I have a 91 camaro rs with a world class t5 tranny and 3.08 gearing. I plan on installing a 400hp/400tq 350 in it and a posi rear end. Is my tranny tough enough to take this? BTW this is my daily driver!

 

GM Never Offered A Third Gen From The Factory With A 350 And A 5-Speed,So What Does That Tell You.

 

If you shift nice and don't slam gears it "could" last a life time.
If you speed shift 2nd to 3rd it "could" break the 1st time you try it.

 

I read many of threads on here, Then decided not to leave the 5 spd in mine with 350 hp...... Besides, I wanna get there fast without let'n up to shift.....

 

I think the t5 is stronger than Chevys 700R4.

 

That was not it........ [ there is a big thread here somewhere that had the proof ]

It failed EPA downshift smog test for CAL. if its not 50 state legal, GM don't sell it. BUT you can find 350 T5 cars that were done dealer side new. Still counts, lots of classis were dealer modded cars.

And its not really strength but the quality of the driver.


The T5 is super popular on the chevy Truck boards, they love em and glad that us "camaro" guys dont like them but they don't speed shift or do 3000RPM drops, bangin through gears at WOT..........

Furd had just as much trouble with it just behind a 302, senior had one new in HS, he was on his 3rd T5 in no time. [ same poor guy that killed like 7 people in one week, all car accidents not his fault. ]


You can trash a T5 with a 305 just as easy if you abuse it.

 

Hes right! My dad had a 3rd gen firebird that had a 350 TPI an T5!

 

Tells me you probably dont know the real story.

The T5 can live a long life behind 400hp. The thing that kills them are really sticky tires and missed shifts particularly third.

 

"Tough" and "T-5" don't belong in the same sentence.

The first 3 or 4 I tore up, were with a 305.

There's people on here that have tore em up with 6-cyls.

There's also people (myself included) that have made em last behind a 400. In my case, it was the astounding discovery, after tearing up another dozen or so in that situation, that I could lift my foot off the floor in between gears. {gasp} Having driven 4-speeds for quite some time before I bought my 83, it had never occurred to me that such a thing was even possible. Made the car VASTLY slower, driving it like my 84-yr-old mother would; but hey, the T-5 survived for ... oh, 30,000 miles or so, REMARKABLE, like 10 times more than any T-5 before it had lasted behind the 400, before it got to the point I knew I would be left sitting by the side of the freeway AGAIN if I didn't do something SOON. So I got wise and put a T-56 in it. Now I can actually DRIVE THE CAR again!!! oh joy and gladness!

So, yeah... ,, ... you can make it last behind a powerful motor, if you don't ever use the power. Especially any kind of shock loading. Big clutch dumps at high RPMs when you have TRACTION, or speed shifting, it won't last long.

 

So what would be the best upgrade for a T5? I would buy a T56 but they're a little spendy...

 

A T-56.

Doesn't make it any less of the best choice.

Boils down to a pretty simple decision:

You want your car to WORK, or do you want a front lawn ornament?

Whining about "spendy" will get you the latter.