To lock or not to lock...??

[turbocamino1]

I have forgotten why dusty told me not to lock my 10" 2800L/U (ptc) at full trot ...it was either the trans needed to be built for it ..or maybe he said the converter itself was the issue. thanks

 

[TurboJoe3.8]

I think the only convertors that are recommended to be locked at the track on a consistent basis, are the vigilante multi discs, and the 9/11 series. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[BIGPSI]

dont wanna lock a single disc convertor, like the ptc

 

[turbo nasty]

X2!!! DONT LOCK THE PTC AT WOT. Yes I meant to shout. It will destroy the clutch lining. And send all that crap thropugh your trans and bad things happen, valves stick..... passages get clogged...and FAIL

 

[turbocamino1]

ok, now i'm curious what makes the 9.5N/L the way to go...multiple clutches? and if it works as intended (coupling properly) what slip % is expected? thanks

 

[turbo nasty]

N/L means just that there is NO clutch inside its strictly a fluid coupling.

 

[Dusty Bradford]

The only converters that should be locked are the multi-disc converters and the 9x11 as has been mentioned. The issue is clutch surface area in the single disc's. Once you reduce the size of the converter from 12" to 10" to gain stall speed, you loose clutch diameter. The 9.5 multi-disc has extra clutches to make up for the lack of diameter, the 9x11 uses a larger clutch than you can fit in a 9.5 or 10" converter. The 9.5 non lock from me is totally different. It's not just a lock-up converter minus the clutch. It's an entirely different design.

You want some slip so the converter continues to multiply torque. You can expect my 9.5 non lock to slip 3-8% depending on numerous variables.

 

[SSedan64]

Non-Lockup TC / Torque Converter

As Dusty said, His/PTC is a much better design.
Some are just a Lockup TC with the TCC removed and a spacer installed.
Running a Lockup TC unlocked can have 20% or more Slip depending on make, brand, style, parts etc...