Aluminum Driveshaft
#21
That is one of the bad things about either aluminum or steel driveshafts as hustler stated... They do have the capability to punch through the floorpan and hit/impale the occupants in the case of a shear as seen in the photos above. However, when a carbon fiber one breaks/shears like that one it just becomes harmless fibers that cause no additional damage. In saying that, should you buy a carbon fiber one for this safety reason? HELL NO! Will you be putting enough torque on your driveshaft to shear it in normal racing conditions? HELL NO! So I would not worry about this unless you expect either your transmission or rear end to complete lock up while at high speed. But I would just replace the U-joints since they are servicable on your driveshaft.... Just my $0.02.
#27
Indeed. However, there are a lot of budget builders who take their cars out to the track and fully overlook this and the results can be devastating... Well at least I've seen three at a local drag strip break their driveshafts and have them punch through the floorpan. Not pretty... All were un-injured though.
#30
From what I gather so far, the Al replacement is around 7-8lbs and OEM steel replacement is about 11-12lbs. I'm still taking in more opinions and time before I settle on a replacement. So far, I'm leaning towards the steel replacement or finding a used OEM shaft. IMO, MOI for the weight difference on such a small radius wouldn't provide much in performance gains.
#37
Research edit: MYTH BUSTED!
Mythbuster apparently tried this... Link to results: http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb...nt/view/52/27/
Cliffnotes: The car would jump up off the ground slightly but never flip. All adding speed accomplished was to shove the driveshaft further into the trunk... MYTH BUSTED!
Mythbuster apparently tried this... Link to results: http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb...nt/view/52/27/
Cliffnotes: The car would jump up off the ground slightly but never flip. All adding speed accomplished was to shove the driveshaft further into the trunk... MYTH BUSTED!
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