When you have a car with a high stall speed, like say 5000 RPM, like something you'd have in a drag car. If you're at a stop and below those RPM's and you start to give it gas, will you start moving right away, or will it only move once you reach 5,000 rpm?

 

itll move right away unless you have your foot on the brake. a torque converter allows you to hold your rpm's off the line so you can launch faster. with my 2300 i can hold it to 2300 and release t6he brake and launch

 

ok because when I hear people ask about a car's streetability, i hear they always say something like (and I don't mean a 4000+ torque converter). I didn't know if that meant they didn't want a car driving around at those rpm's.

 

alot of people have mixed thoughts about convertors. they say they will change the car's driveability. they really won't. it will allow you to control a launch. now true running around with a 5000 stall in a stock 305 or v6 will make a car run like crap. don't quote me but covertors i believe should be matched with horsepower that you put out. my engine puts out around 380 horses. a 2300 suits it fine. the highest i would ever go would be a 2800. thats just me though.


are you in the market for one??? i would love to help with your setup

 

I run a 3500 stall Yank and it's very streetable. In stop and go driving, the car will move at around 1800 rpm.

Head/cam LS1's run at least a 3500 stall (Yank or Vig), and upwards of 4000 stalls are about the norm for these guys driving on the streets. However, they have a totally different powerband.

 

Well actually it was something I was wondering about and just wanted to know the answer to. However, I may need help picking one in the future as I do plan on working on a weekend warrior.

 

A torque converter will always transfer power at all speeds. The higher the stall, the more the converter has to slip when it's below it's stall speed. When a converter is slipping, it's not transfering maximum torque through it. Also when it's operating below it's stall and slipping, it produces a lot of heat so an aftermarket cooler is required on any torque converter that is higher than stock.

My converter stalls at 5700 rpm on the transbrake. As soon as I put it in gear I can start moving just off an idle (1000 rpm). I usually launch soft at 3000 rpm and let the converter flash. I don't get as much wheel spin that way.