Hello everyone,

I searched the forum and didn't find much about Converters and what people went with.

2004 C5 A4 LaMans Edition - comes with the performance axel ratio 3.15. Very minor bolt Ons, aFe stage II air intake, Pertronix Flamethrower Coli packs, Granatelli O ohm wires and Autolite Iridium Spark Plugs XP 5245.

Thats pretty much, instead of throwing money at it with headers, intakes, cam. One of the best mods for an A4 is a Converter, I believe. My Delima is picking which converter I should. Mind you, I do not go to the track or road race, just every day to and from work and of course letting her loose. I was on the highway going about 75 and I nailed it and she only kicked down one gear and the rpms were climbing slower than cold maple Surup.

Dave from Yank, suggested I go with his SS 3200 stall model, sighting it will work well with my 3.15 axel ratio.

Vigilante suggested I go with their 2400 stall single disk converter.


Thanks for all feedback!

Jason

 

Converters don’t help you from a roll unless it’s a big converter. If you want power at 75 mph, you’re going to need a different car, or start modding it, blower, big cam, etc. I have a yank 3200, along with 3.73 gears, converter and gear really help from a dig, along with sticky tires. 3.73 gears help 3rd gear pull a lot better. I had the 3.15 gears too. 2nd and 3rd gear take forever. Vig converters are a little looser then yank, both great converters. 3200 is great for street use, you want good drag times and sticky tires, go 3600, 4000, or 4400 for some excellent 60 foot times.

 

Thanks for the reply!

All of my other C5's have been M6, this is my first A4, so I am kind of learning as I go.

 

I agree with the SS3200.
Ive had the SS3600 for years. No issues at all. It’s a little slippery, but easy to live with.
The 3.42 gears I run cover that up pretty well.
Some folks find the 3600 to loose. So because of that the 3200 is a good choice.

 

X3 for the 3,200 stall Yank. Mine has been in for 20 years/80,000+ miles, no problems. Started with 3.15 gears. Installed 3.42s not long after. The following recommendation is my own, which was passed on to me from my tuner. It concerns your 4L60E's reliability. Since you mentioned 70-75mph roll on racing, here is what I was told. NEVER leave the trans in OD and floor it at those speeds. I was told to manually shift from OD to 2nd gear, because it is really hard on the
internals to leave it in OD and have it automatically kick down to 2nd gear. I'm not a trans guy, so I don't know why, or how, it makes a difference. What I do know is I have always followed his advice, and my 4L60E has survived 2 different 427 engines and works perfectly at 145,000 miles. It has had 1 fluid/filter change@100,000 miles, done by yours truly. That is the only thing I have ever done to the trans. YMMV......

 

Makes sense, I was also told to put it regular D and not OD around town. Can't remember who told me.


Here are my three choices, any input would be very much appreciated.

FTI SB3000LS 11 in. 4L60E/4L65E/4L70E Street Brawler Series Torque Converter

New Hays 97-1G24Q

New Yank ss3200 Stall Torque Converter C5/lt1 4l60e

I am kind of leaning towards the Yank ss3200, but subject to change.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions!

I was also told to pick a converter after you get a dyno run, to see where I am making power.

I have the iTune3 tuner. I run boostane in my tank every fill up. Putting 2 maybe 3 three cans in. According to their chart I am around the 95-100 rated octane. With this tuner I raised the timing by 3 over the entire rpm range. I had a friend look at the high-octane table in HP Tuners. Ken from toys4life, told me I have WAY TOO much timing.

But the funny thing is, I have zero KR, every so often I will get a degree of knock.

 

Yank is the only converter I will recommend
3200 may seem aggressive for low power but it leaves room to grow , and being modern quality converter from Yank I already know you will barely notice the 3200 part and the car will drive remarkably well

Other converters, a 3200 may be a terrible choice. 3200 does not equal 3200, for Yank vs other converters. It is a completely different animal. There is much more to a converter than that 'stall' number.

I will also recommend with any converter at 700/80e relations,
2. Trans-go shift kit for the transmission with sonnax boost valve kit and transmission tuning with a survey of the airflow model. Ideally this would be done using external pressure gauge but... yeah most people skip that because its a pain. It is still the right way to do pressure/airflow model tuning, including when modifying the boost valve directly in those units.
3. Upgrade an external, fan cooled, separate transmission cooler. Use OEM lines if possible, or PTFE with machine crimp fittings for daily driver reliability.
Ideally it will stay 164 to 174*F most of the time. Small spikes in temp will happen during hard use; try not to exceed say 185*F-195*F in those spikes, give it a rest. Avoid long-term trans temps above 185*F, try to maintain that 165-175*F range for long durations such as in traffic as much as possible to extend transmission lifespan.

 

I also found this one, but I am not sure if I need a lock up or non-lockup.

Street Muscle Torque Converters | Powered by ProTorque


I know the Yank converter is the way to go, but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment.

As always, thanks for the great feedback!

 

I can't overemphasize the importance of getting the right converter for your car. If you pick the wrong stall speed and brand, you'll be sorry for a long time. Unless you have very deep pockets. Do yourself and your car a favor. Go with a Yank. You'll never be sorry you did. My opinion. But many years ago, before I had ever heard of Yank, I saw that John Lingenfelter used them exclusively in his auto trans builds. Good enough for LPE, good enough for me. You'll get what you pay for....

 

As referenced, if you want to feel this mod, even with your 3.15 performance axle, add a 3.42 or maybe even a 3.73 rear differential with the Yank 3200 to really enjoy the bump. If you go 3.73, be ready for some tire slippage.

...oh, and swap out the nylon grommets on the trans cable while you're in there. They break down faster with additional heat.

 

A convertor will make a huge difference. I went with a 2800- 3000 rpm stall. I bought it from a company in St. Pete ,fl. Phoenix trans. Cheaper than the big names. Have had mine for yrs. Biggest performance boost for the money, IMHO. You can find the co. on Ebay. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

If you use the car on the street, even if only on weekends, go with a lockup converter. You'll be very sorry if you go with a non-lockup converter. You'll need a Helluva big trans cooler if you go with a non-lockup converter, I guarantee you! It'll generate a LOT of heat, and heat is the #1 killer of automatic transmissions.....

 

There are lube issues with 700r4l60e when used with non lockup converters. Dana at probuilt would know more about the mods needed to make it work in the first place. But one does not simply change to a non lockup converter and expect planetaries to survive iirc