how long do t-5's last?

i got 154k on my stock t-5. how long do these tranny's usually last on a stock car? i am not having any problems with it just wondering. when it does break can these be rebuilt cheaply or is it better to buy a new one? thanks for the info.
 
If driven normally and not abused you can see 250,000 or more miles of service. Some guys can break one in a couple days. Some can run them hard for years. I have probably 150-200 full on strip passes on mine with probably 10 times that abuse on the streets. Mine is holding up A-OK.

They have a somewhat undeserved reputation of being sub-standard. With proper care and feeding, and not out right beating, it'll last a LONG time.

Driver use/abuse determines ultimate service life.
 
I'm the T-5 KillAH!!!!

I've got 4 under my belt within a year..



all done through a pro5.0 and a KC clutch... its not from missed shifts.. I may have missed a total of 3 shifts in every race I've ever done.. they just dont like abuse..


I've killed one within 700 miles .. though these transmissions were on a car with over 300rwhp sticky clutch and drag radials/slicks

they just dont like to be shifted HARD.. you can powershift it and run it hard for a while.. but if you REAALLY shift the thing dont expect much out of it..


the T-56 in my T/A held up to me... ;-)
 
Mine lasted 120,000 miles with the fluid never ever changed and neither was the clutch. I updated mine to Z specs as well as putting in a full repair kit and expect it to last at least another 120,000 with synthectic fluid this time. It is not abused and I dont have much more than stock power.
 
Just rolled up on 176K on my T-5. Third gear is getting a little notchy. Not sure if its the cold weather affecting it or if somethings gonna give. I dont bang the gears often...maybe once a month just to make sure she still has some poop.
 
its like the cars themselves.. some take the beatings and love it .. some just fall apart.. i had a stock t5 out of a 92 lx jthat held up for 4 years of 450 wheel power beating it all the time.. then i have had a t5 go apart in a 95 cobra i had... so its a toss up...
 
tjm73 said:
If driven normally and not abused you can see 250,000 or more miles of service.

They have a somewhat undeserved reputation of being sub-standard. With proper care and feeding, and not out right beating, it'll last a LONG time.

Driver use/abuse determines ultimate service life.

I agree. When I had my '89 GT it had a 180,000+ miles T5 in it and it was still in great shape. Some people have lifted the front wheels with a T5 behind the engine and others have popped them in traffic.

I still chose a Toploader for my '68 due to the ~600ft/lb capacity :D.
 
is $2k for the tko and other parts needed worth it. is it realy a better trans i have a 88gt parked that needs a trans and im realy thinking about spending the money to get the tko i have the belhousing now so thats $300 already spent. this will not bee a daily driver and i may add a low end supercharger kit,heads intake tb etc.
should i step up to a tko or buy a new t-5 i will have to buy a trans ether way
 
Definitly depends on driver and what its been through in its life. My friend made a few 610rwhp dyno passes on his STOCK t-5 with Spec 3 clutch, stock rear just Downs rear girdle, Slicks, and stock block except for a main girdle. and since then he detuned it to 515 rwhp for street use and has a few thousand miles on the t-5 and shifts with no problems. I think it all depends on the driver, if ur gonna start bangin gears with big horsepower the trans isnt going to last a long time. I have a picture of Joe's (Blown silver/black stang) 3rd gear from his old t-5 when he powershifted it when he was pushing 375 rwhp. Its pretty nice its missing 2 complete teeth on the top gear and little chips on every tooth on the lower gear haha
 
205,000 miles on mine. Swapped to 351w about 10k mi ago. The last 5,500 miles have been on a fairly healthy 408w. It is just now getting tempermental with 2nd gear. I rarely miss shifts, only 2-3 in the last few years. But when I miss, it is glorious!

My advice would be to start looking for a cheap one now. Have a replacement sitting in the garage when the current t5 pukes. They are not that bad to change out, if you have the parts. It's finding the parts quick enough to get to work the next day that can be tricky.
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