how much power can the stock t-5 take

I had a Procharged 95 GT making 400+ to the wheels. That T-5 was great!! I ran that thing down the track about 50 times or more. And it took a pounding on the street...no problems.

I agree that it has a lot to do with the style of driving. I've blown up two or three of them powershifting into second & third gears with a stock engine. If you're nice to it, it might be nice to you, or it could let go at any time. I'd personally start saving for the Tremec if that's the route you're thinking you should go. You're easily into T5 breaking territory with your mods if you drive hard on it.

it's all about the torque you're putting through it. If you baby it and be nice.. might stand up to your combo just fine... If you put slicks on out back and powershift the crap outa every stretch of 1320 you can find, prolly won't last a week. Theres a lot of variables that have to be factored into an answer to "How much power can my transmission take?" You could make a 500hp motor work with a t-5 if you were careful about your driving style, tire selection and shifting strategy, or you could throw a bunch of weight in the trunk, hook up a pair of slicks, rev it to 6k, sidestep the clutch and grenade the whole thing... Keep in mind your vehicles weight has a lot to do with transmission life too... 200hp and a screwdriver might work for a skateboard if you design it right... 3000 pounds later, and your screwdriver transmission might have a problem...

Clutch plays a role, as well as wear and tear on it. I have a mid 12 second car that gets powershifted and abused every track pass. My stock 100,000+ mile T5 is holding up fine, but I have gone through 2 FMS clutches. Both started to slip on me as a result of the abuse.

Some blow them up with bone stockers, some guys run 11s all day long with them!

I've always heard that they can handly around 300rwhp, but it all depends on how you treat it!