So I have a 1999 Trans Am A4. My mods so far are SLP lid, 1 3/4 long tubes, mild cam. Car made around 380rwhp it's a full weight car also. Stock 3.23 gears. Recently just got a LPW Ultimate diff cover with axle braces gonna be buying moser axles here soon also plan to be buying 265 nitto G2's. Will be getting a LS6 intake and 3000 steal converter down the road. (Aiming for ~400rwhp) My car rarly sees a drag strip mostly a street car and driving around town. Just wanted to see what you guys think will happen.

 

A stock 10 bolt will live a long time behind a A4.

I have 3.73's in my 10 bolt with a studded cover. I pull 1.5x 60's with my 4000 stall, heads, cam full weight car and run a Hoosier radial slick full time..... street or strip. I'm not even remotely worried about mine.

Video of how hard I launch it

Picture of the tires I run

 

 

Thanks much

11.2 @ 121 mph with it hitting the limiter on each shift. Trailer it home and transmission let loose next time I drove it.

I don't read to much into dyno numbers especially through a loose converter but at a random dyno event I made 2 pulls for $50 on a hub loaded dyno where it was still making power up to 6700 rpms where I made 396 whp.
Imo if I locked the converter or had it behind a 6 speed I think it would be around 450+ rwhp.

My buddy has the same setup you have..... cover, braces and 3.23's in his 10 bolt and launches just as hard as I do...1.5x 60's. We are both also on stock axles.

 

No guarantees but like mentioned above you should be ok for some time

 

Anything can survive until it no longer survives and once it finally decides to give up its what else you may lose when you finally break a 10-bolt. We hear stories every day from customers that don't even drag race that have had issues with their 10-bolt even after spending money on them to survive longer.

There is not much you can do in upgrades to stop what a torque arm does to the rear end housing, differential case, and ring & pinion under acceleration. The rear end under acceleration naturally rotates up under acceleration and with the torque arm pulling against it on the one side is a killer.

Then you add in an aftermarket torque arm that has the end of it going into a rubber or poly bushing and has zero give makes it even worse. This is why you see transmission tail shaft housings break when the torque arm is still attached to it or even the stock torque arm tear at the bolts on the housing.

If you are going to try and make it survive you need to weld up axle tubes after checking housing straightness because if it is already twisted then doing anything to it is a waste and I am yet to ever see a factory rear end that is 100% straight from any manufacturer. Weld up the axle tubes, put 9" ends, good axles with screw in studs, rear diff cover, good housing brace, all new bearings, and ring and pinion.

These are the steps I would take before I ever spent money on a 8.8 or a 12-bolt for the F-Body as they end up with the same issues a 10-bolt has or just save up and purchase an S60 because its the best bane for the buck rear end on the market and never worry about it.

Kind of a long post but the short of it is it all depends if it is worth risking something else to go bad. If you drive the car and just cruise it you are fine leave it alone and enjoy it but if you plan on beating on it then it is a risk for anything to fail.

 

I agree, and this has been my experience as well. I went for many years in the 1.6x 60-foot range with my A4/3500 stall, stock 3.23, stock cover 10-bolt with zero issues. It was still fine when I sold that car. Keeping wheel hop away is key; if you can do that, the survival rate with an A4 is very good. Here's a great thread with some real world averages:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...ock-7-5-a.html

 

 

Broken axles usually aren't a problem. You'll break a gear before the axles break. Save your money.

 

^^^ agree,no need for new axles. Only time axle(s) need to be replaced is when the surfaces where the bearing(s) rides is deteriorated. Axle saver bearings are available but NEVER NEVER use them.
Is your vehicle 3 channel ABS or 4 channel ABS & TC ?
Being a 99,it has a Torsen carrier.

 

 

 

This is what both my axles look like this is why I'm replacing them.

 

The topic that never gets old

If you aint breakin, you aint racing. That proves true in my experience. As you go faster you break more parts. With above, wheel hop is the worst culprit.

Once you grenade a diff good'n proper? you wont be praising over acheiving ten bolts, none of us who have done so recommend pushing them for that reason. Its all fun and games until BOOM goes the dynamite and that can get scary if it happens after the dig. Your money, your risk management so do whatever you wanna do. That said;


Have fun, think safe, be safer.

 

500whp, t-56, 3.73 with rebuilt bearings. Rolls and rigs and won’t die, I refuse to fix something that’s not broken so I’ll keep riding on it till it does. Just roll with it and beat the crap out of it, it will tell you when it’s done.

 

What rpm are you leaving at ?

 

600 rwhp, t56, 4.10's, and stock 10 bolt for me as well. Avoiding wheel hop and hard launches combined with luck has worked so far

 

I stall it up to about 3000 rpms.

 

Do yourself a huge favor. Take the money your planning on spending on the ten bolt and get a nice rear end. No one that starts out racing stays the same. If your really into it you will keep upgrading your power. You may as well get the rear end of the future now and save a lot of money, time, and aggrevation. You will be happy you did. As for your question on will it last and break? No rear end will last forever and they all break. But the ten bolt would be number one on any list to break first and fastest. And make sure you get a good drive shaft when you put in your new rear end.

 

^ Sound advice. Out of curiosity I searched "broke ten bolt" on youtube.... wow, theres enough content to watch ten bolt carnage all day