The AOD's rotational and internal fluid (pumping & frictional) losses are, for all practical purposes, a fixed amount. Lets assume that its on the range of 20HP. Now for a 200hp motor, this is quite a bit but as you increase the hp the losses become less significant. With the converter locked, my total driveline losses are down around 16-18% with the AOD. With the converter unlocked, its a different story since the slip of the converter comes into the equation. BUT, that converter slip is something that I can control by selecting a different converter. With a relatively loose converter, the car will leave better (1.50-1.51 range for my car) but you pay the price with more losses up until the converter is locked. Go tighter with the converter and you'll gain efficiency in terms of less slip but you may loose stall and multiplication, meaning the car won't leave so well. Its a balancing act, but so is a slipper clutch if you're serious about the ultimate performance of your combination.
What the AOD does buy me with my combination is that it makes my car SOOOOOO much more efficient going downtrack. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't capable of shifting my T5 at the level that the car was capable of performing. When you're talking about every hundredth of a second being crucial, it was the only choice for me. The car was capable of running alot quicker than I could shift it. Some guys are great, even without pro-shifting a T5, I wasn't. But, I'll put my car up against anyone with the same amount of RWHP, around 325hp, and we'll see who wins the best of ten.
I've swung both ways and I'd much rather be on the AOD side of the plate.
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Jeff Chambers
Trophy Stock #3
11.462 Seconds / 117.58 MPH
Chambers Racing Team