Ok so im doing a search everywhere on torque converters and came up to know that PI is the best tc. I still dont know what stall to gor for and if to get it with lock ups or not?

My car (S197)has a bama tune+ jlt cai and 3.73 gears. Alot of mods coming on the way but im not going to the extent of buying a supercharge. Hope you can help me on the matter and tell me what other things i need to consider.

Plus i read in one of the threads that tc are no good on streets. Is this true? cuz i dont go to the track that much( once every 2 or 3 months).
Will the tci do just fine if im not going for a super charger? Hope you can answer all my questions.

 

http://www.dirtydogperformance.com/index.php

This guys name is Darrin and his have more surface area than the PI converters do. He has a ton of happy customers and I have never heard a complaint about his converters. Google DirtyDog converter and look at all the people that recommend him on Modulardepot, modularfords, tccoa, and a ton of other sites. Torque converters work fine on the street. There is almost no difference in the way it drives until you floor it. You will definitely want to get it tuned after you get the converter. People with 96-04 automatics have seen an average of 7 tenths drop in 1/4 mile with a tuned converter. I'm sure you would see similar results.Nobody understands how the converters lock up in the new automatics thats why theysaid it wouldn't work on the street and thats why they thinkit is ridiculous to put a 3800 stall in a pretty stock car but they make all the difference in the world.Ask him about the stall and tell him what your plans are and he will set you up right.

 

With you having an S197, I would definitely stick to your thoughts on the PI multi disc. It is hands down the best converter for the S197 models. Sure, there are a lot of other places but do a search on S197 expereince specifically and you will find the PI multidisc is the converter of choice for the auto guys pushing big HP. Having said that....

Now, you won't be pushing big HP so I don't really think you are going to need the pricey PI multi disc. I think the TCI streetfighter would work just fine for you. Since you plan on staying relative low hp and torque wise, I would think a 3000-3200 stall would be a nice spot for you but convey your mod list and plans to either TCI or PI and they will let you know what exact stall would be the best for your set-up.

For you and your needs, you most definitely want a lock-up converter. Both the PI and TCI S197 converters are lock-up converters so it's not an issue anyway.

+1 on getting it retuned after install. For auto guys, a good converter is one of the top 3 mods to have IMO. While you're at it, I would suggest you throw a lightweight one piece drive shaft on the car as well.

I'm also a little confused about your 'torque converters working on the street' comment. ALL autos have a torque converter in them. The type, size, and stall is what varies, but every auto car has one so I don't know what you mean?

 

Im happy with my BC-auto/dirty dog converter. Check with the people at Mach1registry as several of them prefer dirtydog over PI (single or multi disk) and 3600+ seems to be the base stall rpm as well. PI makes great 3 disc converters, but from what Ive read and been told, dirtydogs single disc has more surface area and is built with better clutch materials as well. Im not putting down PI, but there are other great companies out there as well. DO NOT waste your money on anything less than a 3400 stall converter either...trust me!

 

No offense, but now here's two of you guys giving advice for a converter for an S197 when neither of you have one. How many S197's have these 'dirty dogs' gone on? I personally don't know of a single one. I know of over 50 S197's running the PI multidisc or TCI streetfighter. I'm sure they are great converters but what many don't understand is that the S197 is different from the previous gens just about down to every bolt.

We are talking about the 5r55s transmission on the S197 which is a whole nother' ballgame from the mach 1 4r70 4 speed. We are talking about a stock 4.6 3V versus a completely different motor.

Your place may be great, but I have told people for years and stick by it - go with a company and parts that are tried and proven on your specific set-up. You do not want to be anyone's guinne pig unless they are paying the bills.

 

You're right, I dont know the answer as far as 05+ gts go, but they/dirty dogbuild converters for several different cars. Im not sure where S197's peak torque comes in at, but generally a converter is built about 600-700rpms below it. I was just trying to help and by no means ******* out any particular company. I had a single disc PI unit in my full bolt on 02 GT that worked flawlessly, but couldnt lock it under WOT or run too much boost without fear of burning it up. Their 3disc is much better, but it all comes down to who builds the most efficient and reliable product. Some people will only use one company no matter what.

 

I talked to this guy and his convertor is full lock up. I am only gonna go with the 3,000 - 3,200 since I will remain all bolt on and n/a. I like the fact that it's full lock up. I also talked to a tci guy and there's is not full lock up. I figure I don't want the extra heat. Anyway, here is a link to check out.

http://www.fuddleracing.com/05stang.html#AODe

 

I agree and wasn't trying to 'jump on ya' at all. Your estimates are right on it's just that the 5r55 in the S197 reacts a little differently and for an n/a car with some gears, the 3000-3200 falls right around in the best range. I'm sure dirty dog makes kick **** stuff and wasn't saying not to use them. I was just saying make sure the company you use has specific 5r55 models out there already that people have already used and liked. That's all I was saying.

to the other poster - Also, there are circumstances were it is not the case, but usually you want to have a full lock-up converter. A lock-up converter will see less loss and on average can see even as much as 50 more rwhp on the dyno over a non-lock-up. Most of that difference is equated and seen on the big end.

Sometimes, like in my case, you don't even have the option due to the way the trans is built. My AOD can only run a non-lockup converter with no kickdown. It's because it's designed for extreme HP. For most guys (myself included) we will never fall in this category of needing a non-lockup. There are lot's of lock-up trans now handling 1000+ hp. I have the first AOD conversion kit ever done on the S197 so it was built before several companies had a kit out and before a lot was known how it would react. If I ever blow this thing up, I would definitely replace it with a trans supporting a lock-up.