[Mk2] [Turbo] What material would you use to make a stronger driveshaft?

[greeny]

What material would you use to make a stronger driveshaft?


If you were going to get a custom set of driveshafts made up, what metal would you use and why?

Any hardeneing/processes you would have done?

Also what material are the stock shafts made from, and what processes do they undertake in production?

Michael.

[Century Motorsport]

Titanuim - naturally!!

[Chr15py]

Suppose it depends on your pocket size - could you get some carbon fibre ones made? Light and strong. If it's good for propshafts on FR cars, it would be good for driveshafts too (I would have thought...)
Chris

[greeny]

Within reasonable price range of course!

Also easily attainable and not too hard to work with, i.e. something a good machine shop can produce.

[Chr15py]

Fair enough.
Not meaning to sound condesending but does titanium have a good shear/torque resistance? Are Ti ones even made?
If Nathan is saying Ti then I am sure it does. Do that

Chris

[Century Motorsport]

Michael,

I can supply you with a set of the new CRW drag driveshafts if you wish. They are guarenteed not to break.

Regards,

Nathan

[Driftlimits Performance]

I can get titanium at a good price

Still expensive, but less than anyone else can

[3S Service Centre]

"but less than anyone else can"

Really? can you price match then?

[leeman]

Friend of mine kept breaking the driveshafts on his 400 bhp Cobra. He finally went to Quaife and had them make bespoke billet shafts for him. Not broken since and not as expensive as you might think. As for the material they used, I'd have to find out but it wasn't exotic.

[3S Service Centre]

there is a company in the states that takes stock shafts and puts them through stages of heat treatment which allow (stage 1) 700 bhp (stage 2) 1200 bhp and make the joints too at 700 usd and 950 usd its gotta be cheaper than purchasing titanium from the man that can get it cheaper than anyone else and having them made.

James

[amnesia]

Check out http://www.torqline.com/product_detail_34.php


Fibreglass props

[paul_h]

If I remember correctly from my days studying structural design, I believe that the shear value for titanium is lower than that of steel. I am going from memory here as I don’t have the tables in front of me.

If you are talking about new shafts for strength reasons and not weight saving I would just go with a good quality steel bar and have them machined out of that. Something along the lines of 355emz which is tested to guarantee through thickness would be perfectly adequate. Just make sure the design of the new shaft puts radii on all steps in diameter changes to alleviate stress.

paul

[jakirby]

Diamond is very stiff and very light....

[lockys96]

i know of 800hp axles/hub set up.

around £900

http://web.inetba.com/dss/item170786.ctlg

[Driftlimits Performance]

Really? can you price match then?

If you give me price weight and dimensions yes. If I feel it within my interests.

[3S Service Centre]

hahaha skywalker the metal merchant

[Driftlimits Performance]

[Ja99a]

I will toss my 2p in here,

I don't think its just the material, its how its worked and the processes it undergoes.

An example is a crank shaft a forged steel one is much stronger than a cast steel one, or a con rod shot peened one is stronger than a stock one etc. Case hardened, heat treated etc parts can be substantially stronger then stock machined items.

So to my mind I would consider having something done to the original units perhaps they can be heat treated further etc.

Just out of curiosity has anyone ever broken a drive shaft on a MR2? I would have thought the CV would have gone way before the shaft.

There's my 2p

[3S Service Centre]

bang on

[Steve Horrocks]

I will toss my 2p in here,

I don't think its just the material, its how its worked and the processes it undergoes.

An example is a crank shaft a forged steel one is much stronger than a cast steel one, or a con rod shot peened one is stronger than a stock one etc. Case hardened, heat treated etc parts can be substantially stronger then stock machined items.

So to my mind I would consider having something done to the original units perhaps they can be heat treated further etc.

Just out of curiosity has anyone ever broken a drive shaft on a MR2? I would have thought the CV would have gone way before the shaft.

There's my 2p

^^^I'm in this camp!!^^^