I've never seen it listed in absolute numbers, but most agree it's around 1800~1850RPM..

 

somewhere between 1800-2000 i believe. correct me if im wrong but depends on trans/truck/package etc on these dodges.

 

I hate that the forum just ate my thoughtful post.

Stall speed is even more subjective than butt dyno. Take the same converter from one shop that has shown you 1800RPM plus or minus fudge on five runs to another shop with a different dyno, and you'll see 1600RPM or maybe 2100RPM. Stall speed depends upon the interplay of horsepower in front and load behind. And screw your street racer buddies who use brake stands to prove this or that number -- their braking capacity (and their tachometer damping) determines what their tachometers show. I once had a 2400RPM stall converter that I could prove didn't stall in my vehicle anywhere shy of 2800RPM if I was deep into the throttle, and at WOT in the quarter mile it hung on until north of three grand. I proved this with tachometers on both ignition and drive shaft -- and Art Carr's engineers said something equivalent to "Yeah? So?".

"Yeah? So?". I was thus enlightened. This 5h17 is not a secret, but it's not something most gearheads are going to GAF about. What matters is what works for you.

So: You want to balance things so that they meet your needs. If it's a dedicated tow rig, build the engine to make as much power as you can afford right from the bottom, just off-idle, and match the converter to what you've accomplished. You want your converter to stall at the point at which your engine makes power enough to get the job done in direct drive as if it were a manual transmission. A stock small block Magnum doesn't make 150RWHP until north of 3000RPM and doesn't even make a hundred until about 2200RPM... if you wanna diddy up with the big dogs and don't want to twiddle the power maker, then you're going to want a higher stall and 5h17loads of cooling. It'll thrash your fuel economy to go that route but it'll do the job just fine as long as your cooling system keeps up.

If you want better fuel economy, move that engine powerband down to off-idle and bring your converter stall down to match. It's not all that tough to make these things pull like a team of Percherons, at least in comparison to other gassers. Do that and you can make 1800RPM or even 1700RPM stall speeds work like rented mules. If you're routinely pulling less than 5000lbs then 1600RPM might work for you if you've got the engine for it. It ain't easy to make big power down low, but it's doable.

If your stall is too low you'll be stuck in second gear on the grades while the big rigs and skinny chicks in econo-boxes blow on by. If your stall is too high you'll see too much heat and fuel consumption on those same grades. Find the balance. If your upshifts are followed shortly by downshifts, add more power or higher stall. Or buy more truck.

 

I always thought a higher stali was the way to go...Hence 8" PTC 4000 stall in my Dakota, which tends to stall at 4500.

If 1800 to 2000 is stock, 2400 would be better to the thing moving, but like you said cooling and gas mileage is an issue.

I am rebuilding the Ram motor this winter with a list of goodies. KB 362 pistons, Harland Sharp 1.7s, 1.92 Magnum R/T heads, Pacesetter LTs, probably cut the block so the pistons are 0 deck, 039 quench w/10:1 compression. Maybe the stock stall would be ok, It's only towing the 3200 lb Dakota on an open bed trailer.

I have 4.10s I could install in the Dana 60, that would really help but then I'm towing in OD at highway speeds.

 

My trailer fully loaded weighes in at almost 5k lbs, It's old and heavy and I know I can get a new one that is bigger and way lighter but not ready for that yet.

Any way, I can pull it in OD as fast as I want but the trans temp gets to hot so to keep the temp below 180 I have to turn the OD off and keep it around 55 to 60 mph. I have to pull the tranny any way to replace the front seal so why not upgrade the converter while its out ya know, trans only has about 20k on it so I don't feel a need to rebuild it again, just upgrade a few things to help it out.

Here is what I pull. I know it don't look heavy but it is.

 

Towing in overdrive is a no-no. It'll kill the transmission.

 

Is changing the tq and fluid pump pretty simple once the tranny is out?

 

Unreg, help a brutha if you don't mind?
Are stall speed and lockup one and the same? After reading your partially eaten well thought out post, I'm more confused than ever..

Stall speed equals when the engine mounted impeller reaches a point where the trans mounted turbine has no choice but to turn, or holds the engine back from producing any more rpm before something gives..

Lockup speed equals when the mechanical intervention takes place, and the engine mounted impeller becomes physically attached to the trans mounted turbine/input shaft..

Is it possible to have a stall speed significantly above or below the lockup, or are they in fact one and the same? I understand these are two different functions, and both should be married to the engine power curve, weight, and gearing, but it seems to me a stall around 2200rpm and a lockup around 1900 would be nice.. if the lockup can be control via load signal, it would only lock while cruising, right? If you need the pop, it would be nice not to hafta rev to 2500rpm (if it was stall rated at 2500) to find the point where then engine grabs the driveline.. no?

 

If doing 55-60mph (and towing) and don't turn the O/D off that's just going to increase the fluid temp $ break it down quicker..as well as decrease your MPG..

 

Normal stall speed for my stock is 1800-2300..