Yes, you read that right – Hughes Performance has taken their innovative XP4 Xtreme Pro Mod Powerglide and redesigned it to incorporate a lockup torque converter. The typical race ‘Glide, even with a perfectly-matched converter, will throw away as much as 15 percent of the power the engine produces at the top end of the track due to slippage, but with the new XP5, racers effectively have a third gear in their transmission. The results are much quicker trap speeds, lower elapsed times, more manageable ATF temperatures, and the ability to run final drive ratios that better suit the power curve without pegging the tach through the traps.

The XP5 has the same 1 1/4-inch input shaft, Pro Mod wide band, 10-clutch high gear band, and other heavy duty features as the XP4, allowing it to withstand more than 3,000 horsepower. It adds a self-contained hydraulic lockup system that places the hefty activation solenoid inside the pan, a billet case adapter/spacer, and a custom-engineered torque converter.

The unique converter design is based on Hughes’ proven GM97/103/107 models, and is available in 9- and 10-inch styles. It features a hardened hub and splines, fully furnace-brazed and silicone spot-brazed construction, and a CNC-cut aluminum stator. The billet cover has been totally redesigned, and the clutchpack-style lockup mechanism uses standardized clutches and steels. The whole lockup clutch can be unbolted for maintenance without servicing the entire converter as well.