if you have a 3200 stall converter and are driving on the highway continuously at 2800 rpm's, is the converter slipping until you hit approx. 3200. Doesn't that translate to extra heat for the converter and the trans.
The stall speed of a converter is a way of rating how many RPM it will take to break the tires loose from a dead stop, with your foot on the brake. This number is approximate, due to differences in engine characteristics, rear gears, transmission, etc.
The torque converter does continue to slip throughout the gears, unless it is a lockup unit. A lockup converter does exactly what the name implies; it locks up at a certain RPM, creating a 1:1 ratio of engine output RPM and transmission input RPM. It also reduces heat, and provides better fuel mileage.
Someone can correct me, but this is the way I understand it.
