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Advice for fellow TR owners from Tom Shea Racing
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Component Matching #6
Page 2
Being able to footbrake the engine into it’s power band and being able to have the throttle response is only part of the deal. How well behaved the total package is, that’s the real selling point. There will be a slight feel difference when driving normally, and maybe a slight gas mileage difference. I can’t quote exact numbers, but it’s minor compared to the huge gain from having almost instant throttle response.
Since we are talking about the proper sequence of upgrades, why do I place this before the turbo upgrade, when it would become necessary to have a higher stall converter at that time?
Good question. The reasons are that this upgrade will allow you to enjoy your existing turbo to a much greater extent for now.
If you waited until after going to a larger turbo you would be a member of a very un-exclusive club. This club is the one where your larger turbo takes too long too spool up. Membership to this club is on a short term basis, since it’s such an undesirable situation to find yourself in.
Secondly there is the necessary R&R of the transmission for this upgrade. This is the time to have your trans checked out, serviced and either be given a clean bill of health or repaired. This can run into some expense, so it should be planned for. It’s not the kind of thing you want to face after just having spent money on a turbo upgrade that you can’t enjoy. A larger turbo is an upgrade only if you can utilize it properly.
#15, These transmissions are not bad units. They have been given a bad rep, probably mostly due to ignorance similar to the high stall converter. That having been said, they are expensive and are subject to damage and or failure if abused or not set up properly. I like to see this addressed as a separate issue from other upgrades. The torque converter and transmission should be addressed as a unit and be done prior to turbo upgrades.
When I have a customer in this position, where they are ready for this step, I like to make sure they have the best cooler installed properly. Properly means the Tom Shea way.
#16, I like to use the biggest highest capacity B&M style stacked plate cooler with a dedicated fan. I’m not too enamored with the Hayden style tube and fin type coolers. I like to place this out of the air-stream for the radiator and also remove the transmission fluid flow from the radiator circuit. This is not a minor consideration but will allow both your trans and the engine to run cooler.
Cooler engine = less concern for detonation. Detonation is the enemy and should be avoided at all costs! Cooler transmissions are happier, operate better and last longer.
I like to install a transmission temp gauge. This is inexpensive and the peace of mind is worth it.
There is a need to have the best cooling for your engine and transmission that you can. This is not just for high performance engines and transmissions. It’s not just for high stall converters.
It’s too bad the factory engineers didn’t set it up this way in the first place but they had their own set of parameters and cost was definitely a concern. If the car came the way we will eventually end up with, it would been priced way out of the target consumers range. So in a way it’s a good thing that we can get one of these cars reasonably and then at our own time and discretion modify according it to our particular desires.
There is adequate room for the trans cooler and dedicated fan in the area behind the front bumper and below the right front headlight area. I use a swing down set up for easy access to the area above which is used for the Turbo saver engine oil filter relocation kit.
Careful planning should include the ability to install this turbo saver when you upgrade to a new turbo. The area can be shared by both these units, the turbo saver above and the trans cooler & fan below.
Not having the trans cooler in front of the radiator is a very good idea. We don’t want to restrict air flow to the radiator or exchange heat into the air flow stream that is then utilized to transfer heat out of the radiator. This also helps with front mount intercoolers.
The trans cooler fan extracts air from the above and then down through the cooler it then flows down and out of the engine compartment underneath the car.
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