I ran my T45 with the Vortech at 500+ rwhp for quite a while, took it to the track a couple times and ran low 11's with a 1.5x 60 ft on ET Streets. 3rd gear was pretty noisey when i pulled it out. If you power shift it or miss an aggressive shift chances are you will damage the shift forks and have to repair it. I temporarily put a used T45 back in my car this fall so i could dyno/drive my car a bit, i have put maybe 500 miles on it. Torque is the real killer, i have a single turbo and it makes about 560 rwtq right now and this trans is already making a lot of noise. It sounds like a KB blower when its moving. I am replacing it over there winter with an automatic. My suggestion would be to start saving for a better trans and take it easy on the T45.

 

Early cobras (1996 - 305HP/300ft-lb) were able to break their t45s with hard but not abusive driving. Ford ended up fixing a number of trans under warranty (happened to 2 people I know). The weak link is the synchros and shift forks (first the synchros go, then because of the difficult shifting, people end up bending or breaking the forks).

I think some improvements were made in later years, but I would not expect a t45 to last long behind more than 300-350 lb-ft. Obviously, how long it will last is highly dependent on how you drive.

 

it all depends... my trans lasted ok but it did bite the big one with about 340rwhp.. it all depends on how you drive it, but id start looking into a new trans

 

I'm pushing a lot of power through mine in my 96. I'm not sure how much but I am sure it's over 500. I've barely driven it though because I'm still tuning.

I don't expect it to last long even granny shifting. I've got a wotbox but I wouldn't dare doing a WOT shift with it.

Send me a PM if you want to know my experiences with my On3 setup so far.

 

They are hit and miss.

Generally, after about 400rwhp, and 400-450 rwtq they start having some issues if beat on hard.

I like T45's. I would use them in every build if there was a readily available, affordable scatter shield for them.

Nothing shifts like a T45. And no other tranny is easier to powershift. 7k RPM clutch dumps on slicks for the win.

 

the main thing i hate about the t-45 is the internally bolted bellhousing, it would be so much easier if you could unbolt the trans and bellhousing when doing a clutch swap

 

ive had my stock t-45 behind my termi swap for abt 10k and its still doing ok i was around 475whp when i pulled the engine and trans for the new build, im debating on ordering a 26 spline from promotion for it , its 460 plus shipping do you guys think its worth it?

 

460 for a 26 spline input shaft? Prices must have gone way up. I'm almost sure I paid $110 two years ago. It might have been liberty instead of promotion.

Update: Wow I did some price checks and they've either gone way up or I got a deal. I'd probably spend the money for that upgrade if you're pushing 400+ rwhp.

I did find it for cheaper though from a reputable companies:
http://www.lethalperformance.com/03-04-svt-cobra-transmission-26-spline-input-shafts-c-16_286_287

http://dagostinoracing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9494&currency=USD

 

T45's can take abuse as long as you dont drive like an idiot. My t45 in my 96 cobra held up to more than 20 passes with et streets dumping the clutch from 7200 rpm and never had an issue but i dont powershift it.

If you try hard enough you can break any trans no matter how strong it is.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but I am assuming the more traction you have the shorter the life span of the transmission will be.
I have sen quite a few high hp cars (vobras to be specific) in Turkiye that have the t-45 but since they use normal street tires, don't race on a drag strip and shift normally their transmissions don't endure the stress of a 7k rpm launch with drag radials on a sticky tarmac.
Again correct me if I am wrong.

 

You're absolutely right.

Launching with traction is going to expose the wink links in your system.