[Zoomad75]

Since it's not a true 454ss for 600 bucks you could build 9" ford axle and have 2-3 times the beef of a 8.5 or 9.5 corporate axle.

That being said, between the light weight lack of traction the 8.5 can survive. Guys building V8 S10's go hunting for the 8.5 because it was the biggest factory axle put in them. Yes the S10 is lighter, but some of these guys are running full tilt gen 3 6.0L's without a problem.

Hell, 93-02 F-bodies with LT1 and LS1's ran the cheesy 7.5" 10 bolt and they survived in stock form. The problem came in when guys added sticky drag radials or slicks and other traction devices to hook them up. I can say this, stock 454ss's didn't hook up that well out of the box and neither will this one. I did a lot of drag racing back in high school and had a couple of spoiled buddy's that their parents bought them 454ss's. Neither one hooked up well out of the hole. They both struggled to break into the 15 second zone at Bandimere speedway's 5800 feet altitude.

Axle survival matters just as much with how you drive it in addition too the type of axle it is.