KaMaKaZieP -ALUMIN8-

I talked to the guys at level 10.. they said for 3800 they can build a bullet proof tranny than can easily handle over 500lb from our 5hp24a's.. They also have a special design torque converter that can make shifting much faster and more aggressive. What does this sound like? What can you do to a torque converter unit to make it ourperform the stock one... the torque converter is approx $500

Jkay

Changing the physical size of the TC and the shape of the vanes inside of it changes the rpm at which the converter locks up and transfers (almost) all of the engine's power to the transmission.

Do not confuse the more recent "electronic lock up" with the natural locking of the TC, which has been a property of TCs from day one.

If you had one foot on the brakes and the other foot on the gas, and revved the engine, the RPM at which the engine reached and could go no further is the stall speed of your torque converter.

Let's talk about the job the TC does, first tho .. the Torque converter is a FLUID link between yout engine and your transmission. In it (huge simplification here) one propeller, atached to your engine, spins in a thick fluid. The spinning fluid applies force to a SECOND propeller which is attached to your transmission. It spins, and thus engine power it transferred to the transmission in a way which is NOT a solid link and if you can imagine, the engine propeller can spin quite fast which CONVERTS the horsepower of the engine to TORQUE on the transmission's propeller even when the transmission/wheels are not turning fast at all. Hence "torque converter".

Now, what modifications can you make to a TC to make your car faster off the line .. you can make the unit smaller or change the propeller blades and THIS will let the engine rev higher before it stalls, getting you CLOSER to your engine's peak RPM even tho you are not moving fast yet, converting the engine RPM to more torque for a harder "take off"

The down side is that the more your TC allows the engine to rev and slip before it locks up, the worse your mileage and low-speed driveability, since the engine is revving quite high even when you are not going very fast.

If you do this, when you punched the gas pedal, the engine would "flash to" the higher RPM (allowed by the more loose TC) which brings it closer to it's horsepower peak and thus applies a mountain of torque via the torque converter to the transmission.

And you leave the line like a r*ped ape.

KaMaKaZieP -ALUMIN8-

Interesting.. i am going to get some more info from them.. see if they can proivde numbers