yeah ive heard of fuddle racing but i didnt think they made any for the s197 untill now. are you running a tranny cooler with the stock tranny? i can get a tci for $480 shipped for their 3000 stall speed and pi was $1035 for a 2800 stall speed. i hear to many things about tci that they are good then i hear they suck. as far as pi all i hear is that they are the best but they price is high. but i guess you get what you paid for. so im kind of stuck in the middle on what to do. i need to do something quick cause this stock converter isnt cutting it.
BEWARE! If you buy the lesser expensive TCI StreetFighter, you aren't getting the lock-up feature that the factory converter (or PI's or Fuddle's) have. This means the converter is always "loose" and won't lock up in 4th/5th gears for better fuel economy on the highway. This also means you'll generate more heat and significantly reduce transmission life. Additionally, at the dragstrip, a non-lock-up converter won't pull as hard at the tall end of the track as it's slipping too much!
If you buy a TCI, get the Super StreetFighter so that you can retain lock-up functionality and charge harder at the track, while keeping the transmission much cooler for durability's sake. It's nearly double the money of their non-lock-up converter, but well worth it.
Both of the Fuddle Racing converters (3200 rpm and 3600 rpm) are full lock-up. I have mine custom tuned to lock-up in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears at wide open throttle almost immediately after each upshift to pull harder/sooner. The lock-up clutch is twice the surface area of the factory converter so it holds full lock-up at wide open throttle, even with my supercharger pushing 10.5 psi boost!
I want to install a bigger trans cooler to be safe for the upcoming summer racing season, but so far there have been no problems and my trans fluid is still bright red (not black and cooked).
Whatever you do, make sure you're getting a lock-up style converter. And have a custom tune written to fully take advantage of the converter's abilities. You'll still get good performance improvements without custom tuning, but you'll get way more out of an aftermarket converter with custom tuning.
