OEM level torque converter recommendations please 200R4

40flier

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Aug 2, 2008
Looking for a 21-2200 stall (per Comp Cams recommendation) lockup 27 spline for cruisin behind a moderate V8. Finding rebuilders are using lo-po V6 cores due to a shortage of high performance cores. Some say this doesn't matter? In the aftermarket B&M for instance doesn't offer them, others like TCI have some bad reviews. I don't think I need a $500+ TC? Recommendations would be appreciated.
 
The core doesn't really matter. It's how it's put together on the inside.

The big not-so-secret secret of torque converters is only the OEMs have the money to develop them. That's why they use essentially the same basic design for decades at a time. The aftermarket just tunes them by tweaking the stator and turbine combinations using off-the-shelf components. So if they take a lo-po core, cut it open, and put high-po guts in it, it's going to be fine. Because there's really no such thing as a low-performance converter. Just a converter with the wrong calibration for your combination.

And every vendor has bad reviews. Nobody's perfect but everybody screams to the heavens when they're wronged or have a less than good experience, and most of the time they're blaming the vendor for something they screwed up. It used to be those voices wouldn't be heard much because they were rare, but the internet gives every nutcase a megaphone.

As for the price, how much is your time worth? You can spend weeks yanking that transmission over and over experimenting with various used converters; or call up a reputable torque converter builder, tell them what you have, and they'll send you something set up for it and it'll be right the first time. They're usually confident enough in their work that if it's not right, you can send it back and they'll tweak it for free until it is right.
 
converters are pretty much, the more you spend, the more you get. I'm sure if you are in a metro area there is a local that does converters for the racers in your area. You just have to find them. Or you can send off for one as mentioned above. I use a local place to me in Weatherford, Texas called Phoenix Transmissions, www.phoenixtrans.com they do great work for us for upwards of thirty yrs. They are doing there own converters in house and I'm real happy with the one they did for me.
David Husek www.turbobuickperformance.com would be another option. He has his own designs that he sells and i know several that love his units.

There are plenty of others but I don't have experience with them but others on the board do.

As far as the core, most are using the 245mm unit and doing the insides up to spec.
You will love one that is tailored to your car and its engine. an off the shelf just doesn't have the same feel.
 
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