I've got the 2.73 rear and was looking to upgrade to 3.42 and possibly getting a TC at the same time. What is the stock stall and what would you guys/gals recommend for a daily driver which I like to get on every once in awhile?

 

The stock converter stalls at 1600 according to the Yank web site.
The Yank SS3600 would be a very good choice along with the 3.42 gears you mentioned.

 

Thanks Mitch I think 3600 may be a little over the top for me though. 2600 should do me nicely.

 

IMO your comment is right on the mark. I have 3.73 gears and I tried an SS3800 from Yank. I drove it about 35 miles and parked it untill I could get it out of my car. That is how much I disliked it.

It works well but you give up way too much on the street for my taste. When driving in the city it is just way too loose for my taste. It was like driving a car with only 100 HP at lower speeds. But when you really hit it you thought you were in a sling shot.

Now, that's ok if that's what you want, but as for me, I want a sports car to have a snappy response because that is what makes it fun.

I would also say that if you can put together the money the 3.73 gears are fantastic with an automatic. However I realize that because so many of the M6 guys remove their rear end for lower gears the 3.42's are much less expensive. I think you would be happy either way.

 

LeMansBlue04,

Give a dog a bone. What stall T/C did you replace the SS3800 with.

I'm of the same mind set as you. I'm looking at changing out the rear for the 3.42 and I don't want to go too loose with the T/C. I want to wake the beast.

Thanks

 

2600 is what I have and it works great. Drivability is very, very close to stock with virtually no looseness at all.

I have 3.42s and a Pro Torque PTC-11700C5LS 10.5"
Approx Stall Speed: 2400 - 2600
Rated HP: UP TO 650.

Mallett Racing and The Vettedoctors have used this particular converter with good results and I can see why.

 

Stock stall: I have heard 2000 RPM on the later cars.

 

Oh and for the stock stall, I have always heard 1600 rpm.

 

I went with a Yank 2800 and to be honest I would go no higher. Now if a hard launch at the track is more important than responsiveness at city speeds.... then by all means go higher, but not me.

The 2800 will give you the ability to install a cam that is a little bit lopey. I have a .228 duration at .050 lift and a total lift of .588 with a 114 LSA.

For all of you considering a cam with an A4 pay close attention here because I am going to let you in on a well kept secret, here it is.

If you install a cam its going to reduce the amount of vacuum in your intake system at idle.

(And you need a cam, because its the best horsepower per dollar you can invest to get power from an LS1.)

This makes it very difficult for the PCM to control the idle and can make the car die at a stop light when the air conditioner is on. To correct this you need to increase idle to around 850 or 900 RPM. Guess what! You can't do that with a stock converter because you can't hold the car reliably with the brake at that RPM and because when you shift from park or neutral into a gear it pops the transmission hard. That creates undue wear.

The bottom line is that tuning an A4 with an aftermarket cam requires a torque converter to loosen up the engine a little bit. How do I know this??? The hard way brothers and sisters, the hard way.

 

I went with the 3.42s, the Vigilante 2800 TC, and a heavy duty shaft ($300.) just for extra insurance. Got a good LS1 tune, not too loose at all, great all the way up!

Good luck !

 

So far I have had a PT2400, ST3500 and now a TCS4200 in my car. I also have had 3.15, 3.42 and now 3.73 gears. So as you can see I have had converters from mild to wild in my car. It is true a 2600 will feel just about like stock, but it also will not get rid of the dead spots. Like when you go WOT from 35 to 40 MPH with the stock converter.
A 2400 or a 2600 will give you more grunt out of the hole but will do little or nothing for your cars performance from a roll. If all you want is better performance from a stop a 2600 will be OK. But if you also want better performance from a roll go with a converter with more stall. Also very important is what gears you select, the numerically higher the gears the tighter the converter will feel. As far as the Vig. 2800 mentioned above it is a very good converter that actually stalls at about 3200 and would be a converter worth considering. I had the Yank ST3500 and 3.73 gears in my car and this combo gave great performance out of the hole and from a roll and was not overly loose. Many A4 guys start out with PT2400 or similar converters and find that they should have went with more stall like I did. IMHO I would not go with a converter smaller than the Yank 3000 minimum. Good Luck!!!!!

 

I have the G5x3 installed in my car with a stock converter. The only problem I see with it is when its cold, I have to let the rpm come down to like 1k or so, so I do not have the hard to stop problem.



I heard forever not to run a "big" cam with a stock converter. I think that is a bunch of BS. But that is just my opinion.

 

My setup as well (minus the shaft). 3.42 with the Vig 2800 High Stall is a wonderful combination. While I'm not a racer (at the track ), this gear/TC combo is just great around town and on long trips. Very good driveability.

 

I have 3.15 gears and PT2800 (bought it from Mitch!). I love the setup. I just got the 21 CMC blower cam (220/226 114lsa) in my magnuson setup and it works great.

 

you should go with 4.10 and stock converter... it is awesome drives like stock until you get into it...then hold on

 

I think Mitch C makes a very good point and that his comments are confirming what I said earlier here. It's all about:

What you want from your car.

You just need to understand what the implications are when you make a change. I wish I had understood it better when I started. Changing a converter is expensive if you hire a shop to do it and very involved if you do it yourself. It seems like many people have to do it more than once to find what they want.

I hope my comments and those of others make it easier for everyone else than it was for me.

 

Thanks for all the food for thought folks. I'll let you know when I make the change which way I go but I'm still thinking 3.42 w/2600 at this point.

Thanks again

 

Mitch C is right. The 2400 hits very hard out of the hole with it's 2.1 STR (or is it 2.3 I forget). It will burn the runflat tires right off. Sticky tires are a must.

But from anything above a 25-35 mph roll, it does not offer much. Which was OK for me as I don't usually get into it from a roll.

 

Do yourself a BIG favor and see if you can get a ride in a car with a high stall converter before you make your selection. This will go a long way in helping you make the right selection for your needs.

 

There is nothing like feeling it for yourself..