3B tranny same as MC-2 tranny?

[George Selby]

At 08:51 PM 3/5/03, you wrote:
>I don't want to be a pain in the ass...but I have to point out that having
>500hp won't break the transmission. Horsepower won't break anything...Torque
>will.
>476hp @ 10,000 RPM is only 250ft/lbs of torque.
>380hp @ 2000 RPM on the other hand, wile being nearly 100hp less, is 1000
>ft/lbs of torque.
>Which will break the tranny? Not the high horsepower motor....
>Just keep this in mind, it really irritates me when people quote HP when
>talking about tranny and drive train failures.

Actually, either one can destroy a transmission.  It's the mode of failure
that tells how it happened.  If you shift, drop the clutch and hear a loud
thud, and then your tranny is broke, that is more than likely a torque
related failure.  OTOH, if you are constantly winding out the engine to top
RPM's and one day as you wind out the engine the engine just keeps on going
and your car doesn't (as if there were no tranny there at all) you have
either lost your clutch (but we are not talking about clutch failures here)
or have stripped/worn the teeth off the gears.  That's a horsepower failure.

So basically excessive torque breaks things, and excessive horsepower wears
things out abnormally quickly.


George Selby
gselby4x4 at earthlink.net