What size stall is better?

I have a 1997 Trans Am. What size of stall and brand do you guys recomend. I mean I can get an SLP 2800, 11" converter for $450. Then Theres the Vigilante 2800, 9.5" for like $800. Is it really worth it pay the extra money. They both claim to drop atleast 4 tenths. Or should I go another route? Or should I go with a 3000....well let me know your guys' opinions... Thanks

What mods do you have?

3.42 gears, headers, exhaust, cutout, Moroso intake and elbow, lt4 knock module, pulleys, 52mm TB, TB Bypass, Programmer, MSD coil and wires, I have a set of drag radials on seperate rims also...a few suspension parts as well....I think thats it...

What are some of the highest stall speeds you guys have heard of on LT1 cars. Say a guy had all bolt ons and wanted to put a 100 shot....What size would be best? What are some comboes your guys run?

stall speed is one of those things where bigger is not always better, especially if its a street car. Higher stall is acheived because the converter is designed to be in-efficient and allow slippage. This slippage will create higher crusing rpms untill the clutch locks up, if you have a locking converter, which will decrease gas mileage and raise the operating temp of the tranny fluid. these are both bad things. Im running a 2600 stall converter on my TPI 350 with headers and exhaust and it damn near gave me whiplash the first time i drove it. and thats with 2.77 gears. the stall is so high i actually have to put deeper gears in it for the tranny to shift right again.

If this is going to be pure race car, then yeah the 3000+ stall converters will make it launch like a mofo, if its gonna be your daily driver i wouldnt go above 3000, and personally im definalty happy with my 2600 stall.

Whats a stall converter? e.e;

A stall converter is another name for a torque converter with the fins designed for a higher slip speed. Good for improving your launches

I was running a 3000 stall with all the bolt ons, 4.10 gear, and 150 shot of nitrous...

Now I have a new project, with a 4000 stall, 4.10 spool, and 250 shot of nitrous...

ideally you want the stall speed to be a tad below your dyno graphs torque peak... that will allow you to get the max power when you launch...

keep in mind that without a t-brake, converters will not stall as high as they are rated... for example, a 2800 stall will probably only foot brake to about 1800rpms... my 3000 foot braked to about 2100 rpms and my 4000 should foot brake to about 3000rpms...

-Garrett

I know a guy who ran a 3000 stall in a supercharged LT1, he used it as his daily driver, and he burned up the tranny three times...

that is a good point, anytime you swap to a higher stall like that, its almost a nessesity to install a second trans fluid cooler somewhere. High stall speeds raise fluid temps, which trannies dont like. Also remember to order a lockup converter if your car came so equipped, for highway driving it will lock up and negate the effect of higher stall on engine and tranny speed.

^ yep, with any stall upgrade, a tranny cooler is a must... even for a stock setup, a tranny cooler can greatly extend the life of your tranny...