I was talking to some friends and they told me that if i start to do heads,cam or supercharger to my 05 the rear end will blow. They told me i had to upgrade to an 08 rear. Any truth to there comments??

 

from what i know it's more prone to happen with manual trans cars
auto's seem to hold up much better
the one big culrpit is wheel hop
it's in regards to the casings design that has the ability to split/crack/grenade ( or your choice of words)
if anything i just consider it the "weak link" if you will on an 05
you can search the forums here and get more info as well as see what power levels people have had issues with


i do know some people that have an 05 with some nice power and manual trans and have no problems, and race repeatedly

if i'm not mistaken, there isn't anything that is a simple plug and play replacement, meaning easy swap out with some grinding/brackets/etc, but i am NOT 100% sure about it

 

I run a c5 z06 stock rear in mine. It has been holding up to 1.40-1.42 60's

 

Just like GM. Add 50 hp to their car and save $10.00 by using a thin wall differential case. Yes, the cases are crap. GM actually realized this right before the 05's hit the market. Their idea of a fix was called "Torque Management". This was a last minute software fix that reduced the fuel and iginition maps to kill horsepower on manual cars in 1st and 2nd gear. Not sure if the automatic cars had TM or not?
Anyway, as the pinion gear attempts to turn the ring gear, it also tries to push it to the outside. The case will not withstand this, especially if the car is also wheel hopping. I've seen 2005 cars that looked like a bomb exploded the differential, and in worse case senerios, the differential can also pull the tranny output shaft with it. GM fixed this issue by installing a better design differential beginning in model year 2006, however, even these can fail.
All this being said..........
My 2005 ProCharged MN6 car has 550 rwhp, and I have never had a differential failure. I'm still using the stock clutch, too. BUT, I don't beat the crap out of the car like some guys tend to do. I never do burn outs, the car has never been tracked. I do "defend the brand" on the interstate with blasts from 70 up to the 180's, and this puts less stress on the drivetrain.
I have recwently purchased an 09 Z06 tranny and I'm looking for a matching differential. I plan on upgrading the drivetrain soon, so I can have a little low speed fun myself. If you look around, you can upgrade to a Z06 tranny and differential cheaper than replacing a grenaded diff and tranny!

 

low rolls are a bad idea I just cracked mine

 

Go with a c5z diff but you will still have to worry about it failing. Call zip-corvette and they will set you up. I bought a 2007 diff and sent it to them to build. They set me up with a built 07 diff and transmission tailshaft housing. All plug and play. I originally bought a c5z diff but then decided to sell it and do it do I'd never have to worry about blowing the rear diff again. Where are you located? Pm me I may be able to help you out.

 

Zip Corvette C6 Differentials

The 05 rear ends have proven to be a weak point. This is more evident in the 6spd cars vs. the Autos.

We offer the 06 and up diffs as an upgrade, in a variety of ratios.
You would need to change the rear transmission case extension, which is best done with the transmission out of the car.
If you are planning on making big power it is better to replace the rear in advance. If you wait until it pops, you will most likely need to rebuild/replace the transmission as well.

If you have any questions feel free to give me a call at 1-800-962-9632 ext 240.
Tom @ Zip

 

i race mine every weekend for the past 2 years and it has not broke. knock on wood. i run 275-40-17 hoosier dr's and i think that is what helps save it. softer sidewall and no wheel hop at all. i do digs, low rolls or anytrhing lol at the track i just don't lanuch it to hard. i stay around the 1.9 60's. bolt ons, cam and 150 shot.