Sorry if this has been covered already but, doesn't seem to be a real popular mod.

Who has replaced their driveshaft and which one are you using? Cost? Noticeable difference?

thanks

 

I got mine from Ford Performance... you wont notice a thing...

 

Randy,

Do you have an 05'-07'? It appears that you have a Fox body. I'm looking for an 05'-07' GT DS. ANybody else have one?

 

The lightweight driveshafts are pretty popular. There are a few routes to go:

The OEM 2-pc shaft is about 48 lbs.

Some companies make a lightweight steel shaft. These weigh about 22-25 lbs and cost about $550.

There is an aluminum shaft available that weighs about 18 lbs. This is what I have, it was made by Powerhouse Automotive. List price is $699 I belive. I got it on a group buy on another forum for a bit over $500.

BMR sells a Carbon Fiber shaft. The CF shaft weighs the same as the aluminum one, but it costs a lot more. I belive it's $1000+. The CF does have the advantage in that it naturally dampens vibration to some extent.

Another option is the DIY route. You get a late-model Ford Ranger driveshaft (about $250) and have it shortened (about $100-120 labor, if you can find a shop that will work with aluminum). Combine that with a previous-generation Cobra pinion flange ($30-ish), and you're set. The result is similar to the Powerhouse aluminum shaft.


The benefits are immediate. I felt the difference in my car when I was backing it out of my shop! The drivetrain feels much more solid and acceleration is noticeably improved. The 1/4 mi guys say it's worth 2 tenths.

 

My point was, check with ford performance... they may have a DS for your car... and more to the point, contrary to the above post, i dont believe you will see much of a performance change... and that has nothing to do with make/model... IMO...

 

Ford does not offer a lightweight shaft for our cars--at least not right now. Perhaps they will in the future.


Randy, I can assure you that on the S197 a lightweight shaft makes a big difference. Why? Becasue unlike most cars, the OEM driveshaft on the S197 is a massive 2-piece design with CV joints in it. The OEM shaft weighs 48 lbs. The aftermarket shafts weigh less than 20. That is a tremendous weight savings.

On other cars the difference is not so much. On the Fox-body mustangs the factory shaft is already a 1-pc. Switching to lightweight on a Fox body is only saving you 3-4 lbs. That's not much, and I can understand you noticing that. On the other hand, with the S197 we're talking about 30 lbs of rotating weight.

You can have whatever opinion you want, but yours is clearly not based in experience or knowledge with the S197.

 

Thank you for setting me straight...

 

I couldnt believe what I saw the first time I looked at the drive shaft on a s197. It looks like the drive shaft on my f-350! You will feel the difference for sure with the ds from powerhouse.

 

Hey CrazyAl, have you noticed alot of extra vibration with the aluminum DS? I'll probably be pulling the trigger on the PH shaft in the near future. Just wondering how much of a difference in harmonics it will be. I'm not too concerned with some extra noise (since I'm doing a wholesale performance suspension job and prothane motor mounts), but I don't want to have any vibration issues with the new shaft.

 

I noticed a very minor increase in vibration when I switched to the shaft. It wasn't an "out of balance" vibration--I know what that is like--it was more of a constant minor vibe, a bit like what you get when you switch to harder suspension bushings. The vibration wasn't linked to RPM. It didn't get worse as speed went up. It felt like the 1-pc shaft was simply transmitting more vibration from the rear-end through the car. It certainly wasn't enough to worry about. One of my buddys drove my car shortly after the swap and he noticed the acceleration difference but did't notice anything else. Again, a very minor change. I think most people wouldn't notice.

I was very satisified with the PH kit. It was complete with all the hardware required, the directions were good, and the installation is easy.