Locking at top of 3rd WOT with single disc?

i've had my single disc vigilante for almost 6 years, tons of street abuse,track and dyno time.this past weekend i locked it on the dyno in third before wot. 480 rwhp unlocked, 513 locked....no other changes. that converter has seen me through 12's,11's and now mid 10's.
 
It will definately be getting miles on it long before any thought of any WOT lockup runs because it is primarily a street car ;)

I researched and there are plenty of opinions on the subject [as evident of this thread] but still I wonder and havent recieved a definitive answer to the way Ive been looking at it. Youve got fast [probably for the most part track only] cars that opt to go with no lockup. Then youve got fast cars that opt for multi-disc (or 9/11) so they can lock up at the track. There are negatives (and positives) with both types. If weight is an issue then the non L/U would be lighter than both the multi-disc and the 9x11 and maybe that is one of the reasons that those who choose them do so. Now if I was thinking along the lines of the really fast cars in the first category but wanting to still be streetable why not a 9.5" single disc lockup? No lock up down the track but lockup when I need it as a street car. Plus it is also lighter and more efficient than the others. Hence my question of do you even need to lock up at the track when your car reaches a certain level of being fast?* (Since it seems the serious racers dont lockup). From what Ive learned since first drag racing the et is all about the 60ft and how you get off at the first part of the run. If Ive got a strong combo Im going to have mph to pull me the 2nd half anyway (heck its a turbo car ;) ). With my small turbo stock block hotair setup I have a 23mph gain from 1/8th to 1/4 so I can only imagine with the new setup.

Wouldnt a good single disc be the best of both worlds?

p.s. *I did see matt87's post and that is amazing
 
IMO the best time to lock it is at the top of third just bbefore the 2/3 shift. That is when the converter has the least amount of slip and when it has the best chance of locking up. Don't usually lock up any converters at the track anymore, the one or 2 tenths is not worth the wear and tear. Now if I was to run say 10.03 then the next pass would damn sure be locked up :)
Mike
 
what is the benefit (i know, im trans ignorant) of having your tcc lock manually? why dont you just put it in drive and floor it? is it weaker when it does that? why is locking it worth a tenth or two? why does not locking it yank a tenth off your time? (theroetically)
 
Locking up the clutch disc in a torque convertor allows the convertor to be more efficient/ less slippage when going down the road/track.

Kinda like driving down the road in a stick shift car... The clutch is engaged and hopefully not slipping, the % of slip is 0%

Different brand convertors all have a different % of actual slip/ less efficient.

So you lock the convertor to minimize the slipage, and get more power to the ground. Usually gets you .2 and 2mph in the 1/4 in our cars.

Some Nonlockup convertors are very efficient, and slip less than a lockup convertor when its not locked up.

The 9.5 vigilante doesnt have a large lockup plate, if your making alot of power, its only a matter of time before that clutch material is GONE.

If your wanting the best of both worlds, get a efficient lockup convertor and dont lock it at the track, just lock it on the highway, fuggetaboutit.
BW
 
im guessing this 'lock up' is almost like a next gear? is not locking it up making you just barely wind out your third gear at the end of the quarter im guessing?

What would you reccommend for a street racer? i dont go to the track. at this point, i could care less what my car does in the quarter. next season maybe, but im still in the middle of a tune anyway. i just care what my car does against other f bodies and corvettes on the street.

when i get another chip burned for this car, (TT) they ask you when you want your tcc lockup at. i hear 35 is pretty normal, which is what my current chip is at now i believe. but, i cant stand the way my 2800 stall drives and sounds on the street. its like i gotta hit the gas, and wait for my rpms to catch up to my actual cruisin speed again. i want a tighter converter. and i cant stand how high my rpms are when my tcc isnt locked. should i just get my chip to lock at 30 next time?
 
im guessing this 'lock up' is almost like a next gear? is not locking it up making you just barely wind out your third gear at the end of the quarter im guessing?

What would you reccommend for a street racer? i dont go to the track. at this point, i could care less what my car does in the quarter. next season maybe, but im still in the middle of a tune anyway. i just care what my car does against other f bodies and corvettes on the street.

when i get another chip burned for this car, (TT) they ask you when you want your tcc lockup at. i hear 35 is pretty normal, which is what my current chip is at now i believe. but, i cant stand the way my 2800 stall drives and sounds on the street. its like i gotta hit the gas, and wait for my rpms to catch up to my actual cruisin speed again. i want a tighter converter. and i cant stand how high my rpms are when my tcc isnt locked. should i just get my chip to lock at 30 next time?
From the description of how you drive your car I would say a convertor like the single disc that I just got would be the one for you. No need for multidisc at all on a exclusively street driven car. I doubt your going to be making any runs on the street that would warrant locking up the convertor at WOT. Ive been using a 2800 stall 12" convertor on my current combo that I bought years ago from Poston. The 9.5" should be a "bit" lighter= more power;)
Im assuming stock turbo? So definately not the 6pump (3400 stall) that I just got. Probably wouldnt go with more than 2800 unless your setting up for a bigger turbo in the future.
Factory lockup mph I believe is at 45mph. Remember that weve been talking WOT at the track. That 45mph is cruising on the highway etc. Dont want to get you confused with that. If you are going WOT, unless your chip is programmed for WOT lockup, your TCC will not lockup, only when cruising. That is why at the track many (self included) have installed a manual switch to lock the TCC.
 
im guessing this 'lock up' is almost like a next gear? is not locking it up making you just barely wind out your third gear at the end of the quarter im guessing?

What would you reccommend for a street racer? i dont go to the track. at this point, i could care less what my car does in the quarter. next season maybe, but im still in the middle of a tune anyway. i just care what my car does against other f bodies and corvettes on the street.

when i get another chip burned for this car, (TT) they ask you when you want your tcc lockup at. i hear 35 is pretty normal, which is what my current chip is at now i believe. but, i cant stand the way my 2800 stall drives and sounds on the street. its like i gotta hit the gas, and wait for my rpms to catch up to my actual cruisin speed again. i want a tighter converter. and i cant stand how high my rpms are when my tcc isnt locked. should i just get my chip to lock at 30 next time?
Be careful about having L/U occur too early. You will get the thing chugging on you.
 
I Emailed Precision and told them I was mainly looking for a great Converter on the street with my TE-44.I didn't know much about good TC's for the street and strip.They recommended the 9.5 single Disc unit.They didn't recommend the multi-disc ones.I don't know about manually locking this 9.5 single disc converter.Its not worth doing.I would just floor it when I take it to the track and have more fun on the street with it.:cool:
 
so on my setup, (stock turbo, injectors, IC) with a kenne belle chip, and i THINK an old orange stripe (2800?) converter, it remains unlocked for say, a wot burst, from 5-60mph for a quick street race?

Tell me this then, when im cruisin, and i take off, i can hear all the gears change, and then, when i hit 35, there feels to be just one more gear shift. is this overdrive? whats the difference between OD and the tcc lockin? (i know im super trans stupid)
 
When i had Eric do the last chip for my daily driver, i had him lock the convertor up at 60mph or so because i do alot of street and highway driving.

The wot tcc lockup isnt until 83mph or so.

That kenne bell chip could be locking the convertor in 3rd gear at 35, but it would also make it a turd to spool if its locked and you wanted to do a rolling 35 punch.
OD is 4th gear
TCC lockup is just locking the convertor while in 2nd,3rd, or 4th.

If you want to feeel the convertor locked, take a paperclip to the upper left to the upper right squares of the aldl port below the dash.
Once the trans hits 2nd gear, you will feel the RPMs drop and the car will bog down for a bit. No need to race it, just pull the paperclip back out and drive normal

Next time your on the highway in 4th gear, watch the tach and press the brake pedal for 2-3 seconds, pushing in on the brake pedal will unlock the tcc solenoid and the engine RPMs will raise 3-500 rpm or so.
BW
 
Ok so, "That kenne bell chip could be locking the convertor in 3rd gear at 35, but it would also make it a turd to spool if its locked and you wanted to do a rolling 35 punch."

You said it could be a turd to spool if its locked.. I thought it unlocked at soon as one stabs the gas pedal?
So besides the slowed spool up, is there any advantage to having it locked at 35 in 'fourth' gear? Im assuming this lowers my cruising rpm's a bit?

"TCC lockup is just locking the convertor while in 2nd,3rd, or 4th.

If you want to feeel the convertor locked, take a paperclip to the upper left to the upper right squares of the aldl port below the dash."


If the tc already locks in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, why would I need to paper clip the aldl manually then? I'm still lost lol.

"Next time your on the highway in 4th gear, watch the tach and press the brake pedal for 2-3 seconds, pushing in on the brake pedal will unlock the tcc solenoid and the engine RPMs will raise 3-500 rpm or so."

That's not the trans goin back down to 3rd from OD then? That's the tc unlockin? So tell me all my shift points then.. if im on the highway, and i start from 0, and work my way up to say 65, in a normal fashion, does my car go from 1st, to 2nd, 3rd, then to OD, then to tcc lockup? if not, where in my rpm range does my tcc lock then? Thank you for your patience for answering questions from an imbecile..
 
i lock mine in second gear any time i race, which is alot, and it's still holding up. i also put quite a few "normal" miles on it before running it. don't know if this helped or not.
 
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