2016 shelby gt350 driveshaft

[voodoo350]

does anybody know if they're putting a one piece aluminum driveshaft in the shelbys?

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[blondie]

its a two piece steel i believe


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[voodoo350]

That sucks thanks..

 

[nastang87xx]

its a two piece steel i believe


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This is correct.

 

[PP0001]

does anybody know if they're putting a one piece aluminum driveshaft in the shelbys?

Based on conversations with various personnel at Ford it is my understanding that the drive shafts will be a 2 piece steel drive shaft as in previous Mustangs and Boss 302 cars.

I typically do not modify any of my cars but in two of my previous Boss 302 cars I installed 1 piece carbon fiber drive shafts and noticed a marked improvement.

By going to a carbon fiber drive shaft not only did I reduce the rotating mass by 50% (~45 LBS to ~23 LBS) and improved the performance of these cars but I noticed an improved feel during acceleration going through the gears up to 7500 RPM which I do on a regular basis.

I have had other Boss owners drive my cars after installing these CF drive shafts and they also noticed an improvement as well.

In speaking with various Ford personnel over the last year or so I voice my opinion on his subject but their response was always the same and that the GT350 responded better to the 2 piece steel drive shaft better than any alternative.

Based on my experience with the Boss cars that certainly was not the case and I suggest that it all came down to dollars and cents?

If there is one element of this car that really surprizes/disappoints me without not having driven the car so far it would be the 2 piece steel drive shaft issue.

I think that Ford missed the mark here and should have used a 1 piece CF unit as in the recent GT500 cars but that is just my opinion.

 

[wproctor411]

Based on conversations with various personnel at Ford it is my understanding that the drive shafts will be a 2 piece steel drive shaft as in previous Mustangs and Boss 302 cars.

I typically do not modify any of my cars but in two of my previous Boss 302 cars I installed 1 piece carbon fiber drive shafts and noticed a marked improvement.

By going to a carbon fiber drive shaft not only did I reduce the rotating mass by 50% (~45 LBS to ~23 LBS) and improved the performance of these cars but I noticed an improved feel during acceleration going through the gears up to 7500 RPM which I do on a regular basis.

I have had other Boss owners drive my cars after installing these CF drive shafts and they also noticed an improvement as well.

In speaking with various Ford personnel over the last year or so I voice my opinion on his subject but their response was always the same and that the GT350 responded better to the 2 piece steel drive shaft better than any alternative.

Based on my experience with the Boss cars that certainly was not the case and I suggest that it all came down to dollars and cents?

If there is one element of this car that really surprizes/disappoints me without not having driven the car so far it would be the 2 piece steel drive shaft issue.

I think that Ford missed the mark here and should have used a 1 piece CF unit as in the recent GT500 cars but that is just my opinion.

On my 11' the 1 piece lightened the shift effort and removed the clunk, knocked about 1/10th off average 1/4 time when corrected for DA. Some claim 2/10ths but I didnt see it! I will be doing the same on this one.

 

[PP0001]

On my 11' the 1 piece lightened the shift effort and removed the clunk, knocked about 1/10th off average 1/4 time when corrected for DA. Some claim 2/10ths but I didnt see it! I will be doing the same on this one.

Thanks for your feedback and confirmation that you experienced the same improvements as I have.

:cheers:

 

[stanglife]

I'd need to hear from another engineer before I swapped it. I don't see anything wrong with the engineer saying, "Accounting didn't let us use one.", if that's the case. You have to consider...the R car has CF wheels! If it was down to another $2-300 price difference for an improved driveshaft, I'd hope they would just do it. I suspect there might be another reason.

 

[10splaya22]

I'd need to hear from another engineer before I swapped it. I don't see anything wrong with the engineer saying, "Accounting didn't let us use one.", if that's the case. You have to consider...the R car has CF wheels! If it was down to another $2-300 price difference for an improved driveshaft, I'd hope they would just do it. I suspect there might be another reason.

The carbon fiber shaft the Ford engineers were looking at wasn't stiff enough for the application. The critical frequency was a concern so they used a 2-piece steel shaft instead. It wasn't decided due to cost.

 

[stanglife]

The carbon fiber shaft the Ford engineers were looking at wasn't stiff enough for the application. The critical frequency was a concern so they used a 2-piece steel shaft instead. It wasn't decided due to cost.

I suspected it was a reason other than cost - where did you get this info?

 

[eddie2x]

Curious to me too. Why did Ford put a 1 piece carbon fiber driveshaft in the 2013-2014 GT500, but not in the new GT350R? I think it was just cost savings. Or maybe we will see the carbon fiber driveshaft again in the next GT500...

But if I get rich and buy a GT350R, then a carbon fiber driveshaft will be my one and only mod!

 

[Grimace427]

The '13-14 GT500 had 3.31 rear gears and taller rear tires both of which reduced driveshaft RPM. The GT350 has 3.73 gears and shorter tires which can cause a one piece driveshaft to exceed its critical RPM limit.

This was explained in the first GT350 press release, IIRC was mentioned by Jamal Hameedi himself.

 

[bpracer]

The carbon fiber shaft the Ford engineers were looking at wasn't stiff enough for the application. The critical frequency was a concern so they used a 2-piece steel shaft instead. It wasn't decided due to cost.

The high RPM, can get a long driveshaft to this "critical frequency". It depends on the stiffness of the material, length, diameter and RPM. A carbon one may be OK, if it's properly engineered.

 

[krt22]

Im guessing he meant natural frequency. But given the extra NVH from the FPC motor, they might have needed to use a heavier 2-piece unit to add some damping to the drive line.

 

[bpracer]

http://www.markwilliams.com/driveshafttech.aspx

I guess the proper term is critical speed not frequency. My vintage racer would turn 7800rpm and there was little room for a large diameter driveshaft. I fudged a little bit on the safety margin as I only saw that high an RPM for any length except on the front straight at Road America.

I've been behind a car whose driveshaft let go at 140mph, not something I want to see again. There was a large hole about 12" from the driver's seat. Could have been real bad.

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