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I saved about $300 buying used and having it refurbished. Shipping and import taxes needs to be paid regardless. I ship it to WA and pick it it across the border so that helps me save a few dollars and if I run into a nice border guard, they may let me go with paying taxes.
OP, have you done exhaust upgrades? Perhaps headers, no cats and a cat-back could help as well.
Yeah I have all of those bolt ons. It is always hard to take some one's word for it, if a mod is worth it or not. Sometimes I wish I heard that the torque converter is not worth the money although I have yet to hear it.
I heard nothing but good things about adding a higher stall converter. I have a lextreme TC that I've been to lazy to install but reading this thread just motivated me to get it done and share my input.
It would be greatly appreciated by you as well clos430.
I talked to Todd from PI and he said that you will feel the TC working off the line or anytime you are really on it from a roll because it does rev up quicker into the powerband.
We had a good talk for 20 minutes and he was very helpful. He told me it makes better use of your horsepower and multiplies torque more, so what I understand it sounds like putting a shorter gear (numerically higher) so-to-speak on each of your planetary gears. This would really pair nice with the 3.77 rear ends some of us are using.
Its been raining the past few days so I really haven't been able to get on the throttle that hard. With that said, regular daily driving is a bit more annoying, not a lot of power at lower RPMs when i'm easing on the throttle in traffic because the higher stall isn't giving me that much when the RPMs are that low. However, from a stop, if I give it a bit, once the engine revs up past 2800 it really does launch.
Okay so it launches quicker from what you can tell? I hope it dries up there soon!
I am being shipped a stock unit, and sending it off to be re-stalled to 2800 RPMs. I can't wait to pair it with the lower rear end gear ratio as well! I think it will fill the low end torque gap nicely. I'll be sure to post my experience and hopefully have it done in a month from now. I'll then add a tranny cooler, and want to set the valve to 3, the firmest setting, on the valve body.
It is snowing right now, so no chance yet. I have noticed that after a week of driving, the car and I have learned to drive with the new stall speed. It is performing better and I no longer find it annoying. This mod doesn't add any HP, it just changes the way your transmission puts down the power from your engine. It brings out the best of your engine, which I think will help you get the result you want with your combined mods.
With that said, mpg went to crap. 425 kms is roughly 265 miles, this is from a full tank of gas. Now that the car's ecu has learned over the past week, I hope the next tank will be better.
Do you do a lot of driving under 65 km/h? Maybe from a stop you could try and just get to this speed a little bit quicker? This is where factory lock-up occurs after this speed for effiency, and possibly use the power of the engine's new RPM power band from a stop. Yes the gas applied to get you out of a dig would be more, but it might help with gas mileage in the long run while at the same time having fun accelerating that way. Maybe a trans cooler would help too, and I know that the 3.77 gears keep the RPMs up higher in the lock up/stall range as well.
I was also reading more about re-stalls on converters. It seems that you can mod the Impeller/Pump fins, Turbine Fins, as well as the Stator fins. IIRC, the general rule seems a straighter upright angle of the fins results in a longer or less agressive spool hence raising the stall speed. So a greater angle of the fins results in a quicker or more agressive spool hence lowering the stall speed. What confuses me, is it seems from pictures that Lextreme only modded the Impeller/Pump fins, although they may have not shown pictures of modding the Stator. This strikes me as odd because the Impeller/Pump fins seem already very straight, and not much angle, enough for 1000 RPM raise just by adjusting them straighter.
I was also thinking about torque figures. I found on the dyno, as many others may have noticed, my car made around 120 horses at 2800 RPM and 210 foot pounds at 2800 RPM.
Well Lexus always claimed 80% torque of the 310 ft lbs is available at the crank at 1800 RPM. So this 248 ft lbs with a 22% drive loss is 194 TQ at the wheels on a stock engine. With all my mods I made about that much at 2800 RPM. I guess if the stock numbers are accurate and a flat curve from 1800 to 2800 RPM this would hold true. Either way, it is hard to deny the the ability to use this torque or to do work ie. HP is lacking at lower RPM. It has to move the car at this low horsepower and having to climb into the power spot, so the TC does this more efficiently.
Finally had some sun today so I made a quick video. Couple of pulls off the line so you can get an idea of the acceleration with the 2800 stall TQ. I also had a TransGo A650 Shift Kit installed, really helps with quicker shifts.
Finally had some sun today so I made a quick video. Couple of pulls off the line so you can get an idea of the acceleration with the 2800 stall TQ. I also had a TransGo A650 Shift Kit installed, really helps with quicker shifts.
It comes and goes every couple of days. It isn't because of the TQ. Last time I read the code (before the install), it was something to do with an exhaust sensor.
It comes and goes every couple of days. It isn't because of the TQ. Last time I read the code (before the install), it was something to do with an exhaust sensor.
jw, i know some people when the TC first became popular had a CEL issue with a 2800 stall and the 2400 stall fixed it i think
Thanks for sharing that video Will! How does the shift kit/converter feel together?
IIRC, I've only heard of the CEL issues on the GS430s not the 400s. If mine came on because of that, I would honestly just pull the bulb.