My experience with 7.5" Ford differentials is like yours: I had one,
wished it was 8.8", and had no difficulties with it, but was
apprehensive about its durability, which seemed to be questionable based
on I-net readings.

My belief is that a properly-installed set of 3.73 gears will not
influence the expected life of a 7.5 differential under the conditions
you mention, which are very similar to those I applied during a
kind-of-abusive
three-year "sporting-use" of my V6 auto-equipped car.


--
Frank ess


"twk" > wrote in message
...
> I'm getting tired of looking for a reasonable 8.8" axle and finding
> $1000 deals on what appear to be unknown crap. For $1400 I can get a
> brand spankin new one.
>
> I'm reading that the 7.5 is good up to 400 hp. Well, that does seem
> like
> a lot of horse power, something my v6 will never put out.
>
> I'm looking for 3.73 gears and I'm willing to put in an 8.8" axle. I'm
> always being told that I'm likely to break my 7.5" if I put in 3.73
> gears.
>
> So after that blurb, assuming I put in 3.73 gears, my question is,
> what
> breaks on the 7.5" axle? The gears? The axle shafts? The pumpkin? What
> is the weak link?
>
> I've found nothing on the web on this. All I see is a lot of "I've see
> a
> ton of 7.5's broken..." and such. Lot's of talk, no examples.
>
> I have a 2009 v6 vert, auto trans, GT exhaust take-offs, cold air
> intake, and an SCT tune. That's probably the end of power train mods
> for
> me. If I wish real hard I might be getting 240 hp. Will I break mine
> if
> I stomp on it now and then with 3.73's?
>
> Thanks for reading.
>
> --
> For all you know this message was...
> Sent via an exclusive network, on a snobby portable computing device.