Thanks for your .02.

I see you're in Sicily...I've been to Siracusa, are you close to there?

 

NA - You've talked to PatrickG, right? He seems to know Yank in and out.

I was real close to emailing Mike at Yank and asking the same question about the TB vs Yank 2600. I'd honestly shoot him a note and see what he says. He seems like a nice guy.

I definitely agree with the towing thing. I wish I could go for a 3000, but don't think it'll be good when I back up to the camper. I'll be pulling over 5K with the 2600 in the first week of july. I can let you know how I like it, if you wish. I hear it's perfect.

 

NakedAV, I appreciate your research. I didn't even know that people where considering TB converters as a alternative to the Yank converters and this is probably why most people are running Yank converters. If you would please post a p/n for the TB converter. I'm going to be getting a converter for my truck and I need to be able to tow my race car (5000lbs+ w/ trailer) and not have to worry about getting stranded. I'm just worried a I-6 converter is not designed to haul that much weight along with the additional weight and power of my truck (03 SS 13.90's). The I-6 is only rated at 5800-6100 depending on options. If other people have had success, I'm willing to try it too.

 

The GM part number is 24215557. It is the I-6 converter. But if my suspicions are correct, this is what you will be getting with the Yank anyway. I've heard GMPartsDirect.com is a good place to go to for GM parts. For the converter they will charge you a core charge plus ~$50 for shipping, but the core charge is required, and the shipping included not only shipping, but their profit as well. The price you see on the site is their price, as far as I know.

Good luck, please report back your results if you decide to go that way. There is already one member here who has installed the 24215557 and is more than happy with it. He said he would not hesitate to install it in every truck he owns/will own in the future.

 

I wouldn't expect that they would answer the question truthfully even if it were true. They would essentially be admitting that they are marking up the price for the converter $200-$300 just for a paint job. I don't think anything good could come out of me contacting them.

 

I routinely tow 6000+lbs and have towed over 10,000 more than once. I suggest you look at the Midwest hybrid converter-it has full size clutches for maximum towing but the back part where the stall is is 9.5 inches. Best of both worlds and cheaper than Yank too. I have had 2 of them in 2 different trannies and I just put another in the 4l80e. I really don't understand why more guys arent using them.

 

I didn't say you were doing anything 'wrong' ...

I've talked to people at the track, old school racers and such, and they hear Yank and say that they are the best, that's all they would use and such. I have a hard time believing they wouldn't do anything to that converter besides just painting it. I'm not saying they aren't but I would have a hard time believing it.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

I've towed about 6000 lbs with my TT 3000. I monitored the TCC slippage the whole time while the converter was locked and there was none. Trans temps stayed at about 190 in stop and go driving and 165 on the highway with the converter locked. That was with the stock trans cooler.

I monitored TCC slippage with my SS3800 the same way 2 weeks ago towing about 3000 lbs. It also didn't slip. I definately wouldn't want to tow more than 3000 with the SS3800 though.

I'll bet if there are any differences between the TB converter and TT2600 they would be in the clutch material and size. I think yank puts the 12" clutch in the 11" TT series converters. They also use a better clutch friction material. You might want to check on the clutch specs of the TB converter.

 

I'm sure they're good, they've received lots of good reviews. And I am not talking about their other converters, just the TT2600. In the case of the TT3000, the price markup may be warranted simply because of the work that has gone into designing and installing the different stator assemblies and other modifications. But if the TT2600 and the Trailblazer converter are identical (you have to admit the 278mm size is remarkably similar, and one guy has reported 2400-2600 stall behavior with the Trailblazer converter...), then the Trailblazer converter is obviously a much better deal.