[Dave427]

One of my Last Posts consisted of looking for a couple of tenth's , with the combination I had . Most of you slammed my B&M Holeshot 3000 converter and wrote in saying ,use a 8" ATI Treemaster or a 8" Coan. I called both ATI and Coan , and they both agreed that running a 8" converter on the street is not feasible. They said a 8" converter is for more all out race. The one guy was quite humouress by saying , if you buy a 8" converter the only decision you would have to make is , deciding if you should buy an enclosed trailer or an open trailer .They both recommended running a 10" is the way to go. What converters are you guys running on the street .

Dave

 

[Danspeed1]

I don't have the $$ yet but I was looking at an Edge 2800 9.5 Converter for my 96 Imp SS which is bone stock if you don't count the intake and exhaust. Alot of guys on both the Corvette forum and Impala Forum are running smaller converters. Depends on who you talk to. The only experience i can say I had was with a 700R4 and 12in TCI 2800 stall in a blown vette. It was like stock. No punch, and it always launched at different RPMS. I am willing to give the 9.5 a try,... i trust the guys on the forum. Stay away from the 12's

DG

 

[chevhell68]

Well they sold me a 8" treemaster and I know I did not tell them it was an all out race car. I have been running it on the street for quite a while. If anyone thinks I am going to blow something out let me know. It is a little slugish on take off but not all that bad. I have a 396 BB with 390 gears so 3000 RPM 30 miles across town is not all that fun. Other than that it has been running fine. Seemed to help a .1 or two at the track as well.

Jacy

 

[sonk]

Before i got my OD trans i ran a ATI 8 in converter for years on the street w/out any problems. If i didnt need the extra gear for cruisin, i would have never took it out... Sean

 

[Oldani Motorsports]

BS. I ran an 8" 5000 RPM A-1 converter on the street in my '68 Chevy 2. Had it behind a little 304" engine, in front of a 1.82 Glide and 5.86-geared 12-bolt, and 10.5 x 30 Goodyears, lol. Drove it every day it didn't rain, and when I got to the track I pulled the mufflers and pipes off and ran low 11's with it. I set up a guy from MI with an 8" for the Drag Week and that thing was driven on the highway as well for that week. Build it right for the combo and it can be done with no problems.

 

[Chris Stanwyck]

Over the last number of years large corporate high performance auto advise has been all over the board that I have been given. I think quite often they side with too much caution. I have stopped listening to them.
My 8" (9.5 outer) 4000 stall has worked really well. My car picked up et and mph significantly as well.
As a daily driver maybe a 10" is good. But as a warrior I have no doubt which way to go.

 

[cmt454]

I have an 8" 4000 stall converter and I drive it to and from the track, as well as around town. Its not the best for just cruisin, but I have not had any problems. I have a good tranny cooler and I have never seen trans temps above 160, even at the track.

 

[Shawn Gilbert]

I will be installing a 9.5" 4400 Pro Edge this weekend. If Larry gets my exhaust on too, ill have some street driven feedback for you. Then weekend after next i should have some ET differences for you. I told Andre at Edge all my specs of coarse and made no bones about how i intended to drive the car on the street and this is the converter he recommended for the best compromise of performance and street manners. Also whether or not the converter deploys a sprag is a variable in the street driven solutions.

Shawn

 

[Chris_69_SS]

Funny that ATI didn't recommend an 8in.....they have told me in the past if built tight it is MORE efficient than a high stall 10".

Streetable is different to everyone....only way to see if it is to your taste is to try it and see. You'll have no problem selling it if you decide it is too much, esp. if it is a name brand like coan or ati. You may want to speak to Transman too for a bte or other make he sells....great prices and excellent support.

Chris

 

[Chris_69_SS]

Over the last number of years large corporate high performance auto advise has been all over the board that I have been given. I think quite often they side with too much caution. I have stopped listening to them.
My 8" (9.5 outer) 4000 stall has worked really well. My car picked up et and mph significantly as well.
As a daily driver maybe a 10" is good. But as a warrior I have no doubt which way to go.

Dude, that is one NICE looking 69! Looks white in the pic...is it butternut Yellow? What is the rest of the combo? ET's?

Chris

 

[jbird]

I have a friend that sold his '68 El Camino to a guy from Mizzorah. He flew to Texas, paid for the Camino, and drove it back to MO without any problems.(except stopping often to fill it up I'm sure) This was a 580+ HP 496 with a Hughes 8" 4k converter. He reported back that the car drove very well and he had no trouble making the several hundred mile trip. You have to consider that the tech line guys think that everyone that calls in is a novice and doesn't have a clue what they actually need.(which indeed is often the case) So they hear you say "street" and they give there canned street converter sales pitch. Do what you want, but there are many 8" converters being run on the street with no issues to speak of. Even a 10" ATI would be an improvement over the B&M if it matches the combination.

Ask Bob West about the difference in his 8" ATI vs the 10" he had before. He drives his car on the street a little.

 

[Danspeed1]

Thats what TCI did to us.... we called looking for what i now realize would have still been mild; 10in 3000 Stall Street Converter, and the rep refused to sell it to us. He STRONGLY recommended, if i remember correctly, 2200-2400 on for a blown 350. We talked him up to a 2800 Stall 12in. We were assured we would not be disappointed and told the 3K 10in is only for "hardcore racing." Should have hung up the phone right then and there and called another company. I've learned enough now not to trust the guy on the other side of the phone, especially when they say, "I strongly suggest" or they give you the info you are looking for without you even telling them what your cars got. With car parts its rarely one size fits all.

Just my $.02

 

[Dave427]

Thats what TCI did to us.... we called looking for what i now realize would have still been mild; 10in 3000 Stall Street Converter, and the rep refused to sell it to us. He STRONGLY recommended, if i remember correctly, 2200-2400 on for a blown 350. We talked him up to a 2800 Stall 12in. We were assured we would not be disappointed and told the 3K 10in is only for "hardcore racing." Should have hung up the phone right then and there and called another company. I've learned enough now not to trust the guy on the other side of the phone, especially when they say, "I strongly suggest" or they give you the info you are looking for without you even telling them what your cars got. With car parts its rarely one size fits all.

Just my $.02

I agree with you 100%. I have no issuees with the Holeshot 3000 in there now. I just want a converter that will flash higher out of the hole, then tighter in the middle of the track. My dyno says it made 495 foot pounds of torque at 5000 rpm. Where should this converter flash then? I can foot brake my Holeshot 3000 to about 3200 now and it flashes around 4000 now.

Dave

 

[HarrisQ]

I've got a Coan 10" 4200 stall. That is what they recommended after I gave them my specs but I did tell them that the car would see more street than track.

 

[rednecks70]

I find this funny because 2 weeks ago I installed an 8" ATI and knew right away that I could not live with this much stall on the street. I told the rep. at ATI I would be street driving for the next two years then hopefully the car would see 50% strip and they suggested the 8" and I was told that street driving would not be a problem. When I called them back to discuss the return they stressed that the 8" was perfect for my setup and I would be giving up a lot of ET. I know that is true but at this point I decided to stay with a more street friendly converter. I just got my 10" yesterday and will have it in hopefully this weekend. It really comes down to personal preference and I personally didn't want to be pulling away from stop signs/traffic lights at 3500 to 3800 rpms when the speedometer is only reading 25mph, it got on my nerves quick. Now, down the road if I start drag racing alot that 8" is definitly going back in because when that converter stopped stalling the car flew . Good luck!

 

[Chris Stanwyck]

Dude, that is one NICE looking 69! Looks white in the pic...is it butternut Yellow? What is the rest of the combo? ET's?

Chris

Thanx fellow Canadian Dude.
Butternut it is as in my signature. Poor shot.
4:11s, 468, brodix racerite oval (worked on) solid rollered picked up around .5 and 7mph with the new ati converter and new exhaust in 06.
car did 10.70's with 150 shot used only in 2nd and 3rd and 11.20's to 11.40's on the motor depending on 60" times on 295/65 drag radials.
Sold the 468 and the 540 is being put together as we speak.
Like your car too dude :thumbsup: especially because of the blue(was my second choice) and blackwall tires and rallys.

 

[67TurboChevelle]

I've been running my same 8" on the street since 1995. It was originally a B&M unit that was not setup right. SMI in California did the awesome work and set it up right for my application.

The car is street driven a lot in all conditions and I have no problem making 34 mile freeway jaunts. I've had my current TH-350 in the car since 1999 with over 500 passes on it. I just have a simple tranny cooler in front of the radiator.

My convertor is neither tight nor loose, it's perfect for my app. By that I mean the car will move no problem at 1200 rpm yet I can foot brake it very easy to 2500 and 3200 heavily loaded. Best 60' to date is 1.489 in street trim when I had my Procharger leaving at 2500.

GL on your choice.

Corey

 

[adeeos]

Hi Dave, I have been running a 9 inch converter with a 4500 stall for two years now. Drive it to and from the track (33 miles one way) and lots of street driving (no truck or trailer) with no heat issues or driving issues. I did sort of go overkill on the trans cooler with braided steel lines and a built on fan on the cooler, because people told me the converter would get hot on the street.

I heard all of the horror stories before I bought it, but in my case they were just 'stories'

Good luck to you

 

[Swyper]

What exactly makes a 10" more user friendly on the street? The guys at ATI convinced me that a tight 8" treemaster would drive like stock down low but would really hit hard. They said the 8" takes less to get moving and would work with a TH350. Can someone explain the reason a 10" is more streetable? Will going on a 30 mile drive with an 8" be a problem if tight? ATI says cool. Any thoughts?

 

[blown70]

I run a 10" TCI and it works good for me...maybe a little loose for cruising the strip, it kinda gets 'er screemin when leaving a light.
Having said that, I have only ever used the TCI so I can't honestly say if it is better or worse than anything else.