18 replies to this topic

[thehelix112]

Hey guys,

Was just scrolling through the willall billet diff thread and came across a post by jimefan suggesting the dss was working on a carbon front driveshaft. http://www.gtrherita...-housing/page-5

Any movement there?

Another gem in there was a post from dv8 asking if Martin was planning on alu subframes. :-)

Dave

[Tom GT-R]

They're testing it at the moment:

https://www.facebook...123249491077579

[thehelix112]

Fucking awesome! One comment buried in there about the cost being $2500? Not too bad. Wonder the weight difference.

[thehelix112]

For posterity

[7racer]

Have one in order!! as soon as they are done testing of course

[thehelix112]

Massively not surprised.

[thehelix112]

Super curious how much weight they get out of it.

[Stuart@T1]

One thing to keep in mind is its not just aimed at decreasing weight. Frank of DSS went pretty in depth with this response:

 

"i figured i would post this info, most are not aware of the true value of Carbon thinking it being light is its only benefit. its a little long but a good read for any car with a Carbon shaft. material and Harmonics

you are standing in front of (3) 48" long pieces of tube, all about 3.5" in diameter but one is steel, the next aluminum and the 3rd Carbon Fiber. You then pick up the steel on with your thumb and your index finger and strike the middle of the tube with a long screwdriver. The steel shaft will ring like a bell and continue until the harmonic being produced by the strike exhausts itself. You do the same with the Aluminum next, you will get a bit of ring but not as loud and will not hold for near as long. You then pick up the Carbon Fiber and strike it the same way as the others, it make a clack and stops almost immediately.

 

This affect is the same thing that happens when the motor if firing and pulsing the power from the explosions in each cylinder(this is what a Harminc damper trys to stop on the engine) This pulse along with the frequency coming out of the trans and the diff all collide in the hollow tube of a driveshaft, the material will either broadcast it or will not allot it to go any further. Think of a Tuning fork, hit one side and the other moves. Its not out of balance its being excited by the frequency being sent to it, the driveshaft does the same thing so balance is not to blame its harmonic, on the 2005+ mustang Ford had such a problem with this on the car they did a 2 piece driveshaft with (1) u-joint, a hanger bearing (2) CV's and a 9lb damper in the back shaft (talk about a

flywheel affect) this shaft weighs 46lbs and was used to stop the issue. other things like solid or poly mounts will make this even worse but thats a story for another day......

 

Carbon

Carbon is lighter but its not the real prominent thing it does. The carbon shaft would make the car more consistent with the 60ft times. and help lower them you see when the shaft starts to twist the each of the materials will wrap up. Steel/chromoly 5-7 degrees aluminum is about 20 degrees and Carbon 30 degrees, what the difference is the Carbon releases slowly and does not shock the tires, most see between .1 to .3 gain in the 60's.

 

Guibo/hanger issue with stock shaft

The stock shaft will have to start by putting the torque into the front Guibo and it

gives, then it moves down to the hanger that is very soft and will move up about .750" then back to the

rear guibo and compress that one, so by the time the torque goes thru the shaft its dampened allot to

the point of feeling soft or disconnected, by putting the single shaft in the car will be allot more responsive to

pedal/torque input. It will have a more athletic feel and be quicker due to the lack of the soft parts being

removed.

 

Dear DSS, I have some questions regarding your drive shafts.

 

1/ How do carbon fiber drive shafts cope with radiant heat from the exhaust system? Should a product such as this be used on the relevant section of the exhaust pipe?

the bonding of carbon will start to have issues at 300 degrees, if the exhaust is close wrapping it or shielding it will bring the number below this.

 

2/ How do cf shafts cope with stone chips and abrasions caused by gravel and other road debris?

our Carbon shafts actually have a outer layer of Fiberglass, this is done to ensure the surface of the carbon to be protected, its about .125 thick and

is very good at saving the shaft, if something were do dig thru it the shaft would be bad but also keep in mind if something were to do this to aluminum it would also ruin the shaft.

 

3/ Do cf drive shafts have a shelf life? That is, should they be replaced after a certain amount of time?

Heat is the only thing that will shorten the life, all shafts will have a fatigue cycle, Carbon is as high if not higher then Steel/Aluminum

 

4/ What is the advantage of a carbon fiber shaft over an aluminum shaft?

The biggest this is its ability to absorb harmonics and its torsion properties. you see all shafts will twist before a vehicle moves, steel about 7 degrees aluminum about 20 and carbon about 30. the difference is the others will come back like a spring and put reverse torque or time compounded stress on the shaft and the rest of the drivetrain. Carbon releases its energy over time and will help with either 60ft times in a drag car, coming out of a corner with a Drift,road race/rally or time attack car and it will also protect the drive train from harmful shock. The harmonic advantage is the fact that it will not amplify drivetrain drone or motor/trans harmonics like the other materials."

[thehelix112]

Great info. Thanks! I still hope it weighs less though! ;-)

[changster]

Can't wait for them to be available.

[Formidable]

^ Amazing. It's about time!

[choerizo]

Super curious how much weight they get out of it.

 

I've had to take the front driveshaft out before... that thing is heavy!

[mikelmarion]

I've had to take the front driveshaft out before... that thing is heavy!

like 25 lbs or more?

[Formidable]

Group buy anyone?

[BAZ007]

I'm in for a group buy. I did ask Doug to inquire about those for me. It seems they are months off still.

[ETS Michael]

Sign us up! 

[changster]

Who is testing these and when will they be done with testing?

[thehelix112]

Who is testing these and when will they be done with testing?

+1 also curious.

[BAZ007]

Who is testing these and when will they be done with testing?

 

It seems T1 already have the entire first batch called for. DSS also said they are still under testing and will take a while to be publicly available. They might send some units to high end 6s GTRs (AMS/ETS) but nothing to the general public for few months.