Greg thanks for the heads up on Roadrunner Converters. Reps sent
Now I too am into towing performance NOT hi hp hot rodding or wheeling. I am just trying to get my old e99 to be able to tow my boat and try to get half way decent fuel mileage out of her. Now my trans shifts fine but I have a bad front seal. Which lead to my E99 torque converter and from the noises it made before I pulled the trans and after pulling it out something just doesn't seem right inside there. And since I am not rebuilding the trans at this time I just want a cheap rebuild single disc torque converter until I go though the trans. So as I am talking to different t.c. guys they are asking what stall I am looking for??
Now from what you have said the 7.3 for towing likes a lower stall. But what is stock? And are you running a 1400-1450 stall ? And I take it you are happy with your Roadrunner t.c. I am also trying to find a company that uses Sonnax t.c. parts. I think Sonnax makes some nice parts. But to honest I am just looking for my best bang for a buck. And the Raodrunner single with a billet cover is a very good deal.

 

Stall speed is dependent on several factors. From what I've gathered, the stock TC stall is in the 1650-1850 range...maybe a touch higher depending on the conditions. Most TC builders that I've come across don't really give a hard stall number but talk in terms of 200-300rpms lower or greater than stock. For my trucks, I've always asked for a stall speed that was about 250 rpm lower than stock and it's seemed to work out for me. (This is where I come up with the 1450-1650 rpm range...)

The nice thing about a lower stall speed is that you should see improved fuel economy while city driving...maybe as much as 1-2 mpg. Highway driving will be the same since the TC stall speed has no effect under those conditions.

Best bang for the buck is the Tow Master. A good friend just got one in his Expedition and I hear that he is quite satisfied with it's performance. If you aren't upgrading your trans just yet...then the Tow Master is a good choice. It has a billet front cover, which should be standard equipment for these engines in my book....

I have the equivalent of the Bad Boy in my personal truck and it's pretty awesome. Maybe a little bit too aggressive but not over the top for me. I can tell you that it REALLY woke up my truck as far as towing performance is concerned. For comparison's sake....my F250 with the Bad Boy TC and 3.73 gears gets my 16,800 lb fifth wheel rolling a bit easier than my F450 with ATS TC and 4.30 gears does. The difference could be due to the 3000 lbs of extra weight that the F-450 is packing but I think the TC is part of the reason as well. Food for thought...

Technically speaking....my TC is not a Roadrunner unit. It was made by Mesa Driveline here in the Phoenix area. However, a year or two ago they stopped making torque converters and many of the builders ended up over at Roadrunner (or so I am told...). So, that's why I say my TC is the 'equivalent' of the Bad Boy since it's the closest comparison to what I had made. (hope that makes sense...)

Just an FYI...
Torque converters can be cut apart, cleaned and re-assembled for a reasonable fee. If I was rebuilding a transmission and it had a upgraded TC with billet covers, then I'd send it over to the shop to see if it can be rebuilt before purchasing a new one.

Hope this info helps.

 

Me too. I think Sonnax is one of the premium trans part suppliers for these units. Can't go wrong with their stuff IMO...

 

Figured I would give everyone an update. I went with the Roadrunner TC. It was their triple clutch converter.

I pulled my tranny out, and put the converter in. Well, I own an offroad shop here in Colorado. I am used to doing some tranny work, but had never messed with the 4r100 much. I ended putting the TC on and only got two "clicks" when I put it on. I tightened everything up and had no forward or reverse gears. Turns out that I needed one more "click" and I ended up smashing the TC into the pump taking out both.

Jim at Roadrunner was awesome. He literally overnighted me a new TC for free!(I paid to overnight it). All I had to do was send him back the ruined unit once I got the new unit in. This was 100% installer error on my part and a lesson well learned. So, I would say that their customer service was phenomenal.

I have had great results with the new TC. I coupled it with a DP-tuner, and ended up installing a new tranny pump that Brian at BTS also overnighted me. Can't say enough about both companies as they both were excellent considering that this was NOT any of their issues. They both stepped up and helped me out. In fact Brian @ BTS called me 2-3 times after hours to talk with me about the install on his own time.

FWIW, I will soon be looking into another Roadrunner TC for my newly acquired 97' F350 CC.

 

Thanks Greg As I have looked around at rebuilt replacement t.c. with stock shells they aren't much cheaper than the Tow Master. And like you said you would think the 4r100 diesel t.c. would come standard with a billet cover.
And speaking of a good bang for the buck the "Bad Boy" is a very fair price. And from what you have said it is a bad boy. I really feel some of these t.c. companies just want way too much money for their converters. And I think in some cases you are just paying for a name and the cost of over marketing it.
Also none of these companies give you specs on the parts they are putting in the converter. Or specs on the rake of the fins / turbine splines or what specs are they balanced to. Not that I would know what any of it meant !!LOL But I still want to know.
Torque Converter Technology is a company that is 50 miles from me that I am going to check their pricing. But I think it will be hard to beat the Tow Master. The Advantages of a New Torque Converter From Torque Converter Technology Their FAQ area has some good info too. Actually a friend with a race car told me to check them out. He said they will build whatever you want. But it would help to know what you want. And thanks to the FTE brotherhood I feel I am starting to get a handle on 4r100 t.c.
Scotty I am sorry to hear about your bad luck. I THOUGHT IT WAS 2 CLICKS TOO !! Well Jim at Roadrunner is a really nice guy everyone else would have said pay up. And if I may ask what did Brain's pump cost?? Because I do believe he uses Sonnax pump parts. If not I am sure he built a nice one.