400hp I'd go with a built 60e. I'm at 700whp and I finally caved and went 80e after going through several built 60e's. At that point, so many parts are being replaced and so many modifications are being made to the trans that IMO the complication of the build makes for a lot of room for error. an 80e will take much fewer parts replaced and a much more basic build to handle the same power.
I'm sure there are 60e's out there that could handle my setup but it wasn't worth going through any more to find one. I wonder if on a drag car that sees consistent 1-2-3 passes with relatively consistent traction the 60e would hold up better, but on a street car seeing hard downshifts, heavy spinning then sudden traction etc...I was breaking them in no time with the violent torque delivery of the PD blower.
If you plan to add forced induction down the line, I would save yourself the trouble and go 80e now. If 400hp is all you'll ever want, I think you'd be fine with a built 60e. There are a couple of benefits to a 60e for a 400hp car. The steeper 1st gear gets you off the line harder (it becomes detrimental with more HP, but at 400hp IMO it's still beneficial). The .70 OD will get you about 150-200rpm's lower on the highway, it's a little lighter and probably has a little less parasitic loss although that last part I think is way over exaggerated by some people.
I'm sure there are 60e's out there that could handle my setup but it wasn't worth going through any more to find one. I wonder if on a drag car that sees consistent 1-2-3 passes with relatively consistent traction the 60e would hold up better, but on a street car seeing hard downshifts, heavy spinning then sudden traction etc...I was breaking them in no time with the violent torque delivery of the PD blower.
If you plan to add forced induction down the line, I would save yourself the trouble and go 80e now. If 400hp is all you'll ever want, I think you'd be fine with a built 60e. There are a couple of benefits to a 60e for a 400hp car. The steeper 1st gear gets you off the line harder (it becomes detrimental with more HP, but at 400hp IMO it's still beneficial). The .70 OD will get you about 150-200rpm's lower on the highway, it's a little lighter and probably has a little less parasitic loss although that last part I think is way over exaggerated by some people.
