Aluminum Drive Shaft?
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Racer
Joined: May 2008
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From: Hamilton Mass
Aluminum Drive Shaft?
Is anyone using an aftermarket aluminum drive shaft?
A lot of the Hellcat boys are seeing significant 0-60 and 1/4 mile improvements over the factory steel DS.
To be honest, I'm not even sure if the C7 Corvette already comes with an aluminum DS ??
Thank you !
A lot of the Hellcat boys are seeing significant 0-60 and 1/4 mile improvements over the factory steel DS.
To be honest, I'm not even sure if the C7 Corvette already comes with an aluminum DS ??
Thank you !
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Team Owner
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From: cookeville tennessee
the c5 & c6 & c7 all are Aluminum. The stock c5 & c6 is only 2/1/2 inch. I cant say what the c7 is but would say the same if guessing.
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From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
Yup, all the TQ tubes are aluminum. I have not taken apart a C7Z Tq tube yet though so it may be carbon fiber inside. That one I can't answer without looking it up, but I would be surprised if it was.
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Burning Brakes
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From: Louisa, Ky
The camaro had aluminum drive shaft and was subject to failure with slicks. Saw it first hand at Gateway outside St. Louis at the super car reunion. Sure must be a healthy drive shaft in a Hellcat!
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From: Cumming GA
From an article on the Z06.
If you watch the How's It Made on the car, you can see the steel tunnel being enclosed with aluminum panels. It's around the 1:40 mark of the video.
And I'm not just talking body panels like the removable roof, either. The Z06 swaps the base Stingray's steel torque tube for one made entirely of carbon fiber. This is a tricky bit of engineering. Unlike a traditional drive shaft, which only has to contend with torsional stresses, the Corvette's torque tube deals with forces in every direction. When the driver launches the car, the tube takes the stress of trying to pick up the nose by the engine.
The company ships American carbon fiber to a supplier in Australia, which constructs the 6.5-foot long tube and then ships it to Bowling Green, Kentucky for assembly. The new design is lighter and stiffer than the steel in the base car. All told, GM says the new Z06 is 60 percent stiffer than the old Z06 when the new car's removable roof panel is in place (yes, you can finally take the roof off of the Z06). And even with the panel stowed in the rear hatch, the
'15 Z06 is still 20 percent stiffer than the old car.
The company ships American carbon fiber to a supplier in Australia, which constructs the 6.5-foot long tube and then ships it to Bowling Green, Kentucky for assembly. The new design is lighter and stiffer than the steel in the base car. All told, GM says the new Z06 is 60 percent stiffer than the old Z06 when the new car's removable roof panel is in place (yes, you can finally take the roof off of the Z06). And even with the panel stowed in the rear hatch, the
'15 Z06 is still 20 percent stiffer than the old car.
Last edited by Bucknut2006; Oct 5, 2015 at 08:22 PM.
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From: Texas Hill Country
Burning Brakes
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From: Louisa, Ky
The drive shaft called propeller shaft in the sevice manual is smaller being enclosed on the corvette. Aluminum ones not enclosed usually must be larger diameter and or wall thickness for strength. Service manual does not say in section 7 but I would be amazed if it were aluminum propeller shaft inside the torque tube. So what is the propeller shaft made of?
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The drive shaft called propeller shaft in the sevice manual is smaller being enclosed on the corvette. Aluminum ones not enclosed usually must be larger diameter and or wall thickness for strength. Service manual does not say in section 7 but I would be amazed if it were aluminum propeller shaft inside the torque tube. So what is the propeller shaft made of?
We have had several of these down for engine swaps, but I have not had to dismantle any of them yet on a C7, but every other year is aluminum, including the ZR1.
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If this changed, then it just changed. Keep in mind that the TQ tube is before the transmission compared to the Hellcat or Camaro, so there is drastically less TQ applied to it. You have to multiply the transmission gearing by the TQ applied when the drive shaft is after the trans, where as it does not on the Corvette.
We have had several of these down for engine swaps, but I have not had to dismantle any of them yet on a C7, but every other year is aluminum, including the ZR1.
We have had several of these down for engine swaps, but I have not had to dismantle any of them yet on a C7, but every other year is aluminum, including the ZR1.
found it:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...be-weight.html
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have you had the torque tube off a Z06? I think there is a thread around here discussing the different part numbers between the Z and Base TT and PS (DS)....
found it:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...be-weight.html
found it:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...be-weight.html
No not yet, only std C7's. I see everyone saying the std C7 is steel, but I have had them in my hands personally, they were aluminum. I'm lost on this one now.
Last edited by DOUG @ ECS; Oct 6, 2015 at 10:26 AM.
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From: Texas Hill Country
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Pro
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From: Temecula CA
As the owner of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, I can tell you that the reason they are switching to aluminum or carbon fiber driveshafts is because the stock ones are breaking when slicks are added to the car, not because the car is faster with it. This is especially true on the 2015 and 2016 models.
Phil
Phil