What exactly are the weak links in the stock 10-bolt? If I upgraded the axles to 40 spline gun drilled units from moser ($500) and went with an Auburn posi, what else could break? Are the ring and pinion gears inherently weak in this size or can I have them treated as well to make them stronger. Many people jump to the 12 bolt or 9 inch on a car that run high 11's low 12's I am not sure if I need to drop $2K. I plan on running at the track once in awhile and the rest of the time will be street tires and street use only. I am shooting to have my car in the mid 11 second range.

 

The problem lies in the size of the ring gear itself....it's just not strong enough to stand up to the shock of a dead hook. What kind of transmission are you running? With luck and an automatic it should still last as long as you don't run straight slicks....with an M6 forget about it.

 

6 Speed

 

if you drive like a man the following things happen...
break axles
snap differentials in half
split the gears themselves
shave the gears of 17 teeth
snap another axle
buy another 10 bolt just to have it blow up again

 

Try these out:

http://www.ws6transam.org/10bolt.html

http://sethirdgen.org/10bolt1.htm

 

After spending lots of cash fixing my 10 bolt I decided to FINALLY cut my losses and buy a Strange 12 bolt. I broke teeth on the ring gear and then fixed it and broke teeth on the pinion gear. The first break was from nittos and just boltons...the second break (pinion teeth) was with boltons and 8lb supercharger + worn ET Streets that wouldn't hook to save my life. The latter had 0 track passes with about 13 or 14 street runs.

Joe

 

Don't upgrade the 10-bolt. It's not worth it. You will sink more money and time into it than if you would convert to the 12-bolt. The car will be worth more money with the 12-bolt also. A 10-bolt is a 10-bolt, whether beefed up or not.

 

Quick question for guys with 12 bolts, what size is the ring gear? If it's 7-5/8" in the 10 bolt diff, how big is it comparitively in the 12 bolt??

................another Q: could an 8.5" 10 bolt be used in 4th-gen F-bodies??? (like out of a 2nd-gen car?)

thx!

 

the 7.5" gearset is the real weakness in the 10 bolt. u can weld the axles tubes for a little extra strength. its cant hurt, good luck. with a 6 speed that rear is just a ticking time bomb though.

 

The GM 12 bolt uses an 8.875" ring gear...kinda puts things in perspective huh?...I guess you could use a 10 bolt with the 8.5" gear, but you'd need to fab the mounts and check width for correct fitment under the car, I'm thinking it would be easier just so hide money from the wife, er...eh save for the 12 bolt...which is what I'm doing now....shhhhhhhh

 

Cool..............thx for the info.