Torque converter or Trans Brake? HELP!?!?!

06-27-2001, 10:57 PM

I was planning on buying a torque converter in a couple months and was pretty sure about it. I read somewhere you're supposed to have the stall speed 250-500 rpm below your peak torque. So I think the TCI Breakaway would be about right for my ride. Tonight I was talking to a guy with a '66 Stang and he was telling me that I should go with a Trans Brake. I'm not even very sure on how these things work, but he said they were better for driving on the street, because you can turn them on and off. I do drive my car on the street, quite a lot actually. Every weekend I cruise around for probably an hour or 2, Friday or Saturday night, or both. If I have to put a tranny cooler on I'm going to space off the converter, I don't want to do that. But if the Breakaway, which is supposed to be 1000 over stock, like 22-2400, is going to burn my tranny up then I'm not going to do that. So anyone want to explain to me the pros/cons of each one, prices, and opinions of yourselves?

------------------
'69 Coupe with 351W
=========================
Edelbrock RPM intake, Edelbrock RPM cam, Edelbrock 750 cfm carb, Edelbrock lifters, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, Edelbrock valve springs, Accel coil, Moroso Blue-Max wires, Hedman headers, 2 1/2" pipe, glasspacks, Flex fan, Lakewood traction bars, C4, 3:1 gears, 290hp-stock heads
=========================
The Surgeon General didn't say anything about smoking your azz!!

84_GT350 · 06-28-2001, 03:16 AM

Trans brakes are actually pretty neat little devices...but they're really only for racing. They put your transmission into drive and reverse simultaneously so there's no way your car will move. They do flip on and off with a switch, but their main purpose is to build up rpm when you launch and you should NEVER sit on a trans brake for more than a few seconds. Torque converters are pretty basic (even if how they work isn't). For a street car you'd want one in the range of a 2200rpm stall (stock or bolt on engine) up to 3000rpm stall for a heavily street modified car (racers use converters that stall much higher...but if your engine isn't built to run that high then you'll actually slow down). A good rule of thumb for a street car is a converter with a stall around 2600-2800rpm. Due to the increased stall there's more heat but tranny coolers are inexpensive and very easy to install.

------------------
1984 1/2 GT350 (#842 Hatchback w/ T-tops), 302HO, Comp cams Xtreme Energy cam, Carter 625cfm carb, Weiand Stealth intake, MSD distributor, MSD coil, FMS 9mm wires, 1 5/8" MAC unequal shorties, 2 1/2" MAC Prochamber H-pipe, Flowmaster 2 chambers, KYBs, 16"x8" 4 lug Cobra Rs, Falken 245/45ZR16s

juiceman · 06-28-2001, 05:18 PM

well, for one you cant use one without the other.or i should say there is no purpose to a transbrake if you dont have a converter with high stall. and they shouldnt be used with less than 4.11 gears. and its not likely the tranny you have or even the rest of the car can handle it.
a converter is a good choice. getting one to high will heat up the converter and blow it on the street. this is because the converter will be slipping in a sense while you just cruise around.getting one too low will just be a waste of money. before you buy a converter try to get your torque #'s. this and the weight of the car are the 2 most important things when choosing a converter. the more tq you have the higher the stall will be. the same with the weight. in other words, a converter that says it stall at 3000 will only stall at that rpm if your motor has enough tq and the car is heavy. so before you buy, learn. it would suck if you got a converter that said 2400 stall but actually stalled at 1500.

06-28-2001, 11:04 PM

So what you're saying is that a Trans Brake would be a bad idea. And that if I put a stall converter on I'd need a tranny cooler for everyday use? Well sucky. I'm putting in a Currie 9" rear with 3.70s and posi. Is my car going to get off the line pretty darn quick with just that? With decent-good traction? I just want something that's gonna make my car feel a helluva lot faster off the line than it does now. I know I have the torque, but my gears are terrible. They are one of the worst things about my car, easily. If not the worst, that or the tires rubbing. But I'm putting on some new heavy duty leaf springs to help that some. And the rubbings not all too bad I guess. Just a little annoying.

------------------
'69 Coupe with 351W
=========================
Edelbrock RPM intake, Edelbrock RPM cam, Edelbrock 750 cfm carb, Edelbrock lifters, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, Edelbrock valve springs, Accel coil, Moroso Blue-Max wires, Hedman headers, 2 1/2" pipe, glasspacks, Flex fan, Lakewood traction bars, C4, 3:1 gears, 290hp-stock heads
=========================
The Surgeon General didn't say anything about smoking your azz!!

GTGeorge · 06-29-2001, 08:56 AM

Sounds like you have a nice stout combo, go with a 2200 to 2800 stall converter you will feel the change in the seat of your pants! A tranny cooler is easy to put on, cheap and you should have one anyway, your transmission will thank you for it. Forget the trans brake unless your car is mostly a strip car.

------------------
93GT 398" 14:1,1080 Barry Grant Carb, nitrous fogger, c-4, Street Heats, 2" RCI long tubes, more.
79 notch 306, 5speed, carb, small plate nitrous.
88 turbo coupe 5 speed stock
91GT conv. 5.0 5speed, 3.73, and the normal bolt on stuff, just added to herd a sweet 86,SVO,5speed,306,msd,650dp,bbk,autometer,ect.
91 f-150 4x4 tow truck

06-27-2001, 10:57 PM	#1
BennyBoy Guest Posts: n/a	Torque converter or Trans Brake? HELP!?!?! I was planning on buying a torque converter in a couple months and was pretty sure about it. I read somewhere you're supposed to have the stall speed 250-500 rpm below your peak torque. So I think the TCI Breakaway would be about right for my ride. Tonight I was talking to a guy with a '66 Stang and he was telling me that I should go with a Trans Brake. I'm not even very sure on how these things work, but he said they were better for driving on the street, because you can turn them on and off. I do drive my car on the street, quite a lot actually. Every weekend I cruise around for probably an hour or 2, Friday or Saturday night, or both. If I have to put a tranny cooler on I'm going to space off the converter, I don't want to do that. But if the Breakaway, which is supposed to be 1000 over stock, like 22-2400, is going to burn my tranny up then I'm not going to do that. So anyone want to explain to me the pros/cons of each one, prices, and opinions of yourselves? ------------------ '69 Coupe with 351W ========================= Edelbrock RPM intake, Edelbrock RPM cam, Edelbrock 750 cfm carb, Edelbrock lifters, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, Edelbrock valve springs, Accel coil, Moroso Blue-Max wires, Hedman headers, 2 1/2" pipe, glasspacks, Flex fan, Lakewood traction bars, C4, 3:1 gears, 290hp-stock heads ========================= The Surgeon General didn't say anything about smoking your azz!!

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06-28-2001, 03:16 AM	#2
84_GT350 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: Overland Park, KS, USA Posts: 1,631	Trans brakes are actually pretty neat little devices...but they're really only for racing. They put your transmission into drive and reverse simultaneously so there's no way your car will move. They do flip on and off with a switch, but their main purpose is to build up rpm when you launch and you should NEVER sit on a trans brake for more than a few seconds. Torque converters are pretty basic (even if how they work isn't). For a street car you'd want one in the range of a 2200rpm stall (stock or bolt on engine) up to 3000rpm stall for a heavily street modified car (racers use converters that stall much higher...but if your engine isn't built to run that high then you'll actually slow down). A good rule of thumb for a street car is a converter with a stall around 2600-2800rpm. Due to the increased stall there's more heat but tranny coolers are inexpensive and very easy to install. ------------------ 1984 1/2 GT350 (#842 Hatchback w/ T-tops), 302HO, Comp cams Xtreme Energy cam, Carter 625cfm carb, Weiand Stealth intake, MSD distributor, MSD coil, FMS 9mm wires, 1 5/8" MAC unequal shorties, 2 1/2" MAC Prochamber H-pipe, Flowmaster 2 chambers, KYBs, 16"x8" 4 lug Cobra Rs, Falken 245/45ZR16s

06-28-2001, 05:18 PM	#3
juiceman Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: ny Posts: 197	well, for one you cant use one without the other.or i should say there is no purpose to a transbrake if you dont have a converter with high stall. and they shouldnt be used with less than 4.11 gears. and its not likely the tranny you have or even the rest of the car can handle it. a converter is a good choice. getting one to high will heat up the converter and blow it on the street. this is because the converter will be slipping in a sense while you just cruise around.getting one too low will just be a waste of money. before you buy a converter try to get your torque #'s. this and the weight of the car are the 2 most important things when choosing a converter. the more tq you have the higher the stall will be. the same with the weight. in other words, a converter that says it stall at 3000 will only stall at that rpm if your motor has enough tq and the car is heavy. so before you buy, learn. it would suck if you got a converter that said 2400 stall but actually stalled at 1500.

06-28-2001, 11:04 PM	#4
BennyBoy Guest Posts: n/a	So what you're saying is that a Trans Brake would be a bad idea. And that if I put a stall converter on I'd need a tranny cooler for everyday use? Well sucky. I'm putting in a Currie 9" rear with 3.70s and posi. Is my car going to get off the line pretty darn quick with just that? With decent-good traction? I just want something that's gonna make my car feel a helluva lot faster off the line than it does now. I know I have the torque, but my gears are terrible. They are one of the worst things about my car, easily. If not the worst, that or the tires rubbing. But I'm putting on some new heavy duty leaf springs to help that some. And the rubbings not all too bad I guess. Just a little annoying. ------------------ '69 Coupe with 351W ========================= Edelbrock RPM intake, Edelbrock RPM cam, Edelbrock 750 cfm carb, Edelbrock lifters, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, Edelbrock valve springs, Accel coil, Moroso Blue-Max wires, Hedman headers, 2 1/2" pipe, glasspacks, Flex fan, Lakewood traction bars, C4, 3:1 gears, 290hp-stock heads ========================= The Surgeon General didn't say anything about smoking your azz!!

06-29-2001, 08:56 AM	#5
GTGeorge Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Harrisburg,Pa Posts: 11	Sounds like you have a nice stout combo, go with a 2200 to 2800 stall converter you will feel the change in the seat of your pants! A tranny cooler is easy to put on, cheap and you should have one anyway, your transmission will thank you for it. Forget the trans brake unless your car is mostly a strip car. ------------------ 93GT 398" 14:1,1080 Barry Grant Carb, nitrous fogger, c-4, Street Heats, 2" RCI long tubes, more. 79 notch 306, 5speed, carb, small plate nitrous. 88 turbo coupe 5 speed stock 91GT conv. 5.0 5speed, 3.73, and the normal bolt on stuff, just added to herd a sweet 86,SVO,5speed,306,msd,650dp,bbk,autometer,ect. 91 f-150 4x4 tow truck