already have tsp228r cam and having vet drs install my tsp st II CNC ls6 heads next monday. My question is do i need to change the converter to help put this torque to the ground. if so then im going have them put some gears in as well. what would be a good street combo, its not my dd, but i do drive it alot.

 

I have 3.73s with a vig. 3200 converter and love the set up for the street. Works fine on the hi-way also. But it goes through rear tires real fast though and I don't know why

 

Here is a post on a TC by Mike Mercury. This is really good info! Scroll to the top to start reading.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...post1560419594

 

I have 3.73 gears and a SS3600 TC. You will love this combo. My car is a DD. I put 12k miles on it a year and this combo runs great. The rest of my mods are in my sig.

 

so im guessing it wouldnt make sense just to switch to the 342 better to go to 373. will it affect highway driving?

 

If you plan on doing a fair amount of highway driving I would put the 3:42s in. 3:73s are a little low and they will affect gas mileage and noise level at high cruising speeds.

 

To compliment that cam, a 3600 stall and 3.73's would make the car feel like a rocket. If you want to conservative, a 3200 and 3.42's would also work.

 

I went from a 3:15 gear to the 3:73 and 3600 stall and love it. It cost the same so if you are not looking for a big difference then why spend the money? A gear and torque converter is a lot of bucks to spend and then later wish you would have done the lower gear. Yes the lower the gear the more gas it will use. If gas mileage is a concern stay with what you have. Frank

 

You have been given some pretty good information here and FACE probably hit it right on the head. The selection of a 3200 stall and 3.42's or the 3600 with 3.73's depends on what you want to do with the car.

There is however one other thing about running that cam that most people never mention when discussing an automatic even though it's pretty basic when doing a cam swap. One of the reasons GM put what we would call, "those mild cams," in our cars is because they produce a nice idle with plenty of intake vacuum. When you add that new cam your vacuum at idle will drop and this will make it impossible for the car to idle reliably at the stock 600 RPM. You solve that problem by simply increasing the idle speed to somewhere around 900 RPM. That's a no brainer if you have a manual six speed but not so with an automatic.

The stock converter is very tight so holding the car at a stop light can be dangerous if you let your mind wonder. It also has a tendency to make the car feel like its in cruse control when you lift off of the throttle at around 25 MPH.

So, it comes down to this. A higher stall converter is a nice performance enhancement but for a cam like yours it’s a must. Since it will already be apart there is no point in paying the same labor rate twice so do the gears at the same time. For the street the 3.42 gears with the 3200 stall will be sweet. If you plan to drag race with track tires do the 3600 with 3.73's. It just depends on what you want to do with the car.

I track my car with a set of fat sticky slicks so I have the 3.73's and a 3600 stall.

 

im now up in the air for the 373 3600 stall, or 342 with 3000 stall. i would like the car to be a rocket off the line as face says, just dont want it to be annoying with noise on the highway. and would it still drive like stock when im just cruising

 

It'll still drive fine with the 3600/3.73's, as for noise level, it depends on your exhaust/cats, etc..

 

I like Face and have had many conservations with him on this forum. As a result I have a high regard for his opinion. But in this instance I find myself in disagreement with him. Primarily because you don't seem to be looking to build a car for the strip. If that impression is wrong and you do in fact want to track the car then I am in agreement with Face.

With 3.73's you will be doing about 2700 RPM at 80 MPH on the stock size tires and the noise depends largely on your exhaust. There are some systems out there that resonate so badly they will drive you out of the car even if you have stock gearing. This is impacted somewhat by the fact that after a gear change the engine will be turning more R's at any given speed.

If you go from a stock converter to a 3600 stall it is going to feel like someone removed the drive shaft the first time you step on the gas at a stop sign. But at the track it will be a sling shot. There is a significant difference in how the car FEELS on the street when you go from a stock 1600 stall to a 3600. But, believe it or not, you get used to it after a while. However, get ready for 14 MPG in the city.

In my opinion you should decide between the two setups based on how you will be using the car. Unless you plan to run drag radials or slicks at the track the 3600 stall (IMO) is overkill. On the street it hits the tires so hard with 3.73 gears that all you will do is spin them. (Ask me how I know) If you are not planning on taking the car to the track and chasing the fastest times you can get then the 3200 stall with 3.42's or even the 3.73's is a better choice.

IMO that 3600 stall is for guys who are seriously into drag racing.
(And don't forget a trans cooler)

 

Like I posted above I have the 3.73/3600 combo. I have let several forum members drive my car and ALL of them made the same remarks.The car is quite until you get on it and the noise/revs were not a problem.I let each one of them drive the car at highway speeds and also in stop and go trafic.The "slip" with this combo is mimimal and you get use to it very quickly.If you get a good tune you can mimimize the fuel economy loss. Because of the gears you can lock the TC at a lower speed.I have my TC locking up at 32mph even with a cam installed. I get a solid 16 mpg in the city( this is 80% of my driving.) Before I got a good tune my F.E. was 14 mpg. Traction is a problem with stock tires if you are going to "push it " on the street.Normal driving is no problem, but why mod it if you are not going to use it.I run Nitto 305/35/18 DRs full time and they are great for street use.I have run them for the last three years and got 16K out of my first set.No problem at all even in the rain. At the track I was able to turn 1.6XXX 60 ft times with them when I had stock internals. Since my H/C install I have switched to MT street radials for track use.I still run the Nittos on the street and are happy with them.

 

LIke I said before the cost is the same either way. Why not get the most get up for your money? Again speed ain't cheap. IF GAS MILEAGE IS A CONCERN KEEP WHAT YOU HAVE AND ENJOY YOUR CAR. The first time a mustang smokes you it's to late to wish you had the 3'73 & 3600IMHO. I e-mailed you rpm's for each gear at 40,60,70 and 130 mph. Frank

 

I was like you trying to get it right the first time. I talKed to FACE a couple of times. Thank's to FACE I did get it right the first time. Don't forget either way you will need a transmission cooler, about 60 bucks. Frank

 

man, this seems like a tough choice. so if i get the 373's and a lower stall . how would that be.. maybe 3.73 and 3200 stall?

that way im a little in between.

 

Since you told me via PM that you'll never track the car, I agree with LeMansBlue04 and go with a 3200 stall. As for what rear end ratio to go with, I'd recommend 3.73's since you have heads and cam.

What exhaust setup to you have?

Another advantage of 3.73's vs. 3.42's is there's less of a load on the engine while cruising, lowering drone(resonance). With 4.10's, there was NO drone, just a LOT of engine noise though. But then going to 3.90's, there's a little less engine noise and still minimal drone. If it wasn't for me tracking the car, I'd probably go with 3.73's again. 3.15's stunk and 3.42's aren't much better than 3.15's. I couldn't imagine driving a car with 2.73's.

 

Thats what I have and it works great for all kinds of driving conditions

 

 

ok so it seems like the right combo would be 373 and 3200 stall?