Best Torque Converter for 47RE
There is no single "best" torque converter for a 47RE. There is a best converter for the truck you actually have, and picking it comes down to three numbers: how much torque the engine makes, how much clutch surface the converter has to hold that torque against, and what stall speed puts your turbo where it needs to be. Get those three right and the converter stops being the weak link. Get them wrong and you will buy the same part twice.
Here is how to choose, what the specs mean, and what else needs to go in while the transmission is out.
First, understand what you are working with
The 47RH and 47RE are found in 1994 to 2003 Dodge Ram pickups, derived from Chrysler's TorqueFlite platform and developed out of the 46RH. Per Diesel Hub, the unit carries a Chrysler strength designation of "7" on a 1-to-9 scale, which the consensus translates to a maximum input torque rating in the ballpark of 450 lb-ft, with a max GCWR of 19,000 lbs. Gear ratios are 2.45 / 1.45 / 1.00 / 0.69 with a 2.21 reverse, and the unit weighs roughly 200 lbs dry without the converter.
That 450 lb-ft number is the whole story. Diesel Hub notes that 1994-2000 trucks with the 47RH/47RE were actually de-rated from the power figures offered behind the manual transmission, and that the ~450 lb-ft ceiling sits just above 2000-and-earlier engine output and just below 2001-2003 output. In other words, a bone-stock late 47RE is already at or past its own rating before you add a single tune. The converter is the first component in the torque path, so it is usually the first thing to give up.
One identification note worth knowing: the difference between the 47RH and 47RE is governor pressure control. Governor pressure on the RH is hydraulically controlled; on the RE it is electronically controlled. Both retain a hydraulic valve body, so the "E" does not mean fully electronic. If you are still sorting out which unit you have, our 47RE vs 48RE comparison walks through the identification points.
Diagnosis: make sure the converter is actually the problem
Before you spend money on a converter, rule out the parts that mimic converter failure. Sonnax devotes a whole tech series to this, and the case studies in Don't Blame the Torque Converter are worth reading: units where a failed overdrive planetary set a converter-clutch trouble code, and units where metal contamination from a hard-part failure blocked the TCC control valve in the applied position, causing the engine to stall the moment the selector went into gear. In both cases the converter was replaced. In both cases the converter was innocent.
Work the cheap checks first:
- Drop the pan and read the magnet. Fine gray paste is normal wear. Chunks, bronze, or clutch material means a hard part or a clutch pack is coming apart, and a new converter dropped into a contaminated system will eat itself.
- Check governor pressure control. On an RE, a failing governor pressure solenoid or transducer produces wrong shift points and wrong line pressure, which feels a great deal like converter slip.
- Verify the TCC actually commands and holds. Shudder, no lockup, and always-locked are three different faults with three different causes. We break those apart in the 47RE TCC lockup diagnosis guide.
- Check band adjustment and service history. Diesel Hub's service interval for these units is fluid, filter, and band adjustment every 24,000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first. Skipped band adjustments shorten the life of the whole unit.
The three specs that actually pick your converter
1. Clutch count: single, dual, or triple disc
The lockup clutch is what fails on a stock 47RE converter. A stock unit uses a single friction surface, and once slipping torque exceeds holding torque the clutch glazes, then burns, then dumps its material into the fluid. Multi-disc converters stack clutch surfaces to multiply holding capacity, so a triple-disc unit carries roughly three times the clutch area of a single disc.
For a stock-power daily driver that never sees a trailer, a well-built single disc is enough. For anything tuned, or anything that tows regularly, the triple disc is the answer. Goerend builds its 47/48RE triple-disc converters with a billet steel cover machined from forgings with a multi-bolt pattern, a billet steel piston with a complete damper assembly, TIG-welded and furnace-brazed turbines with silicon bronze reinforcement, and 4140 hardened turbine and flanged impeller hubs, blueprinted to under 0.005" runout.
2. Torque multiplication ratio
This is the spec most people ignore, and on a diesel it matters more than stall speed. ATS puts factory torque multiplication on these trucks at approximately 1.25:1. Their TripleLok converter raises that to 2.0:1 at peak engine torque while keeping factory stall speed. Their Five Star unit, running a 1300-1500 RPM stall, goes to 2.4:1.
Higher multiplication means the converter does more of the work getting a loaded truck moving, which is exactly what you want under a trailer. Goerend publishes the same idea as a torque ratio and K-factor pair: their work-truck 15SS unit runs a 1.798 torque ratio with an 88.4 K-factor at roughly 300 RPM below stock stall, while the racing 17-250 unit runs a 1.713 ratio with a 124.4 K-factor at about 500 RPM above stock. Lower K-factor, lower stall, more torque multiplication. That is the towing end of the range.
3. Stall speed matched to your turbo
ATS is blunt that a core problem with OEM converters is that stall speeds are not matched to the engine's torque curve. Goerend's published lineup shows how narrow the useful spread is on a 5.9L: stock stall for daily driving and light-to-medium towing (17SS), about 150 RPM below stock for daily drivers with larger single turbos (15LC), roughly 300 RPM below stock for towing and hauling (15SS), about 250 RPM above stock for street performance with occasional racing (18SS), and roughly 500 RPM above stock for racing, sled pulling, and large turbos (17-250).
The rule is simple. Bigger turbo, more stall to light it. Heavy trailer and a stock or modest turbo, less stall so you stay out of the slip zone and out of the heat. If you want the underlying theory, we cover it in torque converter stall speed explained. Browse what we stock in the torque converter collection.
What actually makes a converter last
Construction details separate a converter that survives from one that comes back. ATS documents that early diesel converters used round clutch tabs, and that engine torsional loads from piston pulsations would hammer those round tabs into the billet cover after several thousand miles, destroying the converter and the flex plate. Their answer was a patented square tab design.
Look for that kind of thinking in whatever you buy: square or flank-drive clutch tabs rather than round, a billet cover rather than a stamped one, fully welded impeller and turbine vanes, 4340 or 4140 hardened turbine splines, a plasma-welded pump drive hub locked into the impeller housing, and roller bearings replacing the stock thrust washers in high-load areas. Goerend's stator uses a dual Torrington bearing design for the same reason. None of that shows up in a photo, which is why the spec sheet matters more than the finish.
Replace these while you are in there
The transmission has to come out either way, so the labor is already spent. Do not put a new converter behind old problems.
- Filter and fluid. ATF+4 is the specified fluid. Diesel Hub lists dry fill at 14.5 to 16.5 quarts with roughly 4 quarts for a service refill, and filter part numbers of MOPAR 3515996 / WIX 58707 for 1994-1997 and MOPAR 52118789 / WIX 58613 for 1998-2003.
- Front pump bushing and seal. The converter hub rides in it. A worn bushing will chew the hub on a brand-new converter.
- Flex plate. ATS specifically calls out flex plate destruction as a consequence of converter tab hammering. Inspect it, and if the converter failed hard, replace it.
- Bands. These units want band adjustment on a schedule. If the front and kickdown bands are original and high-mileage, replace them rather than adjusting worn material.
- Valve body. If the fluid was contaminated, the valve body is contaminated. A remanufactured 47RE valve body with Sonnax updates removes the variable instead of gambling on a cleaning.
- Governor pressure solenoid and transducer. Inexpensive, accessible with the pan down, and a common source of complaints that get blamed on the converter.
Cost and effort framing
The parts side scales with clutch count and cover construction. A stock-replacement single-disc converter sits at the bottom, a billet-cover multi-disc unit with a custom stator sits at the top, and the gap between them is real material and real machining rather than marketing. Goerend's blueprinting to under 0.005" runout and the plasma-welded pump hub ATS describes are manufacturing operations with cost attached.
Labor is the bigger line item for most people. The transmission has to come out, which on a 4WD Ram means dealing with the transfer case as well. Budget a full day for a competent DIYer with a transmission jack and a lift, considerably longer on jack stands. Because the labor is identical whether you install a stock converter or a triple disc, buying the cheapest converter is usually the most expensive decision. You pay the same labor twice when it comes back.
Short version. Stock, unmodified truck that tows occasionally: a quality single or dual disc at factory stall. Tuned truck, or any truck that tows heavy on a regular basis: triple disc, billet cover, stall matched at or slightly below stock. Large single turbo or competition use: triple disc with stall raised enough to light the charger.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the stock torque capacity of a 47RE?
The 47RH and 47RE carry a Chrysler strength designation of "7" on a scale of 1 to 9, which the industry consensus puts at roughly 450 lb-ft of maximum input torque, with a maximum GCWR of 19,000 lbs. That figure sits just above pre-2001 engine output and just below 2001-2003 output, which is why converter and clutch upgrades are so common on these trucks.
Do I need a triple disc torque converter for a stock 47RE?
Not necessarily. A stock-power truck that rarely tows can run a quality single or dual disc converter at factory stall. The triple disc earns its keep once you add power or tow regularly, because the lockup clutch is the limiting surface. Three friction surfaces hold roughly three times the torque of one before slipping, glazing, and burning.
Will a higher stall converter make my 47RE run hotter?
It can, if the stall is wrong for the truck. Stall speed is the point below which the converter is slipping rather than coupling, and slip makes heat. A high-stall converter behind a stock turbo and a heavy trailer will spend more time in the slip zone. That is why the towing-oriented units in Goerend's lineup run at or below stock stall with higher torque multiplication rather than above it.
Sources
- Diesel Hub — Chrysler 47RH & 47RE Transmission Specs & Ratios
- ATS Diesel — TripleLok Performance Torque Converter, Factory Stall Speed, 47RH/47RE/48RE
- ATS Diesel — Five Star Performance Torque Converter, 47RH/47RE/48RE
- Goerend Transmission — 47/48RE Triple Disc Torque Converter
- Sonnax — Don't Blame the Torque Converter, Part 1 (Ed Lee)