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I read in this forum that driveshafts tend to break during launch, not when the car is already at speed. ::Most carbon fiber driveshaft manufacturers use adhesive to secure the
:yoke to the carbon fiber tube. High loads can cause the adhesive to fail,
:causing the yoke to spin inside the carbon fiber tube. Kuah had issues
:with this on his race car.
::From their site:
::[ :HREF="http://www.bactechnologies.com/shafts.htm">http://www.bactec
:hnologies.com/shafts.htm ]
::
::"Carbon Fiber Driveshafts
::BAC's U.S. Patented design is a mechanically integrated one-piece
:design where the aluminum yokes are filament wound into the shaft. Wet
:composite material sinks into knurling on each yoke and encapsulates it
:during the manufacturing process. Therefore, each yoke is permanently
:locked into the shaft when the epoxy composite is cured. This
:revolutionary design does not rely on adhesives to transfer the torsional
:load from the aluminum yoke to the carbon fiber composite.
:Independent laboratory tests have revealed BAC's Carbon Fiber
:Driveshaft has significantly higher torsional strength and less weight over
:popular aluminum shafts and all other carbon composite driveshafts."
::
::I'd like to have a CF driveshaft for the NVH reduction, but didn't want to
:deal with the slippage issue that Kuah encountered. This may be the
:answer. I don't know how much they cost, but do know they are a lot
:more expensive than a std CF DS. I emailed them for a quote.
:I happen to have a carbon fiber drive shaft in my track only Z. I have
:had it for at least three seasons running 430 RWHP and 400 pound feet
:of torque. I have not had any problems of any kind and certainly not
:any with slipping. I also happen to have discussed this subject with Kuah
:at some length. His car has a special set-up with the underside of his car
:sealed off as part of his aerodynamic kit. Because of this arrangement,
:a substantial amount of heat is trapped from the engine and exhaust
:between the underside of the car and the sealing plates. Kuah told me
:he thought the reason for the failure was due to excessive heat softening
:the epoxy.
:I think the main advantage of a carbon fiber drive shaft is not just the
:obvious weight savings, but the safety factors as well. Carbon fiber is
:stronger than steel at the same weight and they will also shatter into
:splinters if broken instead of jacking up the car at speed or have the
:busted tube end rip into the passenger compartment should a failure
:occur.
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