm. I would look at the Vigilante, Yank, pro torque, and Circle D convertors. Also dont listen to anyone who says you need a bigger stall than 2800 or rear gears.

[Supercharged SS]

Vader just beat me to the punch. Call Ted over at jannetty's if you want the best converter for these cars, handsdown. Vaders post says it all. Plus you don't need a cooler like you will for the others and the tune need not be touched. If anybody says to get a stall bigger than 26 - 2800 run don't walk away. There is no doubt that my car wil be in the low tens and low 1.4 60's bc of teds converter.

[BLWN SS]

I've been following this and other posts with interest as my A6 is a slug off the line (2.15 avg). Partly due to the 9-11k D.A.s at Bandimere. The other big diff is I'm running a Vortech which does not boost until 3000. I've done the tranny tune from Vector which helped (immediately got one wheel burns). I've got Teds posi fix and 370 gears ready to install. Daily driver-weekly drag racer. I'm thinking I need a higher stall but still need drive-ability, suggestions?

[Hendrix-Engineering]

Originally Posted by hot ss

seems like i have no choice but to have one custom tweaked, but its tough being in another country, and putting your faith in an unknown builder to myself.
i only want to pull my tranny once unless i break something. maybe i should buy another tranny as well, so i have a stock backup....

We are a FTI dealer and have had great results the FIRST time,and we diffently know maggies.Give me a call if i can help you.

[hot ss]

i went with pro torque. they set me up with a prototype stator inside a factory case.
installed it the day after it landed in Canada.
i can tell some differences, but its tame. if i hammer down, i make the tires beg for mercy. the car will still engine brake, and driveability is WIFE APPROVED! its only 40 degrees F. out, so i cant tell if it makes any more heat than stock. i didnt want to run a tranny cooler if i could help it, as ill drive it until it snows--even in the very cold. i personally believe that the trans needs to be heated by the radiator when its 20 deg below freezing. i only live 4 miles from work, so the car doesnt even get hot by the time i park.
on the upside, now if i give it a half inch of gas pedal, i don't spin the tires off the line.
it lets me roll out easier under partial throttle. seems to brake stall to about 1900.
its too cold out to see where it will flash at. damn useless pirellis.
once the rims and tires arrive, i hope to make it to the last track day, and i will post my improvements.
thanks to all who spent their time sharing input. thx camaro5 members.