Question...

[Dan1031]

I searched through 5 pages of messages but I couldn't find anything, so I guess I just have to ask...

I was reading about torque convertors and I read the article on "how things work", but I'm still confused as to how they work. For example, say I get a torque convertor w/ a 3000 stall, does that mean that I will launch at 3000 rpm? Like my car won't move until the rpm is 3000? Because I read that it was like a clutch for the automatic.

Thanks.

-Dan

['98 BlackBird]

I do belive that is correct.
I have read, and searched, and read, and read, and I still don't understand how the damn things work. I do know that if you get a high stall covnverter, it is advisable to get a tranny cooler.

[Dan1031]

Yeah, I've been searching too for awhile. I copied and pasted this from this board, not sure who typed it though....


"a torque converter can get u as much as .5 off ur et's if you can drive it right down the track. TC's have a learning curve to them sometimes. Many ppl on here will tell u that.
Main worries w/ TC's are: Highway cruising RPM's, traction, and tranny overheating.

Having a lock-up converter will help keep highway rpm's down, also having the converter very efficient will help that also.

Traction can be helped w/ suspension, tires, differential, and the STR of the converter. STR tells u how many times the TC multiplies the torque out of the engine before it goes to the rear wheels. for example, a TC with 2.5 str will multiply ur engine torque off the line by 2.5, so if u put down 200 engine torque, you'll have 500 torque after it goes through the TC.

What u said is right, the more STR a TC has, the lower it's efficiency will be, so selecting one should be based on what ur looking for. Lower 60' times, or higher MPH through the traps. It doesn't do this my moving top end power down low though. the engine's powerband isn't changed by the TC, the TC just determines how much multiplication occurs and how efficiently the power will go through it.

Lastly, TC's produce a lot of heat when they do their multiplication stuff, and the tranny fluid can overheat and u might mess up ur tranny. Most ppl put in transmission coolers when they do TC's to keep fluid temp down.

I have been looking at getting a TC for a while. When I do get a TC, the specs I'm looking for are 2.5 STR, 97% efficient, and w/ Lock-up. There's a lot of places u can go, such as Vigilante, yank, and Edge. I personally will pick Edge because of their prices and quality so far shown by some of the members on this board. One of the guys from Edge is part of this board, his name is Andre. maybe he has some other stuff he could relay to u about torque converters."


anyways, I hope someone can clarify anything about what a torque converter actually does.

-Dan