The bad rep on the T5 is because there are many iterations of it. The early ones were very weak. Over the years, Tremec improved them. The best one in a production car is the "World Class" T5 and it's pretty good. It came out on the later Mustangs and is rated at 305 lbft. The very best one is available only from Ford Motorsports as an aftermarket piece is the "Superduty" T5Z. It is the strongest (330 lbft) and has a 2.95 first gear vs a 3.35 on all the others. It also is the only one that comes from Ford with a sweet short throw shift. I have it and it is NICE!
Check out this site.
http://www.jason.fletcher.net/tech/t...nsmissions.htm
I don't know why he calls the T5s Borg Warner, but all the numbers are right. You can see the wide range of torque ratings, . . . Thus the poor reputation if someone used one of the weak ones from the early releases. But, the T5Z is rated at 330 lbf and is a good unit!!!!
If you want an indestructable T5 that is stronger than ANY factory transmission, check out this:
http://www.g-forcetransmissions.com/tran_gt-5.asp
"Although we do not like to put torque or horsepower ratings on our products due to the vast differences in clutch, engine, chassis, tire, and mounting combinations, we can give a very rough estimate. There are simply too many variables to consider when trying to figure out how much power or torque a transmission will take in a particular application. Generally, it can be assumed that with the available upgraded mainshaft, the G-Force T-5 kit will handle roughly 600 hp or 500 ft-lb. or torque in a 3300 lb. vehicle running drag radials at the track with a moderate clutch upgrade."
Ed