Pure Drivetrain Race Torque Converter Issue

[mkvB58KING]

Has anyone else been running the new pure drivetrain solutions 8hp high stall torque converter? I've been having a few issues with mine, and have noticed I'm not the only one. When the car downshifts while off throttle, the converter unlocks between gears and it feels like it's struggling to find the gear. This usually happens between 6th and 5th but has shown up in other gears as well.

Pure said to check the lock up settings in the tune. I reached out to Rod @ Sutphin and he mentioned that he's heard this from several people with a high stall converter.

Any insight or anecdotal evidence greatly appreciated!

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[SleakMK]

I have their upgraded street converter and I have what sounds like the same issue. Most notably, shifting from 6th to 5th, it feels like the converter locks up initially on downshift, but then feels like it slips for 1-2 seconds (or lets go), then grabs again. This is most noticeable between the 6-4th gear downshifts. You can even hear the pops start on the initial downshift, then suddenly stop, then 1-2 seconds start again once the converter grabs.

I love having an upgraded trans but I have doubts about whether or not I should have done the converter, if this is typical.

I am running xhp trans tune and this issue occurs no matter if xhp is flashed or not.

I mentioned it to the shop who did the install and they are thinking it may have something to do with my tune (ECU) since I was never retuned after the trans went in. Would love to hear from others if having the same issue or know how to fix.

 

[mkvB58KING]

I have their upgraded street converter and I have what sounds like the same issue. Most notably, shifting from 6th to 5th, it feels like the converter locks up initially on downshift, but then feels like it slips for 1-2 seconds (or lets go), then grabs again. This is most noticeable between the 6-4th gear downshifts. You can even hear the pops start on the initial downshift, then suddenly stop, then 1-2 seconds start again once the converter grabs.

I love having an upgraded trans but I have doubts about whether or not I should have done the converter, if this is typical.

I am running xhp trans tune and this issue occurs no matter if xhp is flashed or not.

I mentioned it to the shop who did the install and they are thinking it may have something to do with my tune (ECU) since I was never retuned after the trans went in. Would love to hear from others if having the same issue or know how to fix.

This is the exact same thing I am experiencing verbatim, burbles pausing and restarting as well. Almost always from 6th gear downshifts. This guy mentions it here at the 1 minute mark:



I'm running XHP stage 2 and it was doing it on the stock tune as well.

 

[SleakMK]

Sounds like the same thing for sure. Not sure if that guy has the issue or not. He mentions some slippage at a red light but maybe he means taking off, which there is a little slippage due to the higher stall.

The odd thing is, and it could be me, but I do not remember feeling this issue immediately after getting the trans installed. Seems like it slowly started happening but I could be wrong. I am usually very attentive to minor changes in how the car drives and feels but who knows.

Any ways, glad to know I am not the only one with the issue. It's driving me crazy and the single biggest complaint I have with the car at the moment. It throws the car off balance slightly when down shifting in the turns. I have been lightly applying the gas on downshifts to try and keep the RPMs elevated to minimize the issue, which seems to help a little. I was thinking about getting a refresh on my tune to see if it goes away but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Last thing to note, it seems like my downshifts are less aggressive sounding now after getting the converter upgrade. I assume this is due to having a higher stall, which I can live with, but I need to resolve the slippage feel or I may have to go back to stock converter. I don't drag race much at all so I was mainly looking for a built stock converter, but I guess that is not available.

 

[Jesse DaBears]

Has anyone else been running the new pure drivetrain solutions 8hp high stall torque converter? I've been having a few issues with mine, and have noticed I'm not the only one. When the car downshifts while off throttle, the converter unlocks between gears and it feels like it's struggling to find the gear. This usually happens between 6th and 5th but has shown up in other gears as well.

Pure said to check the lock up settings in the tune. I reached out to Rod @ Sutphin and he mentioned that he's heard this from several people with a high stall converter.

Any insight or anecdotal evidence greatly appreciated!

Flash stock XHP and see if it does it.

 

[mkvB58KING]

Flash stock XHP and see if it does it.

I tried that and it happens there as well. Pure is suggesting to have a tuner look at the lock up settings and fine tune them in the TCM. Rod @ Sutphin said he's fixed a supra that has had this problem, but he's not sure if its the exact same issue. I might try that route and see where I land, but it sucks that it doesn't just work out of the box as expected.

 

[mkvB58KING]

Good news for anyone who is having this issue. Rod @ Sutphin Tuning was able to help! Not only is the downshift issue gone, but my car feels like an absolute spaceship now. I highly recommend him, great customer service.

 

[SleakMK]

Good news for anyone who is having this issue. Rod @ Sutphin Tuning was able to help! Not only is the downshift issue gone, but my car feels like an absolute spaceship now. I highly recommend him, great customer service.

Awesome news! I reached out to him last night and waiting on a response. Thanks for the encouraging news!!

 

[zrk]

Might be a stupid question, but do you have plenty of fluid in the trans/converter, etc? Fill it when it's running, shift through all the gears, put more fluid in, tip the car on its side and put more fluid in?

 

[mkvB58KING]

Might be a stupid question, but do you have plenty of fluid in the trans/converter, etc? Fill it when it's running, shift through all the gears, put more fluid in, tip the car on its side and put more fluid in?

Not a stupid question at all. There is plenty of fluid in there, it seems to be a known issue with the new high stall race converters. I think it has to do with the weight savings, but that's just a guess at best.

 

[zrk]

Not a stupid question at all. There is plenty of fluid in there, it seems to be a known issue with the new high stall race converters. I think it has to do with the weight savings, but that's just a guess at best.

Just wanted to make sure we're covering all the basics. That's all.

 

[Rocksandblues]

Might be a stupid question, but do you have plenty of fluid in the trans/converter, etc? Fill it when it's running, shift through all the gears, put more fluid in, tip the car on its side and put more fluid in?

I always think we are going to tip car over when we do my fluid change!

op, glad there is a fix out there

 

[Jesse DaBears]

Not a stupid question at all. There is plenty of fluid in there, it seems to be a known issue with the new high stall race converters. I think it has to do with the weight savings, but that's just a guess at best.

IDK if its a new high stall converter issue I have one from this year and no issues with the downshifts. My older one (2022) had a similar issue where it would hunt when I was in Auto and on the brakes after running the car but id just simply slap it over to manual and bring it down.

 

[SleakMK]

Happy to report that Rod Sutphin’s tune fully addressed my issue. Just loaded the tune this morning so I’ve barely got to enjoy but wow, wish I would have reached out to Rod sooner. Shifts are firm but butter smooth and no more converter slip on downshifts.

You don’t need a built trans to take advantage of the tune either, so totally recommend to anyone on the fence about purchasing. I ran XHP since it was launched for the Supra, but it doesn’t compare to Rod’s tune.

 

[mkvB58KING]

Happy to report that Rod Sutphin’s tune fully addressed my issue. Just loaded the tune this morning so I’ve barely got to enjoy but wow, wish I would have reached out to Rod sooner. Shifts are firm but butter smooth and no more converter slip on downshifts.

You don’t need a built trans to take advantage of the tune either, so totally recommend to anyone on the fence about purchasing. I ran XHP since it was launched for the Supra, but it doesn’t compare to Rod’s tune.

Nice! Glad to hear it worked for you too. The gearshifts on his tune are insane, they are butter smooth and it feels like it pushes the car between shifts. I highly recommend him even if you aren't having a converter issue.

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