HMFDZ28
06-11-2006, 03:34 PM
OK this seems to be a common question, so lets take the time out and just make a one luvely post to help out. Here ya go A4 guys:
First you need to ask yourself a few questions and be honest with yourself.
1. What are my overall goals with this car?
2. Is my car a Daily driver or a weekend car?
3. Do you spend alot of time at the track?
4. What mods do you currently have?
5. What mods are you looking at in the near future?
6. Are you planning on suspension mods?
7. What is the powerband of your car?
Now that we got that outta the way on to some practical info.
A stall is a relative number. You can buy a 3200 stall and end up with a 3400 stall. It has alot to do with your power out put. If you have a heads/ cam car and have a 3600 stall it is likely you ae stalling at 3800.
STR greatly effects traction. Having a nice high STR isnt always good. If you dont have suspension mods then a 2.7 STR isnt gonna do much good for ya. Choosing an STR has to do alot with the company converter you look into buying. Yank is gonna make their converter differently then Fuddle.
If you are lookin into just a cam and you do not wanna do gears you may wanna by more conservative with your stall. A 3200 stall will drive alot nicer then the 3800 for a DD car.
If you want a really nice DD car but want something more "playful" a set of 3.73's and a 3200 stall maybe all you need. It really wakes the car up having a converter, its like driving a totaly different car.
If you are big into track days and want the best 60' then you might wanna get a stall higher then the norm. On the street having a 4000 or 4400 stall isnt practical but when it is a weekend car and you spend a ton of time at the track those higher stalls might be worth it to ya.
If you are looking into Forced Induction it is strongly recomended you go with a lower stall. For most supercharged cars a 3200 stall is enough, 3600 is usually the max to go with a turbo.
So your not sure on what company to buy. Well it all has to do with your budget. a Yank converter is probably on of the best on the market. Problem is what you can really afford.
What do I need with my new converter?
Well to start with you will need a case of trans fluid; Your gonna use most of it. I strongly suggest a tranny cooler. Something along the lines of 24,000 gvw. A trans temp gauge wouldnt be a bad idea either. You are goin to need some way to change around your shift points and firmness. A shift kit is a great idea and/or a good tuning. Definately change to fresh tanny fluid when you do the swap though. Dont reuse old junk.
Some #'s (Track guys shoot high)-
Stock-Bolt-ons: 3200-3600 2.2-2.7 str
Bolt-ons - cam: 3200-3600 2.2-2.5 str
cam- big cam: 3200-4000 < 2.5 str
Big cam- heads/ cam 3600-4400 <2.5 str
Supercharged: 2800-3400 <2.2 str
Turbo: 3200+ 2.0-2.5 str
If you intend on running Nitrous, you must buy a converter with an Anti ballooning plate. It does raise the cost but safety should not have a price limit.
With a converter you do not loose fuel economy on the highway. Once the converter locks to go into OD you cant even tell you have it.
On to gears:
Ok for an A4 I have tried alot of different gear combos and I keep ending with the same results. I always go back to a 3.73. I feel it is the perfect compliment to the gear ratios set up in the A4. The one exception I have noticed is with Nitrous. 3.73's are still great but a 3.42 seems to give the best overall for a DD car. Now if you are goin to increase overall tire height (like a 28" tall slick) then you might wanna look at a 4.10's. These are usually track cars anyways so no biggy.
Some #'s for Gears-
Street w/ lots of highway: 3.42's, 3.73's if gas is not an issue
Street/ Strip: 3.73's all the way!
Nitrous: 3.42's- 3.73's
28" tall slicks: 3.73's- 4:10's
1/8th Mile: 3.73's- 4.56's
For whats needed with gears see Keliente's Gear FAQ thread. She put some time into it and it has a ton of great info.
Heres the end finally:
Always be realistic with power/ performance goals. Not eveyone will have a 10 second F-body. Mods get real expensive, real quick especially if you cant do the work on your own. Never cut the corners on Safety issues (parts and mounting). If you are just lookin into a Converter and gears, a PCM4less tune is right up your alley. When you start hitting Cams and full bolt ons with it, look into a full Dyno tune. This way you can have all your shift points tailored to your powerband. I stongly recomend converters and gears for the A4. You will love your car after it and the M6 guys will have nothing on you :smokin:
First you need to ask yourself a few questions and be honest with yourself.
1. What are my overall goals with this car?
2. Is my car a Daily driver or a weekend car?
3. Do you spend alot of time at the track?
4. What mods do you currently have?
5. What mods are you looking at in the near future?
6. Are you planning on suspension mods?
7. What is the powerband of your car?
Now that we got that outta the way on to some practical info.
A stall is a relative number. You can buy a 3200 stall and end up with a 3400 stall. It has alot to do with your power out put. If you have a heads/ cam car and have a 3600 stall it is likely you ae stalling at 3800.
STR greatly effects traction. Having a nice high STR isnt always good. If you dont have suspension mods then a 2.7 STR isnt gonna do much good for ya. Choosing an STR has to do alot with the company converter you look into buying. Yank is gonna make their converter differently then Fuddle.
If you are lookin into just a cam and you do not wanna do gears you may wanna by more conservative with your stall. A 3200 stall will drive alot nicer then the 3800 for a DD car.
If you want a really nice DD car but want something more "playful" a set of 3.73's and a 3200 stall maybe all you need. It really wakes the car up having a converter, its like driving a totaly different car.
If you are big into track days and want the best 60' then you might wanna get a stall higher then the norm. On the street having a 4000 or 4400 stall isnt practical but when it is a weekend car and you spend a ton of time at the track those higher stalls might be worth it to ya.
If you are looking into Forced Induction it is strongly recomended you go with a lower stall. For most supercharged cars a 3200 stall is enough, 3600 is usually the max to go with a turbo.
So your not sure on what company to buy. Well it all has to do with your budget. a Yank converter is probably on of the best on the market. Problem is what you can really afford.
What do I need with my new converter?
Well to start with you will need a case of trans fluid; Your gonna use most of it. I strongly suggest a tranny cooler. Something along the lines of 24,000 gvw. A trans temp gauge wouldnt be a bad idea either. You are goin to need some way to change around your shift points and firmness. A shift kit is a great idea and/or a good tuning. Definately change to fresh tanny fluid when you do the swap though. Dont reuse old junk.
Some #'s (Track guys shoot high)-
Stock-Bolt-ons: 3200-3600 2.2-2.7 str
Bolt-ons - cam: 3200-3600 2.2-2.5 str
cam- big cam: 3200-4000 < 2.5 str
Big cam- heads/ cam 3600-4400 <2.5 str
Supercharged: 2800-3400 <2.2 str
Turbo: 3200+ 2.0-2.5 str
If you intend on running Nitrous, you must buy a converter with an Anti ballooning plate. It does raise the cost but safety should not have a price limit.
With a converter you do not loose fuel economy on the highway. Once the converter locks to go into OD you cant even tell you have it.
On to gears:
Ok for an A4 I have tried alot of different gear combos and I keep ending with the same results. I always go back to a 3.73. I feel it is the perfect compliment to the gear ratios set up in the A4. The one exception I have noticed is with Nitrous. 3.73's are still great but a 3.42 seems to give the best overall for a DD car. Now if you are goin to increase overall tire height (like a 28" tall slick) then you might wanna look at a 4.10's. These are usually track cars anyways so no biggy.
Some #'s for Gears-
Street w/ lots of highway: 3.42's, 3.73's if gas is not an issue
Street/ Strip: 3.73's all the way!
Nitrous: 3.42's- 3.73's
28" tall slicks: 3.73's- 4:10's
1/8th Mile: 3.73's- 4.56's
For whats needed with gears see Keliente's Gear FAQ thread. She put some time into it and it has a ton of great info.
Heres the end finally:
Always be realistic with power/ performance goals. Not eveyone will have a 10 second F-body. Mods get real expensive, real quick especially if you cant do the work on your own. Never cut the corners on Safety issues (parts and mounting). If you are just lookin into a Converter and gears, a PCM4less tune is right up your alley. When you start hitting Cams and full bolt ons with it, look into a full Dyno tune. This way you can have all your shift points tailored to your powerband. I stongly recomend converters and gears for the A4. You will love your car after it and the M6 guys will have nothing on you :smokin: