Torque Converter Operation Explained

The torque converter is among the least understood components within an automatic transmission equipped vehicle. I'll try to explain what it can and how it can it.

The torque converter includes a few different functions.

Torque converters contain 4 major components that people have to concern ourselves with for the intended purpose of explanation.

Here's how everything works. With regard to simplicity, I am going to utilize the common analogy of two fans which represent the impeller and the turbine. Suppose that people have two fans facing one another and we turn only 1 of these on- another fan will soon commence to move.

At a particular point (usually around 30-40 mph), exactly the same speed could be reached between impeller and the turbine (our two fans). The stator, that is mounted on a a proven way clutch, will now commence to submit conjunction with another two components and around 90% efficiency between your crank and the input shaft may be accomplished.

The remaining 10% slippage between your engine and transmission could be eliminated by connecting the input shaft to the crankshaft through the use of the secure clutch that has been mentioned before. This can have a tendency to lug the engine, therefore the computer is only going to command this in higher gears and at highway speeds if you find hardly any engine load present. The primary function of the clutch would be to increase fuel efficiency and reduce the quantity of heat that's generated by the torque converter.

Another term that could be unfamiliar is that of a "high stall" torque converter. A higher stall converter differs from the stock converter in the sense that the rpm is raised of which the inner converter components- the impeller, the stator and the turbine begin to turn together, and therefore, stop the torque multiplication phase and commence the coupling phase. The point where engine rpm will minimize climbing with the drive wheels held stationary and the throttle fully opened is known as "stall speed".

The idea behind an increased stall torque converter would be to permit the engine to rev more freely until where in fact the powerband begins, and for that reason, enable the automobile to accelerate from the stop under more power.

This becomes increasingly important when an engine is modified. Engine modifications such as for example ported heads, bigger cams, bigger turbos (in some instances), bigger intakes, etc. have a tendency to improve the point where in fact the powerband begins. For best performance, the stall speed must be raised accordingly to work optimally with the given vehicle alterations.

In simple terms, for best performance, the stall speed ought to be raised at the very least to the stage where in fact the torque curve is heading towards its peak. Generally of thumb, the stall speed ought to be set to complement the rpm of which the engine is making at the very least 80% of its peak torque for a street driven vehicle.

As imaginable, a vehicle that may accelerate from the stop with 80% of its peak torque will easily outperform an otherwise identical vehicle that may only launch at 50% of its available torque.

For a performance or "high stall" torque converter to create maximum gains, it requires to be configured to the precise vehicle where it'll be installed.

Factors such as for example engine torque and the rpm of which it really is greatest, differential gear ratio, vehicle weight, camshaft design, compression ratio, kind of induction- forced or naturally aspirated, and a bunch of other variables all have to be taken into account. Remember that the "off the shelf" type performance torque converters sold by some manufacturers have become unlikely to be optimized for several vehicles and their particular requirements.