ONE MORE TQ CONVERTER THREAD

[Too Slow]

ok well i have a 2002 auto gt with 4:10 and i'm wanting to get myself a converter but don't know what brand to go with since every brand seems like they have a bad reputation and all the other threads are really old about this. the brands that i know of that i was thinking is:

PI stallion

Edge racing

 

[Kilgore Trout]

You will ABSOLUTELY need to equip a tranny cooler.

Also, do not be tempted to equip a TC that is so "over the top" that it is not reasonably streetable...

I have heard many good things about PI.

 

[Too Slow]

You will ABSOLUTELY need to equip a tranny cooler.

Also, do not be tempted to equip a TC that is so "over the top" that it is not reasonably streetable...

I have heard many good things about PI.

sorry i forgot to mention, i already have a B&M tranny cooler. i talked to a pi representative before and he told me that since its my daily driver that he recommends a 3000 stall and if i plan on going supercharged in the future to get the multi disk, but good lord it was like $1100 or so. then on top of that i've heard that with my car i will need a tune even though he said i wouldn't.

 

[san~man]

sorry i forgot to mention, i already have a B&M tranny cooler. i talked to a pi representative before and he told me that since its my daily driver that he recommends a 3000 stall and if i plan on going supercharged in the future to get the multi disk, but good lord it was like $1100 or so. then on top of that i've heard that with my car i will need a tune even though he said i wouldn't.

You will need a tune to properly program the TC lock up schedule or it'll shift like crap.

I would also recommend a shift kit, preferrably a Jmod valve body or the shifts will feel a bit "soft."

 

[DropTopPony]

contact these guys....
http://www.bc-automotive.com/

 

[Yellow2002GT]

Transgo street/strip setting shift kit and a PI 3200 stall! You will be really happy...trust me! With out a tune the car will shift at part throttle.....not really bad just feels really responsive....once you get it tuned the converter will lock up at 3/4 throttle and still be very streetalbe.....kinda wish I went with a 3600 stall....on 17 in rims with MT DR's I now cut high 1.68 60 fts! You will absoulutely love it!

"ED"

 

[san~man]

Transgo is generally not recommended in the 4R70W community.

Do the J-mod and never look back. As long as you have the correct sized drill bits, you can do it yourself and save money.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Here is the mother load of 4R70W knowledge, enjoy:
http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html

 

[uhoh5.0]

I believe Circle D is located in the houston area. They make a nice converter. The reason Precision Industries gets a bad name sometimes is because of the clutch material they use. Its a paper material and even the triple discs are prone to flaking especially if locking up under full throttle. I personally went with a custom built unit that has a billet cover which is much more durable and allows for a very large lock-up area for the clutch. If you look at the BC automotive converter that is the same design I went with. Sometimes referred to as a spaceship converter the cover is ~11" and carved out of a solid piece of billet. Because of this, it is much more durable but also more expensive (the cover alone was over $400.00 which is roughly the price of the entire edge unit). This large cover allows for a high carbon clutch with approximately twice the surface area of the stock clutch. Then there is an anti-ballooning plate and then a 9.5" outside cover. My converter stalls at about 3300rpms and it makes a huge difference in the amount of torque that gets transferred to the rear wheels upon take-off. Anyways, there are a lot of aspects that go into choosing a torque converter but don't bother buying a cheaply made piece as you will spend more money in the long run. As to tuning, if you have a hand held tuner you can adjust some of the parameters yourself but a custom dyno tune will benefit most because you can adjust lock-up and part throttle shift rpms and firmness. One last thing though, a converter that stalls high enough to make a differnece will feel kinda loose at part throttle and even a really agressive shift kit will mellow out with a big converter. Thats just the nature of the beast.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

I believe Circle D is located in the houston area. They make a nice converter.

This is the company I went with. It's a real quality piece. They're one of the more requtable builders in the US.

 

[Too Slow]

You will need a tune to properly program the TC lock up schedule or it'll shift like crap.

I would also recommend a shift kit, preferrably a Jmod valve body or the shifts will feel a bit "soft."

with my chip, the shop made it to where my shifts are pretty hard. also thanx for all the replies guys. keep em coming. i take it to effect every reply that i get.

 

[san~man]

with my chip, the shop made it to where my shifts are pretty hard. also thanx for all the replies guys. keep em coming. i take it to effect every reply that i get.

They may be adding a lot of line pressure, which in the long run may/may not be detrimental to the trans.

In my car with the 2800, jmod, chip and 4.10's, part throttle shifts are very light. Sometimes, you can barely feel the car shift (except if you feel the TC lockup). But, mash the go pedal and it shifts nice and hard and will get sideways certain times.

 

[VicRattlehead]

first thing, when it comes to a converter, the old saying 'you get what you pay for' is words to live by. i have 1500 in my converter alone.

talk to the guys at the bc-automotive link above, darrin there will probably get you in touch with alan to build you a converter. thats one way.

another is to talk to chris at Circle D and have him build you one. thats sorta the way i went.


my setup is this. its a pi converter reworked by circle d. ~4200 stall. i had gotten a multi disk pi converter about 4 years ago, about 2 years ago i toasted the trans in my car so while it was out i sent the converter out to circle d. i was originally going to send it to alan to have him look at it but he was between jobs and did not have the tools available to him to do the work. he has since bought the stuff he needs to do them. if i was to do it again he would be the one to do it, i had him build me a trans instead.

also DO NOT do anything related to transgo on a 4r70w trans, you will be walking soon if you do. do the jmod listed in the tccoa.com link.

btw edge is junk

 

[03ghoststang]

get a 3000-3400rpm stall convertor multi disk and do teh J-mod, if you already have the tuner go get it tuned for the lock up and set the line pressures to your liking along with shift points.............

 

[Too Slow]

anyone else? i'm also thinking of getting an Art Carr converter since their texas based and custom build every converter.

 

[VicRattlehead]

so is circle d? whats your point? get something that works not just something thats in texas.

 

[Dirtyd0g]

Art Carr Does not build their own converter for 4r70w's They buy PI singleplates and repaint them. Buy one and scrape some black off to find the pink.
Alan

 

[propellerhead]

i talked to a pi representative before and he told me that since its my daily driver that he recommends a 3000 stall and if i plan on going supercharged in the future to get the multi disk, but good lord it was like $1100 or so. then on top of that i've heard that with my car i will need a tune even though he said i wouldn't.

Yup. That about sums it up.

If you have a power adder or plan to get one, everyone who's been there will recommend a high end one. Expect to spend $1500 or more. I have a daily driver that I take to the track on some weekends. I went with the $500-600 option. I installed an Edge single disc 2800 stall and firmed up my shifts with my Xcal2. You can go without doing so but I like my shifts to be crisp and felt. The converter does make my daily driver a lot more fun to drive and it made my launches at the track a lot harder. I used to think my Nitto 555s were sticky until I got the converter. Now I spin them like I did the stock tires. I had to upgrade to MT ET Streets for the track or I just spun at launch. If I could do it again, I probably would go with 3000-3200 stall but not much more for a daily driver. The 1-2 shift was almost unnoticeable before I firmed it up.

Consider your long term plans. Is it a daily driver? Is it going to be trailered to the track? How much money are you willing to dump into your car for an extra second off your ET? If your car will see a lot of power or $1500 fits in your budget, then go for it. After a lot of reading, I decided it the Edge Street Edge was for me. Don't just read one message board. Read all of them. You'll be surprised how opinions differ from board to board.

 

[Too Slow]

thx alot for all the replies guys. yall once again have helped alot.

 

[TGJ]

anyone else? i'm also thinking of getting an Art Carr converter since their texas based and custom build every converter.

CircleD Specialties is in Houston and custom makes his Torque Converters. I have been to Chris' shop and talked to him. He will hook you up with what you need.