I would assume you'd like Bill to answer those questions but I can give some insight as a transmission tech.
Yes, you'd be switching tunes as you run down the track. One hand on the wheel, one on the hand throttle, and one on.......wait a minute!
Whether or not the converter is locked depends a lot on the truck itself. With a lower power rig or one with a huge, laggy turbocharger I can assume that having a locked converter (especially early in the pull) would be a detriment. Heat shouldn't be too much of an issue because you're not running for 15 minutes with an unlocked converter....more like 15 seconds. The problem lies in the torque multiplication characteristics of the torque converter. Once the input shaft speed gets closer to the engine speed, the torque multiplication factor goes away. Once you reach redline (not hard to do with an unlocked converter) and the torque multiplication goes away, the input torque to the transmission input shaft is very low.....and so is the power to the wheels at that point.
Your best bet is to try out Bill's suggestion and practice with shift/TC lock points.
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Tuning, flashing, burning chips, and repairing all aspects of 7.3L Powerstrokes.
SEVEN 7.3L-powered vehicles in the driveway. Two didn't come that way from the factory!
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