Factory 9" Housing Question

[LM7_67]

When talking about factory, stamped 9" Ford housings, is the additional strength of the truck version (3.25" axle tubes, webbed/gusseted center section) worth the additional weight over the car version (3.0" axle tubes, butt-welded center)? Car is used mostly for autocross, road course, and street driving. Making about 330hp to the wheels now, and it'll probably never see more than ~500hp to the wheels. TIA!

[67zo6Camaro]

Just my opinion here. The standard 9" is plenty strong for what we use them for (autocross). If you were drag racing then I would consider the additional strength because of the hard launching with sticky tires. One of the main benefits for lowered autocross cars is the extra drive shaft clearance due to the 9" having a 1.5" lower pinion exit point.

I currently use a 9" with aluminum carrier from Strange. Car is around 3,000 lbs with 450 hp. running... well you know .... as sticky as a tire I can find.

Brett

[Josh]

I don't think anybody is going to break any 9" housing during autocross.

[Bryce]

I do not think it is worth the additional weight. I went with a regular .188" wall 3" tube stamped 9" housing from currie. I decided against the .25" wall fabricated housing due to the extra weight.

If yout track width was extra wide and your links were extra narrow that may require a stiffer housing, but adding a back brace would be a stiffer lighter solution.

Look into V8 super car series for tube truss rear end design, they obviously think they are flexing a normal style axle housing.