How much HP do you think a WC T5 could handle w/o taking a crap on me?

 

It's not a matter of HP... it's a matter of torque, and how you treat it.

First, no powershifting. That will kill ANY T5 in a hurry. Remember, "lift when you shift".

After that, it's simply a matter of how much torque you have and how hard you run it. I would treat it with kid gloves if you have 300ft-lbs or more... if you have 400ft-lbs, I wouldn't even look at it crosseyed. I'd say the practical limit is probably around 350 or so ft-lbs for good longevity if you treat it well.

ALWAYS make sure the fluid is full. 5 out of 10 T5's I've seen die were low on fluid.

Mine held up fine behind my ZZ4. Didn't have any real issues with 2500rpm clutch dumps... in fact, the POS rear took a dump in 3000 miles from my "abuse". The T5 was working fine when I removed it, I sold it to someone else. It developed a leak in his car and now whines like a banshee. It was quiet when it was first installed, though.

Oh, watch out for the 5th gear synchros... they're crap. T5's don't like my 1-2-5 shift pattern.