[LX5liter]

Originally posted by Red5Ltr
Can someone explain the difference between a lock-up and a non-lock-up. I think I have a good idea, but I'm not sure. I do drive my car quite a bit on the highway if that makes a difference. Look at my signature and I might beg to differ about my Stang being mainly stock.

Thanks all

A torque coverter is basically a fluid coupling, and without a lockup there is going to be some slippage. With a lockup convertor there will be a mechanism on the coverter that will effectivly use the converter body as the coupling instead of the fluid inside once higher speeds are attained, thereby reducing heat and increasing efficiency.
There is a lot more to a converter than that, but that is just a basic idea.