Just trying to decide if high dollar torque converters are worth the extra coin. Need one for a 4l80e going into a 89 GTA. Powerplant is a 1st gen LT1 with add-ons which should bring it into the 500hp range. Vigilante has a TC which they claim will add 40hp to the rear wheels. It sells for around $1200. It's only 9 inches in diameter so maybe that's how they get that extra power out of it? Am sceptical of this claim and am leaning towards a TC from Jegs which is around $400. Just wondering what my fellow Gear heads opinion is on this issue?
ThanksGB

 

Ideally you want one that has lock up you can run at wot. Not all converters are designed for that, but typically higher dollar stuff is abit better and more accurate for stall speed and might be more efficient to a degree. Lock up usually picks up power but idk about 40. Ive seen 15-20 whp on a bit lower powered stuff. But i never ran a quicker et at the track by locking it up. It’s sensitive to when in the rpm band you lock it and what gear. Usually does pick up mph

circle d is another brand you could talk to about a converter.

 

Converters are one of those places where you get, AT BEST, what you pay for. More often than not, you don't even get that much. Which means, if you pay less, you get, AT BEST, ... what? Plug in the truism I gave you. If you pay the least, you get, AT BEST, ... what? And it goes downhill from there? How can something be less than "the least"? Trust me when I tell you, THERE'S WAYS. You have no idea how crappy your life can be by always buying "the cheeeeeeepest".

Which is not to say that there's anything wrong with Jeg's converters, as such; only, that using price as your sole criterion, leads you to things that are designed to take money from the ignorant (think, payday loans), as opposed to leading toward things that provide the best value to the educated, literate, and prepared. (think, 30-yr Treasury bonds and REITs and ETFs)

In an overall general way, a smaller converter acts more like a "switch" around the stall speed. I.e. it does nothing at all below that, transmits no power, looks like a complete disconnection (if it was a stick shift, it would be like, your foot on the clutch); then when it stalls, it IMMEDIATELY begins transferring full power, with no loss (clutch locked up solid). A larger converter isn't like this. It's more gradual (clutch slipping). Which sounds good, until you realize that when it's NEAR or ONLY A LITTLE ABOVE its rated stall speed, it STILL isn't hooked all the way up; and however much power the engine is producing that DOESN'T go to the wheels, goes RIGHT DIRECTLY INTO the fluid. In the form of heat. In a stick shift car, you burn up the clutch by riding it; in an automatic, you burn up transmissions by the converter doing that for you, and making the transmission overheat.

How much will it cost you to rebuild your transmission? If it's more than $400, you just got the answer you're looking for, IN CASH. Ask no further.

An $800 converter from a reputable mfr like the Vigilante product is still CHEEEEEEEEEEEEP in the grand scheme of things. Given that the converter is arguably the single most important factor to the overall "success" of a project like this, probably second only to GEARS (what gears will your car be having?) and rear suspension, then if you're at a point where you're willing to cheeeeeeeeeep out on that, you're not ready for trying to get 500 HP out of a 350 CID motor. Which is a pretty damn tall order all by itself.

Note, this has NOTHING to do with "add 40 HP". I have my doubts about that. Might, in some circumstances, cause the car to behave AS IF the motor had 40 more HP than it otherwise would, when paired with a cheeeeeep, or stock, converter, by allowing ALL the HP that the engine produces AT ALL TIMES to go to the wheels instead of into the trans fluid cooler; but "add HP", ... not so much.

 

Hughes makes a good converter.

I'm running their 2500 rpm lockup in my 700 behind my 383. It launches HARD from a standstill even at part throttle where the tires are able to hook up. The other day I surprised myself at a stop light when I had to get in front of some other people to make a quick lane change...incredible how fast I left the line.

I couldn't imagine how hard the launch would be at full throttle if the tires could hook up... lol.

The coolthicool thing is it feels 100% stock while driving normally.

 

The high dollar converters are worth it. I went cheap and only occasionally regret it, although my wallet doesn't! My cheap Boss hog converter flashes very high, and under normal acceleration is at about 2800 rpm. Its held up so far.
My next converter will be a circle d specialties with billet front cover and triple disk lockup clutch for the ability to safely lock the TCC during WOT.
I would certainly go with the smaller diameter converter, they weigh much less and make the engine feel more responsive. Make sure you have a very large trans cooler

 

As someone that has been building custom Complete Power-Train Systems/ Solutions for many years...
I can tell you; the Torque-Converter is actually one of the most important Power-Train Components, that almost everyone thinks otherwise.

Never cheap-out on a Torque-Converter!
Spending under around the $700 mark, to me is just throwing that Money in the trash.
The Products in the $200 to $600 range, just do not compare to what you will have by going to the next level!

If you have no allegiance to any Brand...
I recommend trying FTI Performance out of Deland, FL.
Ask for Dalton, and tell him the GM Engineer on LS1Tech sent you.
866-726-8358

 

The only converter I will use is YANK for 4l80e

I Recommend a 9.5" triple lockup disc unit. This will give superior economy and efficiency to anything you can find

The 4l80e has a couple annoying characteristics which make this a very important decision.
First, when in 4th (overdrive) the converter may not unlock properly during a WOT transition and it should NEVER be allowed to downshift,
WOT in 4th is a common issue with 4l80e and causes the converter clutch to slip, which gradually tears up the clutch materials.
This is #1 why you need the triple lockup disc, it allows you to leave the converter locked for 4th gear WOT.
#2 is never allow the 4l80e downshift into 3rd gear while the gear selector is in 4th, and never go WOT while the gear selector is in 4th.
The reason is, 4l80e does not engage it's over-run clutches while the gear selector is in 4th, and this will cause roller clutch failure.

Sonnax makes a kit to keep the over-run engaged in 4th position,
https://www.sonnax.com/parts/4496-sm...utch-valve-kit

Given that you must physically downshift to 3rd position before going WOT and program the ECU to prevent wot downshifts from 4th, the 4l80e IMO 'annoying' at times,
One of the ways to offset this annoyance is with the triple disc converter which allows you to be in overdrive and go WOT in overdrive without any unlocking or downshifting.
It is the only way I will use a 4l80e in a performance application anymore.

 

Have had zero problems with that in either of my 4L80/85 setups. Get a better tuner! Converter unlocks, trans downshifts and it goes. If 8.1Ls don't tear them up towing a small block won't either.

 

Its not a tuning issue its a transmission internal flaw. You cannot hear the problem or notice it from outside. There will be no external indication.

The roller clutch isn't backed up by the over-run clutches why do you think sonnax makes a kit for it? The converter clutch drain issue is internal. No way to tune around it. Eventually it will shred the clutch.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...h-w-4l80e.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...l#post20382788

Everybody knows this already I'm surprised to see uneducated here

 

https://www.yellowbullet.com/threads.../post-73541393

https://www.yellowbullet.com/threads.../post-73542135


Please "drive it right"

 

https://forum.hptuners.com/showthrea...l=1#post437126

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...2/post-5395938


Everybody knows. Are you the last person on the planet to find out? How much damage have you done already?

 

So to sum up KingtalOns post's, shifter position D4 should be used for cruising only? When racing or WOT, make sure to drop down into D3? Seems simple enough.

 

Yes, this applies to most all 4-Speed Automatic Overdrive Transmissions.

 

Yank convertor or GTFO