Carbon Fiber Drive Shaft
01-28-2013, 01:17 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Carbon Fiber Drive Shaft
I was just reading an article on the Mercedes SLS and they mentioned the car comes with a fiber carbon shaft.
So it got me curious with all this weight reduction that Corvette engineers are doing, have they replaced the drive shaft with a carbon fiber shaft?
I am aware that there are aftermarket shafts such as LG motorsports and PFADT that sells them at $2000.
I recall Jay Leno 66 Toronado was fitted with a CF shaft. Engine used was an LS 1,070-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8 GM Performance Parts prototype crate engine
Mercedes SLS CF shaft torque tube
So it got me curious with all this weight reduction that Corvette engineers are doing, have they replaced the drive shaft with a carbon fiber shaft?
I am aware that there are aftermarket shafts such as LG motorsports and PFADT that sells them at $2000.
I recall Jay Leno 66 Toronado was fitted with a CF shaft. Engine used was an LS 1,070-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8 GM Performance Parts prototype crate engine
Originally Posted by PFADT
The stock drive shaft and rubber guibo ends weigh 8.85 pounds. The Pfadt Carbon Fiber drive shaft assembly weighs only 4.28 pounds!! That is a weight savings of 52%. What's important is that this weight reduction is rotating mass.
Most after market drive shafts require the purchase of heavy rubber or aluminum guibo's to complete the install. These heavy ends eliminate almost all the weight savings over a stock set up and do nothing for improving reliability. The most common drive shaft failure is with the guibo.
Our driveshaft has been tested to 2300 ft-lb of torque on our fixture and we have over 500,000 cycles at 1350 ft-lb of torque for reliability testing. A single cycle at that torque will fail a stock driveshaft.
If you need high performance and reliability advantages, the Pfadt Carbon Fiber Driveshaft is for you!
We have versions available for all 2001 and newer Corvettes.
Most after market drive shafts require the purchase of heavy rubber or aluminum guibo's to complete the install. These heavy ends eliminate almost all the weight savings over a stock set up and do nothing for improving reliability. The most common drive shaft failure is with the guibo.
Our driveshaft has been tested to 2300 ft-lb of torque on our fixture and we have over 500,000 cycles at 1350 ft-lb of torque for reliability testing. A single cycle at that torque will fail a stock driveshaft.
If you need high performance and reliability advantages, the Pfadt Carbon Fiber Driveshaft is for you!
We have versions available for all 2001 and newer Corvettes.
Last edited by John_R; 01-28-2013 at 05:52 PM.
01-28-2013, 01:38 PM
#2
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Wait...
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHA.
No. Your 55k sports car isn't going to have a Carbon Fiber 1-piece drive shaft.
Wait...
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHA.
No. Your 55k sports car isn't going to have a Carbon Fiber 1-piece drive shaft.
Last edited by 4GS7; 01-28-2013 at 01:40 PM.
01-28-2013, 02:30 PM
#5
Le Mans Master
Nissan's 350 & 370Zs come stock w/ a carbon fiber composite driveshafts
If it's done at the factory level it's quite affordable if they include it on a $35K car.
If it's done at the factory level it's quite affordable if they include it on a $35K car.
01-28-2013, 03:04 PM
#7
Safety Car
P.S. Be sure to bring alot more cash than $55k.
Last edited by Daekwan06; 01-28-2013 at 03:07 PM.
01-28-2013, 03:14 PM
#8
The 370Z driveshaft is almost twice the weight of an SLS driveshaft. The CF is embedded into a composite driveshaft for strength and safety. If you break it it shatters so you don't pole vault your car.
01-28-2013, 05:05 PM
#11
Scraping the splitter.
About 3,800 lbs.
What's your point? I'm pointing out that it doesn't have to be a Mercedes, Porsche or Aston-Martin to be privy to the fantastic "F1" (LMAO!) sorcery of an aluminum driveshaft.
S.
What's your point? I'm pointing out that it doesn't have to be a Mercedes, Porsche or Aston-Martin to be privy to the fantastic "F1" (LMAO!) sorcery of an aluminum driveshaft.
S.
Last edited by Snorman; 01-28-2013 at 05:07 PM.
01-28-2013, 05:16 PM
#12
Instructor
Member Since: Dec 2012
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01-28-2013, 05:56 PM
#14
Melting Slicks
His point was that the gt500 makes sacrifices in other areas and isn't an apples to apples comparison with the c7. 55k can only go so many ways. Can't have it all.
01-28-2013, 06:35 PM
#16
Safety Car
The point is weight. You figured out a way to get a CF driveshaft in a $55k car. You also figured out that your car weighs atleast 500lbs more, than a competitor whose car doesnt use a CF driveshaft.
Whats the endpoint of using CF driveshaft? To save weight. If your "sportscar" weighs 3800lbs.. clearly saving weight wasnt that much of a priority on the overall list. But atleast you can brag about that CF driveshaft. Hell I could put a CF hood on a Suburban is simply bragging about the CF pieces on my vehicle was the point.
Last edited by Daekwan06; 01-28-2013 at 06:39 PM.
01-28-2013, 06:47 PM
#19
Drifting
Not carbon fiber. However, I have a very, very, very reliable source that said the drive shaft will be constructed from unobtainium. This **** is way better than carbon fiber. 