what exactly is the benifit? are they that much lighter? are they that much stronger? how does one be lighter and stronger at the same time? does this translate into more horsepower? please explain this to me

 

Carbon Fiber?

Its stronger and lighter than the stock shaft. However, if its not smaller in radius than the stocker by the right amount, its not going to free up any HP, if its too big its going to cost a few. There are two components to rotational inertia, mass and radius and you need to reduce the whole quantity to get HP back.

But the CF will probably outlast your car, especially when you put in a high power engine.

 

As usual , Vader had a good answer. To add , when and if you break a CF shaft , it wont be as damaging on the underside or interior as a metal shaft because of how it comes apart .

So, lighter means faster revving and more rwhp , stronger means more reliability and versatility, and safer means better for car/you IF it broke. But they are relatively expensive and do tend to have a very slight "windup" effect at times.

Hope that helps.

 

Depends on what your definition of high performance is. I actually have replaced my aluminum halfshafts with steel units. They are heavier, but also have a smaller diameter than the aluminum counterparts I took out. I put them in as pre-emptive insurance before I ever snapped an aluminum one and had it take out my suspension and ABS.

 

carbon fiber huh? sounds like all pluses to me. where might i purchase a carbon fiber unit? about how much hp can you free up? or does it depend on how much you are running already like a percentage thing?

 

You will notice NO appreciable difference with your set up. You already have an aluminum shaft. The only difference you'll notice is the hole in your wallet. You would be better advised to spend your money where it will have greater effects. Under the hood, converter, gears, tires, etc.

RACE ON!!!

 

oh no doubt i dont need one now. god knows im mostly stock but i am just trying to learn about them for future needs when i put my stroker in! i already have an aluminum driveshaft? all late model C4s have aluminum driveshafts from teh factory? would carbon fiber be the best choice to upgrade to when the time comes? how much power wouldthat free up?

 

Pretty sure my 92 has a aluminum Drive Shaft :yesnod:

 

All C4s have an alumium driveshaft. Some early 1990 ZR1s came with steel halfshafts, but quickly went back to aluminum. All other C4s besides those early 90 Z's got aluminum halfshafts.

 

NONE ! It is an inertial thing. Like a lighter flywheel. You have a loooog way to go before an alternate driveline is in your future. Well beyond the 383. Worry about a driveline loop, first.

Other than the noted exceptions (which *I* was unaware of) all C4s came with aluminum drive and halfshafts. Early AND late.

RACE ON!!!

 

driveline loop? please explain

 

It's just a safety loop to keep a broken driveshaft contained. Unless you enjoy pole vaulting! :lol:

 

Ahhh.... but the c-beam will already contain it. :cheers:

 

I just told you, it depends on the actual mass and radius measurement of the shaft.

It must be lighter and smaller to really get anything, and even at that point, you would likely NEVER see the return on a dyno behind a street engine.

The benefit is that it lasts forever, not HP.

 

Maybe, but NHRA mandates one on cars running quicker than 13.00. Or 13.99 on slicks.

RACE ON!!!

 

The driveline loop is no laughing matter. I ran my car for the first time a few weeks ago and when I put the car on a lift the next day to check it, the front ujoint on the driveshaft was snapped in two. I'm not sure when it snapped, but I will say I'm very forturnate no one was injured.

 

I didn't say that they or IHRA didn't.

 

Guys.

Thought i would share this with you all. Dad as some of you know is preparing for a 555 CI motor to be dropped in the chevelle. This should make around 750hp with current merlin Heads (not real good heads in comparison to the AFRs and Brodix 410CFM+) With those heads 950hp could easily be seen.

How this relates here: We were questioning Rossler with regards to what driveshaft should be employed to stand up to worst case scenerio of 950hp...Dad has an aluminum driveshaft that is smaller in diameter than our 1/2 shafts and 3x as long. He said that will NEVER fail, you would not believe the abuse that a driveshaft that size will take.

So with that information from a guy that cranks off 5-6sec 1/4 miles and builds one tough azz tranny, I came out feeling a sense of relieve with our 1/2 shafts, which are beefier, and much shorter.

Also Jeb has seen low 1.3 60' on his, this all makes me feel that these babies are ALOT tougher than we give credit to.

I think the reason that people have problems with these in much lesser Hp cars, is they either have a ding or dent in one, which greatly reduces the strenght, or their rear differentials are not working properly and all power is being transfered through the one 1/2 shaft.

Food for thought. :cheers:

 

After watching Vic'89 twist both of his into pretzels at E-Town with his bolt-on L98 and seeing SloRVett rip one of his apart with his 383 on the street during a 1-2 shift I came out feeling a strong sense of distrust with our 1/2 shafts.

You went from talking about driveshafts in 1 sentence to halfshafts 2 sentences later. Our halfshafts take more abuse than the driveshaft does.

 

:steering: