Anyone care to explain to me the difference in the torque converters?
I keep reading all the different numbers, but I'm not really sure how to translate that to my reality. I don't want to assume i understand its complete role (I got a general idea, but will admit to ingorance about it).

Thank you. :)

 

In a nutshell:
Higher stall numbers allow the engine to spin up to the higher RPM before it starts to load the engine.

Stall, where the inside shaft is turning at the same rate as the outside shaft.

More vanes = more quality = can take more of a beating = can handle more torque

Bigger dia. = can handle more trans fluid = can handle more torque

More fluid generally means cooler fluid.

 

Higher stall speeds are needed for engines that don't make much torque at the low RPM's. i.e. Drag racing engines.

Generally, high stall converters are not the best choice for a daily driver.

 

The torque converter is actually like two fans next to each other one turned on and blowing at the other. theshape of the blades makes them blow harder or less hard and the diameter also contributes to this. in between the two fans is a part called a stator. it multiplies the force of the one fan blowing against the other by redirecting the air (fluid) . the difference in the torque converters is the pitch of these blades and the pitch of the stator and the diameter of the whole deal........in a nutshell that's it .......hope that helps :seeya

 

It works kinda like a clutch too, in addition to what they have stated. At lockup, the TC locks and makes full contact and all the power is sent through.

 

I'm not the original poster but thanks for the info. I thought a talk-converter
had something to do with cell phones. Couldnt figure out why I had one in my vette.

 

As stated a higher "stall" TC allows the engine to spin up to higher RPMs when you mash the go pedal. Eventually (sometime after 1st gear) the ECM locks up the TC clutch so stall speed doesn't matter for highway driving.

For example, your stock TC has a stall of about 1,500rpm. So when you hammer it at a light the engine jumps to 1,500rpm and then is effectively directly coupled (or very nearly so) to the tranny.

I had a 2,000rpm TC installed which now allows my engine to jump to 2,000rpm when I launch. This gives me higher HP and torque to launch harder. It also makes launching harder on street tires as the extra torque tends to produce wheel spin (much) more easily. This is the reason that I chose such a modest increase in stall speed, so I could 'drive" it off the line on street tires. I find this a very nice TC for daily driving as well as the strip.

In drag racing the ET depends heavily on how hard you can launch so you want a higher stall TC, say around 2,600-3,000rpm (remember that in a 700R/4 the 1-2 gear change nearly cuts the rpm in half, so shifting at 5,400rpm drops you back to about 2,800rpm and you only want TC slippage at launch). Of course this also means you need drag radials to hookup that extra torque at launch.

Hope this gives you a "practical" feel for the effect of changing TC stall speed. For some more info try the Level-10 web pages (link on my site).