I have owned a 2004 Chevrolet Colorado 3.5 I-5 with an AR5 in it for almost 17 years, have driven it 100k miles, I do like the truck, but why anyone would go through the effort to swap that transmission into a performance car is beyond me. It has a 220hp, 6300 rpm capable engine in front of it and its a ZQ8 (lowered, 2wd) so you can really rip on it. Hasn't broken but that's not really selling me as a performance transmission. The gear ratios are too low in 1st for a V8 car unless you have a super tall gear. 3.74/2.26/1.31/1/.73. My truck has a 3.42 rear end and similar size tires and the 5cyl will spin without doing anything crazy with the clutch, even with 245/45-17's (I now went back to the stock 235/50-17).
Yes, you can shift it at 6200 rpm, I have done it many times, but only really fast from 1-2, and you can get good rubber with the I5 even. 3rd gear syncro isn't that good so it will grind sometimes and the shifter is kinda clunky. Shifting 3-4 is clunky, sounds like a box of rocks with the clutch out at idle, even though it uses gear oil and not ATF. The clutch action on the truck is great but its only a 9.5" hydraulic clutch.
If you're going to spend time fabbing, going to hydraulic clutch, I would still tell you to save up for a TKX or T56 Magnum. The T56 magnum in my Duster is an absolute joy compared to the AR5 or an A-833 for that matter.
