If I go with DR's on my setup (Full Exhaust, Clutch + Fly, Small Cam etc.) making about 400RWHP And I have a stock 10 Bolt... and I don't sidestep the clutch when launching just kinda ease it out till i roll a bit and slip it out instead of dropping it can I expect that to take some pressure off my rear end? make it last a little longer?

 

NO

NO

NO

When the 10 bolt breaks is only a matter of time. There are NO guarantees. You are asking for trouble if you look at it wrong, let alone try and channel 400 hp through a set of DR's on it.

 

I know it wont last lol... I'm just trying to get as much time out of it as possible...would a T/A cover help reduce the deflection enough to make it handle the 400HP a little better? I'm just saying slipping the clutch should in theory help the rear end last a little longer

 

Invest in a new Rear end before you start dropping cash elsewhere.

 

thanks but for 75.00 I can get a T/A cover what is that 1/33 of the cost of a new rear end?

 

I was also thinking of putting on the TA girdle, but no one answers my questions about it on LS1.com. Everyone says to get the 12 bolt or 9", but they are usually middle aged with jobs and can afford it. I can't.

 

Good questions. Purchase a second 10bolt for $100 and be ready.

 

Exactly...I'm a college student lol I cant afford to be droppin 2500 for rear ends whenever i want

 

That's $75 you would be wasting on a cover that you could be putting towards a stronger rear end.

Guys there are 20 posts/day on this topic not to mention two stickies at the top forewarning. No special cover, no special lube, no way of launching etc is going to keep your 10 bolt together. When it's time for it to go, it's going to go without any warning. It's best if you realize that up front and either get a spare rear end or start saving towards a 9"/12 bolt. It has a bad enough chance of breaking just driving it daily...if you go to the track it is only a matter of time. Ask me how I know?

 

then dont think you can race any kind of a fast car

im a 21 year old student too, but i get what i need for the car. if you want something enough, and sacrifice and save you can get it

 

as RyneZ06 has painfully told me over and over:

YOU GOTTA PAY TO PLAY

 

I understand wanting to work with what you have, but why make power then baby the car (basically going slower and wasting the power you have) just to save the rear? If you want it to last until you can afford a rear then I would suggest not racing it at all, skip the DR's all together, and start saving money.

I know it sucks, but I am in the same boat. If you think it is bad being a student try having a wife that doesnt work, two kids, and a large mortgage with high taxes. You arent the only one who is short on funds. I fully expect my 10 bolt to break next time at the track, and I am not making the kind of power you are.

 

i will sell you my 10 bolt if you want it.

 

hey evil you know my answer to it!!!

the budget 10 bolt build up!!! again yes 10 bolts are smaller and prone to breaking easier , however the budget build eliminates any deflection and twisting that causes the posi carrier to snap...

I know a few people running 10s and 11s on this set-up...

 

Do you guys thing im at risk of breaking my 10bolt running 12.6s in an a4. and when they break does the car become completley undrivable or good enough to get home?

 

and how do you afford what you need for the car? mommy and daddy? go to school part time?

I may be young but the fact that the answer here is

"that 10 bolt sucks buy a 12 nothing you do to it can make it stronger" is complete ignorance shows how old people are at heart.. like Ibanez said there is a budget build of a 10 bolt that includes welding in support brackets, Moser Axels, a New Posi unit, and a Girdle cover that has been proven to run 11's reliably.. sure a 10 bolt will break someday and so will a 12 and a 9"

 

Ignorance? Give me a break - it's experience. Go ahead, spend more than one day in this section and watch how many "my 10 bolt broke!" posts come up.

I don't suggest that people save for a better rearend to be an ******* - I do it because I HAVE BEEN THERE. I have been a college student racing the only car that I have. I have been there at the track every week waiting for that 10 bolt to grenade. I understand how they work. It's not rocket science to know that something small is not ever going to be stronger than a 12 bolt or 9 inch.

The thought of building up a 10 bolt is just as stupid as suggesting someone NOT save for a 12 bolt. Look at the things you listed, and take a minute to add them up.

Weldin support brackets - ~$80
Moser axles = ~$300
New posi = ~$500
Gridle = ~$150

So, you're up to $1030, and that's if you can install the parts yourself. If you had to pay someone to weld in the brackets or put in a posi, that's at least $150 right there. And heck, while you're in there, you're probably going to put a gear in it, for an additional $200.

Now, you've spent about $1300 on your rear end, great. You've put $1300 into a small, weak rearend and you have guaranteed nothing because you will ALWAYS be limited in size when it comes to a 10 bolt. It's one thing after another. Maybe you don't do all of that stuff at once. Maybe you just start with axles. Ok, then the posi breaks. So you put in a new posi. Errr, then you sheer the teeth off of your pinion, so you have to replace the gears now too...why would you choose to nickel and dime yourself to death when you can drop $2200 on a good rear end and call it a day?

Nobody wants to spend money on a rear end. Who can blame them? A 12 bolt or 9 inch doesn't make you go faster. It doesn't make you shift better, it doesn't help your car look pretty. It's a silent partner in a serious race car. I raced the hell out of my '00 Z28 M6. I put about 250 passes on it leaving around 5k rpm's. The day I put mickey thompson e/ts on it, it blew the **** up. But, I had been putting money away for that day, because it was inevitable. I bought a 12 bolt and that was it. Go launch as hard as you want. Run whatever tires you please, the chances that it will break vs. a 10 bolt are slim.

There are 10 bolts that will last longer than others. I feel like mine was a good example of that. Then there are the ones that come undone going around a turn. The ones that break on the line on your very first pass with street tires. Having an A4 gives you a better shot at keeping it long term because it doesn't shock the rear as much. But there is no substitute for being educated and having a back up plan for when it blows up.

Don't suggest that people are ******** just because they are being realistic. Would you rather everyone lie you and act like the 10 bolt is not the car's biggest downfall? Or would you rather be informed on something that has a pretty damn good chance of happening? Should I tell you that wasting money on X and X will make it last forever? Trust me, if there was some magical fix, people would not buy 12 bolts and 9 inches like they do.

 

If you think that it ELIMINATES any deflection you are wrong. The axle tubes themselves all the way to the end will deflect. The pinion in the housing will deflect, the carrier will deflect in the housing. Adding a couple of braces will not eliminate all that.
Also, that is not always what causes the carrier to snap, I would guess it isnt even the leading cause, but there is no way to know for sure. The fact is these cars are somewhat heavy depending on how they are optioned, the rear is small, the engines make power- all that is missing is traction. Regardless of deflection every piece is going to have a torque limit. You could put these gears or cases into a solid chunk of steel and they are still going to be relatively weak.
The budget build will strengthen it up, but in the end it is not worth it unless you are borderline living with the 10 bolt. 400whp is well on the other side of that border with traction.

 

I have a friend here in town who I have helped with his car on occasion. He's making about 420 to the rear wheels. He has been running drag radials for a few track outings now. We put a girdle on the rear axle after about 2 of those outings.

He's out to dinner with his girlfriend one day, gets in the car, puts it in reverse, eases out the clutch.....BOOM.

The pinion crush sleeve had some play in it, the pinion pulled back into the case, jammed the torsen and a bit of power shattered the entire torsen case. It looked like it had been hit with a very large hammer. He wasn't even racing at the time and the rear end seemed fine. It wasn't making strange noises, etc (none that he heard over the exhaust at least). He blew it up backing out of a parking spot.

At one time I had a 1989 Formula, 305, TBI, open rear diff. This is not a car that should stress a 10 bolt. I had an automatic with a shift kit in it. Eventually, I kicked a couple teeth off of the ring gear. I actually broke teeth off of a ring gear with an automatic 305 that made about 200 hp (and that's being generous). The shift kit shifted hard, it would chirp the 3/4 shift at about 100 mph at WOT. I'm sure that was the root of the problem, but I surely didn't break it with sheer HP.

You can beef up the housing all you want, I broke the actual gears with a 200 hp automatic. Try to do that to a 9".

You might get lucky, you might not. If you intend to race this thing, I'd consider buying a spare used rear end....just in case.

Besides, if you're a poor college student, how did you build a 400 hp car?

Good luck.

 

> 10 bolt w/ 4.10's
> 6 speed
> 410 rwhp
> Nitto drag radials

Best 60' = 1.84

Not broke