pacos86gn Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 well i wanna start off by saying hi to everyone, 1st time ss owner, 3rd overall and of course love it. but i see everyone having stalls from 2800 up. i'm looking to be able to have a bit of fun with the truck but still be able to pull my buick gn to the track. i don't wanna use my gutless 98 silverado for it, and besides it'd be a bit more comfortable. what would be a good choice for a stock engine? i work at a gm dealer as the trans tech so if i have a failure i'm not worried, but rather not have to tear one down because of a converter. would a 2800-3000, 11 inch lockup be a good choice? let me know what you guys think. thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex.t Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 circle d makes a nice setup. http://www.circledspecialties.com/p-50-gm-278mm-hp-4l60e-ls-torque-converter.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacos86gn Posted March 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 are they a reliable unit? do you tow anything with yours by any chance and how do ya like the 3k stall on the street? launch good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex.t Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 i havent done much towing with mine, they are very reliable i think. they have a very good rep over on pt.net, the 3k stall is awesome on the streets really makes the truck a blast to drive. plus with this converter in its basically drives like stock until you wanna stall it up or smash down on the pedal, overall great product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 We use & recommend TCS in our builds, better prices for us than the Circle-D however the Circle-D is a very good unit. The lockup clutches in these aftermarket converters will not fail you, I know lots of guys spray nitrous through the shifts and the lockup clutches hold well. The issue is that when towing out of lockup, a higher stall converter will just boil the ATF when trying to tow with it, so to me that is the reliability concern. I have stalled my TCS converter at 2600, 2800, and 3000 over the years, and my advise is: With the 3000 stall, the stator is small enough that the ATF heat starts to become a legitimate concern, and with the TCS-3000 the truck will crawl in drive/reverse so parking & low-speed maneuvers aren't *that* bad but still it's a chore and the TCS is better than most in this regard, other converter makers' 3000-stall won't move the truck at all in gear at idle. I would not put a 3000-stall converter in any truck that tows more than a couple short trips a year. A quality 3000-stall converter will make the truck launch with 1.7xx 60-ft times though. With a 2800 stall, the stator is large enough that I would not be afraid to make it an occasional tow rig, parking maneuvers are doable with a trailer on this converter. The TCS-2800 is my favorite converter, truck still cuts a high 1.8 60' time but does not have any encroachment of driveability issues. The occasional girlfriend has driven the truck with the TCS-2800 and did not know any different. The TCS-2800 is a great N/A converter, especially with headers and a tune makes the truck sound great. The TCS-2600 IMO drives just like stock, I did not like it and immediately restalled back up. The 2600 has stock low-speed driveability behavior, so you could put the truck in drive (with a trailer attached) and it would idle/crawl. The 2600 is a good converter for positive displacement & turbo applications which have enough boost off-idle to 'strong-arm' & flash a converter like that. But I still prefer for a street/strip application in the full-size trucks to use a TCS-2800, and for dedicated performance efforts a 3000. The stock external ATF cooler is a bad joke; don't mess around, replace it with the Long cooler (TruCool Max) it's the only one worth the investment IMO. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) Another thing that will greatly help, install the Vette 2nd servo combined with the Superior/Fairbanks 4th/OD billet servo, that will assure max band holding towing in OD. Completely plug the 3rd accumulator passage totally, block it off (it will hit 3rd as hard as the OE 1-2 apply, it's just right!). On the 3/4 stackup, USE STOCK THICKNESS STEELS, if you use thinner steels in the 4L60/700R4 you will burn it up asap. Use the 700R4 pedestal to make more room and get an additional steel & friction in the 3/4 stackup. Do spend the extra $15 and use the carbon band, they're awesome - do NOT use carbon frictions in the clutch disks, we have had poor life from them (ironically) stick with Raybestos Blue Plates. Do spend the extra $55 and sleeve the drum, also install the Sonnax check ball kit too, do everything possible to eliminate the centrifugal apply problem. That ought to make a unit that can tow in OD - the aftermarket lockup clutch is the least of your worries making a 4L60 that can seriously tow in 4th/OD without glazing the frictions. Don't forget, the brakes in these trucks are CRAP for towing, so if you install any aftermarket converter you can be assured any engine braking will be lost and you need to have trailer brakes and/or a serious truck brake upgrade. Mr. P. Edited March 28, 2011 by Mr. P. (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broke1 Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Most GN guys who have owned them a while wont buy a convertor from Rusty@TCS products because we dont want to "suck his balls".A comment he made years ago when guys were having problems with 9/11 converters. Heres some other informative reading about the 9/11 converters http://converter.com/truth.htm And yes I have owned and used a TCS converter.I pulled and sold it after it blew thru the lockup in a mid 11 second GN.A 3500# car vs a 5800# truck. Edited March 29, 2011 by broke1 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broke1 Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 And since youre a GN owner and probably not closed minded,talk to some GN trans builders. My truck uses the bigger aftermarket servos,not the stock Vette servos,and mine shifts fine in my Escalade.FLT and Performabuilt say the aftermarket servos shift to hard and recc the Vette servos. Contact Lonnie Diers,Mike Kurtz,or Jake Shoemake if you want the best parts for your trans build to last,even towing a GN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Most GN guys who have owned them a while wont buy a convertor from Rusty@TCS products because we dont want to "suck his balls".A comment he made years ago when guys were having problems with 9/11 converters. Heres some other informative reading about the 9/11 converters http://converter.com/truth.htm And yes I have owned and used a TCS converter.I pulled and sold it after it blew thru the lockup in a mid 11 second GN.A 3500# car vs a 5800# truck. Thanks for the feedback I will seriously look into this. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanbone Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Another thing that will greatly help, install the Vette 2nd servo combined with the Superior/Fairbanks 4th/OD billet servo, that will assure max band holding towing in OD. Completely plug the 3rd accumulator passage totally, block it off (it will hit 3rd as hard as the OE 1-2 apply, it's just right!). On the 3/4 stackup, USE STOCK THICKNESS STEELS, if you use thinner steels in the 4L60/700R4 you will burn it up asap. Use the 700R4 pedestal to make more room and get an additional steel & friction in the 3/4 stackup. Do spend the extra $15 and use the carbon band, they're awesome - do NOT use carbon frictions in the clutch disks, we have had poor life from them (ironically) stick with Raybestos Blue Plates. Do spend the extra $55 and sleeve the drum, also install the Sonnax check ball kit too, do everything possible to eliminate the centrifugal apply problem. That ought to make a unit that can tow in OD - the aftermarket lockup clutch is the least of your worries making a 4L60 that can seriously tow in 4th/OD without glazing the frictions. Don't forget, the brakes in these trucks are CRAP for towing, so if you install any aftermarket converter you can be assured any engine braking will be lost and you need to have trailer brakes and/or a serious truck brake upgrade. Mr. P. This totally just blew my mind! I am in the planning stages if a cam/shift kit/torque converter upgrade. I tow a 14' enclosed triler a few times a month so I want to retain my ability to tow but I want to wake this beast up! I honestly have no clue where to start with the cam/converter combo. The shift kit I'm reading up on. Any help/recomendations would be awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.