I just debated this issue myself...9" or 12 bolt and I went with a Strange 12 bolt for the following reasons:

> it comes fully assembled and supposedly tested for wear pattern and noise
> it comes with a conversion U joint
> it uses a stock style bolt thru TA mount
> 3 channel ABS
> they use beautiful custom aluminum backing plates for calipers which they include if you get the ABS option
> a heavy duty Eaton limited slip with 800lb springs and extra clutches is standard. Much nicer than the standard 400 lb springs

Downside?....It took 8 weeks to get

I just saw the rear in its crate today and it looks great, too...Just my .02

--Alan

 

I lean towards SABLT194's experience. Seems like guys who are racing their 12bolts/M6s are blowing them up. Not just once, but several times. Gears, Posi, and spider gears. I cut some 1.8s in the stock rear/drag radials, but I was slipping the clutch (StreetTwin). Guess what is at Mcleod getting rebuilt for the second time right now . My point is that you can save your 12bolt my modulating the clutch application (like mentioned) and make the 12bolt last forever.

Rich and Fred: About how many passes did you guys launch on sticky tires/M6? 60's? Did you dump the clutch (side step pedal) or "let it out" fast? Launch technique surely has a large role in this.

Also, one comment about George Baxter's 12bolt that maybe Fred can answer? I read in a GMHTP magazine a few years ago that he "blew" the posi in his rear (strange 12bolt). Is this true?

Let's look at a couple of the guys going fast on 6spds. Tim Herrington (95bird), Mindgame, and Taner. All three guys are using a 9". If you wanna go fast and launch hard with a 6spd buy a 9". There's really no way around it, IMO.

Ryan

 

This feature of the Strange setup should not be under estimated. The thru bolt arangement is far superior to the drilled and tapped holes found in Moser/KTRE housings. IMO, The Strange 12 bolt is the best 12 bolt hands down, It's lighter and the torque arm mount push it ahead of the others. The extra weight of the others is not needed. The lighter Strange axle tubes work just dandy.

The only down side to the Strange housing. If your bracket racing week in and week out with a stick car, the casting section on the top where the TA mounts is a bit thin (probabably less than 3/8") and can yield down over time causing a loose Torque arm connection. I had to straighten mine and tie the top section, the middle section and the bottom section together to correct this problem. Most people wouldn't have any of these issues. My car must be wierd, Slow but still busts stuff up.

 

I will have to agree.... I'm more the "weekend" racer, and the Strange probably had less than 20 track passes on it with the T56 (I was just too inept with it). I did sidestep the clutch (and cringe every time I heard the "bang" in the drivetrain). It was a daily driver for 2 years, though, and had a bit of abuse on the street, where the normal tires were 315/35 drag radials. But no clutch dumps on the street

I'm very familiar with George's experience. He didn't "blow" the Strange.... he burned out the clutches in the standard posi at about the 750HP level, running the T56 in the 4,000# car. When he bought the Strange, he didn't even realize it came with the weaker 9-disc pack "standard" and required the "super strength" option to get the 14-disc HD unit. After he upgraded to the HD posi, he had no problems up to the 1,000HP level. His car had a lot more passes than mine, but was still not much more than a "weekend" racer application. He also was a bit gentler on the tranny that most of us, which explains why he had to go to the TH400 (after cremating two Art Carr 700R4's) to get the car down to 9.05-seconds.

I agree that the 9-inch (with several upgrades - not the "standard" configuration) will be a better choice for the hard-core racer. You can get the weight down with a spool, aluminum center-section, gun-drilled axles. I have also seen some new surface treatments on the gear faces that produce significant reductions in frictional losses. But when you do all that, you're not talking about a $2,500 setup any more.