I am interesting in adding some seat-of-the pants kick to my car. I hear a lot about the gears around here, but I have an automatic and I have heard that a higher stall torque converter can add some serious acceleration.

My question is, between gears and a torque converter, which modification would give me the greatest improvement in acceleration with the fewest disadvantages?

I know that gears can drop your MPG on the highway a little and ultimately lead to more wear and tear on the engine due to higher RPMs. I am not sure I like the idea of running at higher RPMs all the time.

Does the torque converter have any such drawbacks?

How exactly does it feel to drive one? What feels different? Is there only a difference upon accelerating and the rest of the time (like cruising on the highway) nothing really feels different? Does it improve acceleration even on the highway at higher speeds?

I spend a lot of time on the highway commuting to and from work. I don’t race at all, on the street or on the track. So, I don’t want to sacrifice drivability, but I would like the improved acceleration as I move from stop light to stop light around town.

Lastly, I am assuming any of the above mods will void part of your warranty, is this true? How easy is it even for them to tell you did one of these mods?

 

i vote both! but if i had to pick one knowing it will void your warranty get a TCI streetfighter converter. this is what will wake up your auto by allowing the engine to rpm quicker during launch. gears are great and can be done anytime after also. it truly is a night and day difference when you drive a car with a good stall converter in it. just FYI my car with only a SCT canned tune, aluminum d/shaft, TCI converter and 3.73gears ran 13.0's on pirellis at full psi with 60' times in the low 1.80's. on the street it will lay rubber as far as you want. i went 12.60's n/a at full weight earlier this year (cold weather) and fully expect to go 12.30-12.40this fall when conditions go back to less rainforesty here.
it's all in the launch!!!!

 

What do an aluminum driveshaft and torque converter run?

 

+1 both are great but in order of importance the TC is first hands down. The streetfighter is an awesome choice...

 

converter $400-600
driveshaft ranger conversion $350-400
all other brands start at $650+ JPC,powerhouse and BMR
weight quality and durability are comparable when made correctly.