I was browsing ls1.com and noticed a lot of guy over there are telling people to stay with their 2.73s/3.23s and just get high stalls. I was under the impression high stalls with high gears was a bad idea. I guess I was wrong??

If I was to stay with 2.73s or 3.23's and get a stall how much performance would that give me? Highest gear I think I want is a 3.42 with about a 2400 stall.

 

I put a 2400 9.5" converter on my car a few years back. The difference was night and day. The car had 3.27 gears in the 9 bolt. Anyways before the converter upgrade it would actually bog off the line for the first ten feet or so. After the upgrade the TPI went into the powerband quicker. I lost a little off my 0-60 mph time (about .4 seconds slower) due to spinning on street tires. My 1/4 times were slightly slower but the MPH was a little faster. Mostly due to the car not spinning at all before the upgrade then after it would throw down posi's for the first 20 feet or so. I never went ahead and put slicks on it. Only downsides were higher transmission temperatures and inclines can be a pain at times. As long as I have the room to get a rolling start I'm fine, but I can't start on a steep incline without spinning the tires.

If you get a converter look at the diameter because the smaller the higher possible torque multiplier it can have and also the less stress on the transmission. Not to mention some companies like ACT or PI build the speeds to your combo.

 

I may just get a better stall and keep the 2.73s for awhile. I am going to throw a used zexel torsion in my rear-end for now. So hopefully it will hook a little better.

I can see why a stall would help even with 2.73's and the like. I may also run a small shot of nitrous later. Which would work out great because I would stay in the 3000-5600 longer. Hence more nitrous.

 

Main downfall using hwy gears and a larger stall is added slippage in the convertor which turns into heat and heat is bad for trannies as we all know. Since you dont have the mechanical gearing to assist in gettin you up and running the convertor must over come that disadvantage by slipping. .

just keep and eye and a nose on the dipstick for tell tale signs of excessive heat build up going on unless you have a tranny temp gauge installed which anymore with hop up parts is just about as important as oil pressure/water temp gauges so you can monitor the next most important item in your drivetrain. (did'nt include brakes just engine/tranny

 

What gears do you think I should run with a 2400 stall?

I have been trying to find a set of 3.42s and a zexel torsion for cheap. I think 3.42s is as high as I want to go. Hopefully milage will be ok with 3.42s.

 

Dont gear for your stall speed. Gear for your cam shaft, to get a great running package EVERYTHING must be built around the motors specs for optimium performance, and that's not just drag racing either.

Take a look at your set-up, cam specs and see where that puts you in the rpm band/power curve. Then choose a stall that will flash to the point of max torque (or as closely as you can guess) and get a gear than will allow motor to operate in the window of rpm the motor is making usable power.

 

I'm running an ACT 2500 stall converter w/ 2.77 gears. I must say despite the large tranny cooler i had to put on for my own peace of mind. I love it, makes a world of difference. Still wish i had 3.23's or even 3.45's but for now i'm happy. Like everyone said the heat buildup is what you need to be concerned about especially in OD.

 

I swapped to a 3000 stall and still had 3.23s. It was a little annoying driving around having to rev to 3k to go anywhere. But the tranny cooler barely even got warm so I think I was ok in that respect. Now I have 3.73s - WOW what a difference. I can burnout at will all the way up to 30mph.