rear end decisions

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

It is about the intended use of the vehicle.. A nice 9 inch with a price tag of 3200 for a complete unit. like mine is going to handle more abuse that a built 12 bolt, and when the 12 bolt breaks ( pinion area is week ) you are going to be into the build for more than you would have up front with a 9 inch. 10 bolt i not a tough unit by any means and the do break. Now this is the performance section so take that for what it is. We are not taking it easy on the stuff in this section. high stall sticky tires NOS , turbos blowers etc. That type of use will show the weak link in a hurry. For a guy wanting a double duty the 9 inch lends itself there as its easy to swap entire center sections. So race season is a 4.13 gear and then you want a road trip easy swap the section out to a low dollar unit with 355 gears and cruise down the hwy. I opted for a 3.73 with .75 4th gear OD. I may look into a set of 4.10 gears.. Current is 70 MPH at 2450. A very happy middle of the road. Its all in how you look at it. Myself would not waste the money on the 12 bolt. As I have broke many and tough as they are they are not as strong as a 35 spline item that will handle 1000 HP + and never skip a beat. FB what do you have invested in that unit I would think at least 1500 closer to 1750 using retail plus the cost of the unit to start with as the early trucks had 8.2 ring and pinion . Look at what you will do with it then add 25% of the abuse factor and see where it lands