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Highest stall speed ?'s

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4-play

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What is the highest stall speed convertor that you have wheeled with? Please include gear ratio's and such: My engine really needs more stall now that I put the 700R4 in, but I'm a little worried a higher stall will affect my off road ability. I also plan on going with a doubler in the future and have heard they are hard to stop with "stock" stall convertors. I've got the heat under control, just want your opinions if you've wheeled with convertors up to 3200-3500. TIA
 
4-play said:
What is the highest stall speed convertor that you have wheeled with? Please include gear ratio's and such: My engine really needs more stall now that I put the 700R4 in, but I'm a little worried a higher stall will affect my off road ability. I also plan on going with a doubler in the future and have heard they are hard to stop with "stock" stall convertors. I've got the heat under control, just want your opinions if you've wheeled with convertors up to 3200-3500. TIA
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I wheeled a 3200 for awhile in sand and mud it works great crawling not so much. I'm running a torque master 2000 and a bad tranny so it works. I'm going back to stock when I put my 203/205 together.
 
I ran a "loose" 3800 with a hot 454, 5.13's and 44's for a while, it was a lot of fun and felt good in 4lo. I was juggling this combo between regular deep pit mud bog comps and weekend wheeling.

That said, for a weekend wheeler I'd go with a lower stall "tight" convertor next time. That high of a stall was not the best for street driving but it was fun. :pimp:
 
nvrenuf said:
I ran a "loose" 3800 with a hot 454, 5.13's and 44's for a while, it was a lot of fun and felt good in 4lo. I was juggling this combo between regular deep pit mud bog comps and weekend wheeling.

That said, for a weekend wheeler I'd go with a lower stall "tight" convertor next time. That high of a stall was not the best for street driving but it was fun. :pimp:
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Yah a bunch of fun!!! but not really practical
 
I ran a TCI 10" converter in my T-400 with a blown big block...It has the anti ballooning plate.....I just pulled it out last month as I am installing a doubler now. It would stall at about 3K....

since then, I have pulled the blower off.....
I am going back with a near stock converter. 1800- 2000 rpm stall..

http://www.tciauto.com/Products/TC-'Street Torque Converters'-1.aspx


The MAIN reason I am replacing it is, after about 5 years of use, The 10 inch developed an extremely tiny leak at the weld seam where the weld starts and finishes....and it would drip and sling fluid inside the bell housing...not enough to be a constant dripping leak....just enough to make a mess.....I am going to have it welded and sell it...
 
Don't forget that, assuming it still works, the 700r4 is a lockup trans, so cruising on the highway it will eliminate all converter slip. That does allow you to get away with a little bit more stall speed. I had a 2500 converter in my big block Skylark for years and you don't even feel the difference until you need it. 2500 is a nice compromise.
Now the car has a switch pitch, which is 2 stall speeds, selectable by 12 volt source. I have 1800 on low and 3400 on high, and let me tell you.... I only like high stall when I am launching the car, or at stop lights as my car idles really radical. Ignore all the drag race converters you see in Jeg's and Summit. Unless you are drag racing, 3000+ is a lot of converter, and you probably will not like it.
 
If you are buying a high stall converter make sure you talk with the folks who are building it so they can give you advice on proper selection for your application. A torque converter that stalls 2800 in a 3200LB Nova with a small block may stall 4000rpm in a 5500lb SUV with a big block. Buying a converter out of a catolog will be a big roll of the dice. We always try and steer a customer towards the tightest converter they can get away with. A tighter converter will generate less heat, get better MPG and is easier on the transmission. There are also lots of ways to build a stall converter, a tighter small diameter is always better than a maxed out large diameter both in terms of flash stall and efficiency. The possibilities are endless, but like everything else there is a good way, then a better way.
 
I've wheeled ranging from stock converters with small blocks to 4000 stall converters with 502 big blocks with 5.13 gears. It all depends on the combo. Currently I am swapping from a barely above stock stall HD 12" to a tight 10" converter.

A good converter won't slip really bad like you may think it will. the cheap ones will, but a good quality one won't. I have a racing 3000 stall 10" converter in my regal and I barely even notice it when I am just tooling around, but when I mash on it the tires are worthless unless I bolt my Hoosiers on. The less torque you give it, the lower it should stall. The heat it what you need to be careful with.

The best advice is too call a reputable manufacturer (I called Hughes) and tell them what you are going to do with it, they will want to know most of the specs of your vehicle (vehicle weight, tire size, gear, engine, cam, heads, intended use, etc.) and they will give you a recommendation.

I have also ran a trans with the old switch pitch converters in the TH400. Had a modified converter in it for 1100/3000 stall. Man did I hate that thing. It was too low of normal stall, tight, slam into gear, hard shifts. But in high stall it was looser than a $2 hooker. It would slip so much it was rediculous, wouldn't even move the truck on flat ground unless you revved it past 2500, then it would barely start to move. Not at all like a quality high stall racing converter is. I took that system right back out.

In my recent application they ended up taking a 10" and tighening it up a little so it will function somewhere in between their off the shelf 10" and 11" converters.
 
1100-3000? That sounds familiar. Ahhh, you had a PAE switch pitch. PAE basically ruins the converter. You should never ever MIG weld the fins, but that is what they do. Tri Shield Performance built mine, and I love it. But I did a lot of research first, and what I found is that the exact problem that you described is what happens when the wrong company builds it. Not that it matters now, but if you are curious, I can send you links with all the information.
Granted it is not as efficient as a really good race converter like say one from Coan or Dynamics, but a really good middle ground, and also a really neat trick that most people have never seen.
 
wasted wages said:
I ran a TCI 10" converter in my T-400 with a blown big block...It has the anti ballooning plate.....I just pulled it out last month as I am installing a doubler now. It would stall at about 3K....

since then, I have pulled the blower off.....
I am going back with a near stock converter. 1800- 2000 rpm stall..

http://www.tciauto.com/Products/TC-'Street%20Torque%20Converters'-1.aspx


The MAIN reason I am replacing it is, after about 5 years of use, The 10 inch developed an extremely tiny leak at the weld seam where the weld starts and finishes....and it would drip and sling fluid inside the bell housing...not enough to be a constant dripping leak....just enough to make a mess.....I am going to have it welded and sell it...
Click to expand...

Hey, can you let me know when you're ready to sell it? You don't even have to weld it.
 
crashandburn said:
1100-3000? That sounds familiar. Ahhh, you had a PAE switch pitch. PAE basically ruins the converter. You should never ever MIG weld the fins, but that is what they do.
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I can believe that, maybe that's why they went out of business. I asked them about the MIG welding back when I bought it, they said they haven't had any issues with it, and I couldn't really find much of information elsewhere. I also agree with Ducato in that a converter size is only efficient in a range of stall speeds. And when you take one converter and vary the stator fin angle for multiple stall speeds, it isn't very effecient. That's probably why you say you only like the 3400 stall for launching and idling. Because if you had a high quality 3400 stall 10" you probably wouldn't mind it one bit for cruising around. If I put the hammer down in high stall it worked fine at high RPMs, but I still didn't like the setup, felt very inneficient and worthless to me.
 
4-play said:
Anybody running a doubler and a "small" stall to get rid of the braking problem? Did it help?
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I have been running the double in my now race car for 7+ years. 6 of those were with a "stock" stall converter in a th350. I had to put the trans in neutral when dropping off steep stuff.

Now I have a mildly built 6.0 engine with a roughly 2500 stall converter. Neutral is not really needed anymore dropping off stuff, how ever the fine control that I had with the old TBI motor and low stall is gone. We did some out of the ordinary things with the new tuning that make it more livable but I still struggle to do technical crawling like I used to be able to do.

I prefer the lowest stall possible, use a good shifter like a winters shifter and if you are pulling through the brakes dropping down steep stuff just go to neutral and be ready to hit a forward gear and the gas if the ass tries to pass you.
 
Great info! Currently shopping for a new TC. My 406 cam suggests a 2600 stall but I may go lower like 2000.
 
Shawn said:
Great info! Currently shopping for a new TC. My 406 cam suggests a 2600 stall but I may go lower like 2000.
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I would stay close to the cam recommendations or you may be dissapointed. Call a torque converter manufacturer and let them help you select one.
 
folkenheath said:
Brandon(miniwally) already mentioned his opinion with his doubler...
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OK, OK, don't beat me up. I forgot about the one reply. Guess I shouldn't drink and post. Miniwally, I do appreciate the info, just thought there would be more people out there with similar setups. With the current engine, I don't really have much choice. I need some stall. ~250 duration at .050 in a 355 isn't exactly a torque monster down low. I also currently have 42's and 4.10's. Awsome combo! lol It's not the final product, just were I'm at now.
 
Sorry for the hi-jack, but what wrong with a low stall speed if you have a doubler?
 
Fred_M1010 said:
Sorry for the hi-jack, but what wrong with a low stall speed if you have a doubler?
Click to expand...
It's harder to stop. Ever notice that when you are in low range, it's easier to slow down but harder to come to a complete stop? The engine is still pulling at idle speed, and the converter is putting some of that torque to the trans. Low range makes it worse. A doubler makes it twice as bad. A higher stall converter is going to be looser at idle and so it does not put as much torque to the trans, and in turn fights against the brakes less. A lower stall does the opposite and fights against the brakes more.
 
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