I see it all the time, guys asking where to find one, how much they are worth, bla bla bla...

My question... Why all the hype.

Basic physics and knowledge of both aluminum and steel will tell you that if you are going to be putting down any sort of power, that you do NOT want aluminum for purposes of drag racing, or hard launches. Steel is the only way to go, or that DS is going to have you stuck somewhere.

Steel has some elasticity to it, so when you launch hard, the DS might actually twist a little bit, and then return to its original or extremely close to original place. Aluminum however has not that quality. It just snaps.

Now I know that b/c the lighter mass of the aluminum, less drag on the motor, etc.

Circle track guys run aluminum b/c they need to be able to keep the RPMs up, and get them back up at a rapid pace going round and round, up and down w/ the RPM.

W/ the minimal gains to be seen hp wise by the alumunim over steel, why make the change is my point, especially if you plan on making any kind of power at all. I know plenty of guys are running good power levels w/ aluminum, and have no complaints. But it only takes one time for that aluminum to snap in half.

Reason this comes up is b/c I was at a well known DS shop here in Nashville couple weeks back with a buddy who had twisted the splines on his 1350 u-joint billet yoke where it meets the output shaft of the tranny, asked him about a custom aluminum DS, and he basically told me he could take my money if I really wanted to, but that he would never recommend an aluminum piece to any guy that wanted to Drag...

 

for the same reason they put girdles on the 10 bolt, and make hyper pistons...



because there are alot more cars within the powerlevel of the parts that will see a gain then there are cars that will break them.



sure you could get a custom 3" one that can take a 1000ft-lbs engine and spin to the speed of sound with 4.50 gears..


but you dont NEED it.












the "hype" is about a cheap, easy upgrade that will actually show in the acceleration of the car. for around $50 you can replace your probly dented or otherwise unbalanced 20 year old 3rdgen driveshaft with a light alum one that 95% of the people on the board here couldnt bust, even if they put slicks on their car.

have a race car? use a race part. have a hobby? use what you can get.

 

I'd like to know where you can find one for $50. Most I see are $150-$200, more than I am willing to spend on it. I see them all the time in the classifieds for that price, and if you find one at a junk yard and they know what it is, they charge the same. You may get lucky and stumble across a yard that has no clue, but if they do you get it put to you.

You are right that most people here, or racing for that matter will never reach the power level to snap a aluminum piece they have. I don't have a race car, or plan on putting out absurd power w/ the budget I have right now, but not saying I am not going to be throwing a lot at a DS IMO.

I would also like to see cold hard facts on exactly how much of a difference its gonna make in acceleration track wise or other for that matter. I hear people say they feel a difference in the butt dyno and all, but that don't mean squat.

I plan to have a motor that is gonna have 380 or so to the wheels N/A, and the its going to be getting a 150 or 200 shot on top of that tuned out, so maybe 500 or so to the wheels. On slicks, I don't feel that w/ the torque added w/ the N20, a thin walled aluminum piece is worth it to me.

Its a hobby, and yes you deal with what you can, but I just don't see the hype. And for the same price, $120 is what the guy quoted me for a 3" custom steel piece, as any aluminum I have seen around lately... I would go w/ the steel for the added piece of mind.

<note not trying to be hostile at all if it comes out that way. Simply trying to start a discussion piece>

 

does anybody have one for $50?? Ill buy it right now. But the hype is less recpricating weight. That is what kills you on acceleration.

 

Right, but can you prove how much its actually improving acceleration or ETs? Is it worth the added money if your DS in the car is fine. I can understand making the swap if your stocker is out of balance and causing vibrations, but if not...

 

heres the secret for getting parts cheap:


look and ASK.
i think everyone here that has sold somthing i wanted can post here and tell you, im a cheapass. i paid $50 for a alum shaft.. and i'll do it again....... mostly because i sold the shaft to someone who needed it and now i need another one. lol.

why alum? why not? i need a new one anyway, might as well get the best i can...

would i pay $120 for it? no. thats like asking me if id pay $700 for a set of vortec heads..... they're good parts, but only because of the cost value... take that out and you might as well get a diffrent part.

 

Exactly.


I have looked and looked. I have asked, and in result still haven't found an aluminum DS for under $100 or so. I have seen guys selling them, but I always seem to be a step behind I guess, cause they are sold by the time I get there. I am pretty darn cheap myself, and are always in look of the next good deal.

I would buy and aluminum piece if I found one for $50. But not much more than that.

Part of my point in the original post was to bring up the point of, Is it really worth the money you spend if its in the $100-$200 range...

Guess you summed that up w/ saying you wouldn't pay $120...

 

Well, I paid $150 for my LS1 driveshaft. And I have NO regrets.. I know I'm not going to twist it apart, and it cured (100%) the vibrations I was getting with my tired 250+K mile steel shaft (fresh u-joints but just tired and out of balance). To me it was worth it for the vibration removal (I like the little dampner on the LS1 shaft!). I didn't really notice any acceleration benefits (yeah there probably was some, but I was so enthralled that I hit 120mph on my test run with zero vibrations when I would start vibrating bad at 70mph before).

Was $150 too much?? I guess you just have to consider how tired I was of having a fast car that couldn't go fast because it felt like it would shake apart. Combine that with how happy I am now. $150 was worth it to me..

 

Its well worth it, unless your putting out some serious power, it is a very cheap upgrade over stock. I really havn't had a chance to even use mine because the car is constantly being worked on (almost done ).

As far as getting them cheap check out www.car-parts.com

I got one from a 98 LS1 for $110, i've seen them even cheaper on there.

 

Aluminum DS are larger in Diameter on 3rd gens, at least my year one 1LE driveshaft was larger in diameter than my old steel driveshaft. How do I know, my Jegs welded DS loop is alot tighter fit with the aluminum DS. Ultimately, you get a higher critcal speed and less recip. mass. vs strength. Cheap upgrade. The steel ones are made with volume production in mind and the aluminum ones are made with performance in mind.

Not to mention it sounds cool:

"Yeah, my driveshaft is aluminum."

 

Do i have proof? I thought youd never ask. My old 3rd gen(now my friend's) dropped 3 tenths in the quarter. We did the swap at the track the same night. he went from a 14.0 @93 to 13.7 @ 94. Now i know its not the formula to the tenth power like you wanted but its cold hard proof. Also there was no temp change at the time of the swap. both were 84* runs last september.

 

Are all LS1 driveshafts aluminum? I've been thinking about picking one up, if I can find an inexpensive one.

 

Thats the kind of stuff I was looking for. Something to where you can say there was a definate difference...

Thank 89305RS...

Once again, I started this as a discussion piece...

 

IIRC, that is correct...

 

No, not all LS1 equipped vehicles had them. If the LS1 vehicle came with an automatic and had lower gearing than 3.23, it got a steel shaft.

 

Funny, cause my buddy w/ a 99 ta 2.73 car has an aluminum shaft from the factory... :lala:

Could be that he got lucky or something...

 

Is the yoke for a 700r4 on a V6 camaro the same as the one on V8 700r4? Or are they different. If they are the same and everything bolts up i would buy one for my camaro.

 

yeah, the yokes are the same...

 

I think the aluminum DS was much better balanced at the factory than the basic steel ones were too, weren't they?

 

Hell, I was gonna start a whole new thread but I'll jump right in here...

The reason i'm considering an aluminum shaft is to try and get rid of the high speed vibrations (75mph and up) I've had since I took delivery of my vehicle back in 91. Any gain in acceleration is just a freeby.

Now here's my questions - would you rather have an LS1 shaft (w/the supposed benefits of the dampner)...or a 1LE shaft ?


Gifman

 

:hail: LS1 shaft with the dampener

 

Which years got the Aluminum? Was it only the SS 4th Gens, or all of them?

 

Ls1 v8's 98+

 

well... only the 98+ cars with that OPTION got them..

 

Already stated that above.

 

So to sum it up, only the aluminum LS1 driveshafts are aluminum.. If you find a steel one, you can count on it being steel as opposed to aluminum.

 

ROFLMAO

 

What are the odds....

 

Did not the LT1s have alum driveshafts also?

 

Yeah, but they are similar to the JG1 shafts offered in our cars.. The LS1 was the only one with the vibration dampener..

 

I might have missed something here but will the LS1 driveshaft fit a 92 Z28 with no mods?

 

Yes, direct bolt in.

 

Its not any big deal, but here in a month or so ill have pics of me swapping out the driveshaft and pinion seal on my car. Its sitting out in the driveway while i find a good deal on a driveshaft.

 

How about, "My driveshaft is CarbonFiber"

Yes less rotation mass adds HP gains to the rear wheels, And less unsprung weight.

 

I read on this board to stay away from CF driveshafts. That they streatch out or something like that. Plus their too Mucho Dinero

 

Thats all "heresay" from people that have never owned one. If it were true, then they would never be able to sell such a "piece of crap" for so much- yes the are pricey, but worth every penny.

 

you stole the words right out of my mouth. carbon fiber is stronger than aluminum, probably steel too for that mater, and has less rotational mass as well.... buy one of those instead

 

Price?

 

How much lighter is the Aluminum driveshaft?
what are the weights of each shaft?

 

Until a giant rock is flung at it and it unravels :P.

 

Stock steel driveshaft is roughly 16-18lbs

1LE driveshaft was believed to be 13lbs I think

Lingenfelter or whatever that guys name is 3.25" driveshaft is 12.9 lbs or close to that

Ls1 Aluminum driveshaft is somewhere between 11-12 lbs.

I think a Carbon Fiber Shaft weighs about 7lbs.

 

Bottom line: if you have random amount of extra money and time to spend, go get a carbon fiber.

If you need to replace your driveshaft anyway (like me), find a used aluminum from an Lt1 or ls1.

Otherwise

 

Nope, try 4 lbs. They are aprox $800.

As for the rock thing, it is imposibble for a rock to make a solid lateral blow hard enough to broom it. The safety feature of these shafts is if they were to bust a u-joint and come unglued fromm under the car, they will shread with a hard side impact against a wheel, the exhaust, or whatever it will come in cotact against as it slings dangerously out of there

Yes I have lost a driveshaft on a vehicle at speed, It fortunately was a carbon fiber unit and didn't catapult the vehicle- It lifted the rear wheels slightly before brooming and saved me from rolling

Is it worth the $800 to me, Just like a good helmet- Heelll Yes!

 

I had this LS1 driveshaft in my IROC for a couple weeks. Went to the track and ran some 1.9's with Nittos. I was going to sell my car, so I took it out and put the steel one back in. I sold the LS1 driveshaft to my friend who put it in his stock (other than a chip, catback, and shift kit) L98 GTA. He called me four days later, stranded on the side of the road. How I didn't break it, I don't know. Better me than him.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i.../550027_42.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i.../550027_41.jpg

 

His car was either putting out some major power or he just got sideways everywhere he went. I dont see how GM can put aluminum in the 4ths and everything be much dandy... motors that have plenty more power than the l98s

 

I'm sure thats exactly what he was thinking, but it didn't work out that way for him...

 

You're too cheap to buy good parts or you'd own an alum. driveshaft anyway. Right now, only one of my 2 "drivers" has an alum. shaft (aftermarket 3.5") because I'm cheap. And the one I bought was from a Malibu guy who went from a 700-R4 to a TH400. eBay - 160$ shipped. Can't beat that.

You live in TN. Now where I live, doing 80 and up for a long time (7 hours to Albuquerque, give or take) with vibration will drive you nuts. Less vibration at 85, 90, 95, 100 is well worth the cost of an alum. shaft. Both my drivers have 3.73's. Factory vibration in shafts is at 85mph+. Maybe you have fimplie little 3.23's and don't understand because you don't run where those would present driveshaft vibration.

Your 380hp isn't going to do anything to an aftermarket alum. shaft. Now, something with the 98+ f-body shafts ain't right. People are breaking those quite often. Might be that they're thinner material. Either way, stick with the 97-down ones, or go aftermarket.

 

i had my stock driveshaft balanced when i did the clutch in the fall of '02. last summer at the strip with only 5k or so miles on it the car would vibrate on the top end. anytime i got into triple digits it was ungodly. so, i posted an ad on ls1tech and got a reply in like 2 hours. 100 bucks with new u joints, shipped, cant beat that with a stick. havent had the car out yet to see if that fixes the vibration, but i bet it will

 

I brought my 89 brand new from the factory. IT had a nasty vibe at exactly 78 MPH under light throttle. So annoying I avoided 78 MPH cruising speed.

in 1990 I brought the alum 1LE shaft for full dealer retail price. Like $300 or something like that. there was no internet dealers back then. no mass production LS1 shafts. I got shafted for $300!!!

The vibe was gone. problem solved !! It was worth the $300 back then.

Other than that, I saw no performance or any other advantages. I did weigh it back then, and it was ~4lbs lighter.

 

If it would have been used, you could have considered yourself shafted. But 300$ for a NEW shaft is what they run. And the factory 3rd gen shafts weren't weak like the LS1 shafts, so you did alright.

Why is everyone in this thread such a cheap ****, myself included?