my transmission blew up sometime ago in my 85 irocZ, and i need a new transmission. i decided to go with a Pro-Bulit, but can not decided what torque converter to go with. basical i dont know enough about torqure converters. i was planning on going with PI 9.5" single plate lock-up converter, then i was turned on to a Yank 9.5", because they have the highest torque multiplier out there (or that i have found). earlier today decusing the issue with a friend he was telling me that 9.5" were not good for the street because they will heet up and cook the converter. can somebody point me to some good reading on torque converters.

 

not sure about a 9.5" specifically, but with any higher stall converter, you produce more heat. i have seen plenty of people around here running the 10, and 11 inch converters, and having to run a large external trans cooler just to be safe. as long as you keep everything cool, you should be alright

 

www.converter.cc
www.converter.com

for reading.

As to the heat issue. I swapped to a 3k stall vigilante last spring. I drove pretty much all spring and summer on it with just the stock tranny cooler on it (read: probably almost 10k miles of driving to gatherings, cruises, and aily to work). I didn't have a lot of spare time, and fittings were giving me issues so it just took awhile to get my cooler in. Anyhow, it never burnt my fluid or anything.

Nonethless, if you're going to run a converter, a good tranny cooler is still good insurance. Easiest way to kill a tranny is to overheat it. For how cheap a cooler is, it's not worth it to not run one. I have a 28k GVW B&M plate style cooler on there now. In the late heat of august i never saw it go over 200'.

Anyhow, the reason these converters can do so well heat wise is because they still have a lock-up. The problem with high stall converters is they are incredibly inefficient at/below their stall point. And highway cruise RPMs end up being at/below stall point. So what you'd end up doing on a highway drive is just pumping mad heat into the tranny as the converter slipped. With a lock-up though, you have no slip, so no heat is really made.

 

hey, thanks for the help. i have already check out those websites and that's where i have decided to go with the yank 3.0, but what i am realy looking for is some real indepth info on torque converters.

people with 9.5/10" lock-up converters and trans temp gauge please post what there temps were w/ a discriptions of condissions.

thank you!