Driveshafts - Steel vs Aluminium vs Composite what is good for the street?

[1969CamaroRS]

So what are the advantages of the different materials on the street? Is a composite driveshaft overkill? Steel certainly seems like the best bang for the buck. Also sounds like Aluminium sometimes has some vibration issues (which a Composite seems to solve?)





Trying to figure out what material to use for my drive-shaft for my 4L60E automatic.

My application:
BBC 69 Camaro with about 600hp at the crank or 500 at the rear wheels. This is a street car, that will see occasional track use (90% street / 10% track), not a daily driver but more than just a weekend cruiser. Car is setup to handle not just go fast in a straight line. 3.73 Gears mini-tubbed with 335/35/17 rear Michellin Ps/2 tires, want to put slicks on it for when it does see the 1/4 track.

[jackfrost]

would also be nice to know what each one weighs... since I think that is the primary reason for upgrading from steel... ?

[1969CamaroRS]

/bump No one?

[Vegas69]

bueller

[CarlC]

There's some great info here:

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/sh...on+driveshafts

In short, due to the problems associsated with impact damage a CF driveshaft is not a good option for a street car. It would not be cool to have a rock from ACH get kicked up and wipe out the driveshaft.

[1969CamaroRS]

bueller

I don't think bumping a thread a single time qualifies as spam, especially after no answers for over a week.

There's some great info here:

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=51909

In short, due to the problems associsated with impact damage a CF driveshaft is not a good option for a street car. It would not be cool to have a rock from ACH get kicked up and wipe out the driveshaft.

Thanks Carl for the response. When I try to follow the thread you linked it says "invalid thread".

I had read somewhere that for Composites they typically coated them with a resin "pipe" that was resistant to impact damage. Makes me wonder if it would durable enough for the street, especially ACH.

What I particularly did like was the "brooming" of a composite that would save the underside of the car (and/or driver) in the event of a driveshaft failure. I guess you could always install a hoop. But the vibration damping, higher efficiency, lower weight and safety aspects were appealing to me.

[CarlC]

Link fixed.

Yes, there are many advantages, but one must weight the advantages vs. cost. A good CF driveshaft system will knock the heck out of $1,000. That's pretty steep.

A properly spec'ed and manufactured slip yoke, U-joint, weld yoke, tube, and pinion yoke driveshaft system made from either steel or aluminum is very reliable. Weight savings is the biggest reasons for going with aluminum, though the inertia savings is often negated by the use of of other driveline/brakes/wheels/rotational components that add significantly more rotational inertia than what is saved. From an aftermarket standpoint, steel is less costly and a good option for budget minded builds. I run a 3" steel shaft that has a critical speed far higher than the top speed of the car, and with a full-weight steel flywheel, any weight savings would have been negligible.

[Vegas69]

It was supposed to be funny and meaning my post was spam. Sorry dude

[newbie]

I was on the fence but i opted for the 3" aluminum from Inland empire for mine. It was only $20 bucks more. I't very light. I think your HP requires a beafier alloy which is more $

[1969CamaroRS]

It was supposed to be funny and meaning my post was spam. Sorry dude

Ah misunderstood, sorry.

[Vegas69]

Ed...I have a 3.5 inch aluminum from Inland and 100% happy with it.

[BMF Machine]

I have herd a decent size rock getting kicked up off the road has a pretty good chance at shattering the CF DriveshaftS.....I think I read that on a thread round here somewhere?

[parsonsj]

I talked to the tech people over at Mark Williams (as recommended by Tom Holt -- chicane67).

I'm using of their 4130 3" shafts. It's great workmanship, and recommended.

jp

[CarlC]

Another advantage to using a 3" shaft like jp is that there is more clearance in the tunnel. This is important on lowered 1st gens since there is little room around the pinion yoke when the car is lowered and the driveline angle corrected.

[MJ_Bone]

PST's 3.5" aluminum DS offers a good combination of performance, service life, and strength. It is a popular one for street and strip cars and would be a good choice for you, just be sure there is enough clearance in the tunnel.

3" Denny's Nitrous-ready shafts are very, very strong, and have a great reputation in the drag racing community and run smooth as on the street. They have a lifetime labor warranty....

I plan to get a Strange 3" chrome moly shaft for my 02 f-body. It's a great deal at $300! And it's also very strong. Might be a good choice for you as well...

I would stay away from CF for a street/strip car. Too expensive for me! And the stories of them breaking are out there. And wouldn't it have to be at least about 5" thick to withstand the kind of power you have? With sticky tires?

...I wonder if a late model f-body DS could be cobbled in there. It is an Inland Empire 3" aluminum, 42" long DS and is very light. It could be a decent short term solution if you needed one, but I wouldn't trust it with BBC torque.

[Vegas69]

My photo is at ride height....it's close but no contact. My car is pretty low. The front end has come down since the photog.

[1969CamaroRS]

Thanks for all the info and ideas all!

[SDMAN]

Just went thru this selection process last month. My projects frame/suspension is complete, and the T-56 was finally hung onto the mock up block and a rear mount was fabbed. Took the driveshaft measurement and called Mark Williams. Based on the length of the shaft, weight of the car, misc details (manual trans, dualk disc clutch, 4-link, 18" wide tires, etc) and power output, I ended up with a 4" diameter moly steel shaft and their best weld ends. They said it was a toss up between the moly steel shafts and their top drawer aluminum shafts, but did not recommend the CF. There are 2 places Im not a big fan of using aluminum parts. Valvetrains and drivetrains. So I went with the steel piece. Were using billet yokes/flanges and 1350 U-joints.

No matter which shaft material you end up with, you absolutely must make sure your use does not take the shaft past the rpm point where it starts to go elastic. Very bad things can/will eventually happen. If youre using an overdrive (or in my case a double overdrive) transmission, you have to figure your max driveshaft rpm based on the trans being in full OD.

[1969CamaroRS]

After all the comments and research, decided to go with a Mark Williams 3" Chromoly driveshaft.

Was a toss up between the 3" Chromoly and their 3.5" Duralcan MMC
shaft but after talking with Travis at Mark Williams decided a Chromoly was probably best for my application (more durable for a street car and a bit easier to fit 3" exhaust past the small driveshaft).

Thanks again all for the comments and suggestions.

[CarlC]

You will like the MW part. They are the best in the business.