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two piece drive shaft advantages? 2007-2022 bump

Tabor

volvoholic
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Location
Portland, OR
So, I can name a lot of advantages for why you would want a one piece drive shaft.

Why did Volvo go with a two piece?
 
Of the Volvos I've driven that were fitted with a T-5 it has been the cars with a one piece driveshaft that had the wierd driveshaft noise/vibration. My rallycar with the Jerico has a two piece driveshaft and does not have that wierd vibration.
 
^^^ from what i have heard lots of others had that same issue

tis why i am going to be retarded and spend way to much $ on a custom two piece aluminum driveshaft that is oversized .... 3" should be more than enough
 
Do you really NEED aluminum? My two piece steel driveshaft is more then up to the task of handling the stupid power my car makes, is not noticably heavier then stock, was affordable to build and has been failure free.

THELOSTARTOF can feel driveshaft vibrations without driving the car..... Good-good-good vibrations.....
 
Do you really NEED aluminum? My two piece steel driveshaft is more then up to the task of handling the stupid power my car makes, is not noticably heavier then stock, was affordable to build and has been failure free.

THELOSTARTOF can feel driveshaft vibrations without driving the car..... Good-good-good vibrations.....

3000lb swedish vibrator :D
 
Do you really NEED aluminum? My two piece steel driveshaft is more then up to the task of handling the stupid power my car makes, is not noticably heavier then stock, was affordable to build and has been failure free.

THELOSTARTOF can feel driveshaft vibrations without driving the car..... Good-good-good vibrations.....


what size did you get yours built in? all of the old muscle cars i used to work on we liked aluminum but i guess if you can convince me otherwise it would prob save me a bit of $ . tho lighter on the drive train is a big key for getting every last second and mph out of a drag car no?
 
what size did you get yours built in? all of the old muscle cars i used to work on we liked aluminum but i guess if you can convince me otherwise it would prob save me a bit of $ . tho lighter on the drive train is a big key for getting every last second and mph out of a drag car no?

I see the aluminum DS's all the time in the JY. That's some good donor tubes, I guess.

I once saw a composite DS, hella light.
 
I'd think that with a two-piece you can get by with a smaller driveshaft tunnel and still have clearance with the rear suspension at full compression.
 
R U 4 reals?

Seriously:

  1. Weight
  2. Cost
  3. Complexity
  4. driveline losses

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are more.

weight, not really. will get to that in a second tho.

Cost? perhaps, depends.

Complexity, again, yes and no. from a sideline stand point of throwing it in the car, sure.

Driveline losses? if properly lubricated, the loss due to drag from the center support bearing is going to be negligible in comparision to things like axle bearings, gears, transmission, etc.

Benefits of a 2 piece:
Ease of correct pinion angle, and being able to maintain that angle (assuming you set it up properly in the first place)

Requires less clearance under the car since most of your up down/side to side movement can be located towards the back of the car.

As each segment is shorter, does not require large/heavy material to ensure the driveshaft does not sling appart at higher rpms, so you can use a narrower shaft that is as strong or stronger than a comperable single shaft, and as such is likely to weigh less.

I'm sure there are other subtleties, but that last one is the reason I didn't switch to a 1 piece. That, and well, it only cost $50 to have a stock shaft modified for my t5. from the volvo dealership.
 
I'm sure there are other subtleties, but that last one is the reason I didn't switch to a 1 piece. That, and well, it only cost $50 to have a stock shaft modified for my t5. from the volvo dealership.

Hey, cool beans. That is probably what I will do. I think it is more of a question of "what was the car designed to have" than 1 vs. 2.
 
I'm using the size that we find under a Ford 3/4ton pickup truck with the U-Joints that are standard for a 9" thing. This was really easy to do as I have a Ford (Jerico) box and a 9" rear end. As we know my toy makes silly power and it has held up even to the rocks in rallyin.'
Weight savings? Well for a drag car you may see some benefit. If it pencils out for you to do so then write the check. For me...... I just add power. Bwahahahahahaha......
 
I'm sure one of the main reasons Volvo went with a 2 piece is the more U-joints you have in the system, the less speed change you have in the shaft. If anyone here has ever seen a Buick drive shaft from the early to mid 60s, you would understand. They ran 2 piece shafts with constant velocity u-joints at 2 of the three connections. Very expensive to build, very smooth and quiet.

The problem with a one piece shaft in a 200/700/900 series is the 2 angles at the opposite end of the shaft are quite different. That causes the shaft to want to rock up and down like a see-saw and change speed at opposite ends. I ran a one piece shaft when I did my V8, 240 conversion and I could never get rid of the vibration in the system.
 
i say go with what works and is cheapest! i have seen a twisted na 240 driveshaft, but i think it was one of those things where the planets all alinged at the same time we hit the master resonance, rear end fallowed closly behind
 
I've also got a kinda funky vibe in the 140 that's been unable to be figured out. The 1-pc I've got there behind the W50 box is certainly no lighter than a 2pc, since it went from 2.25"OD to 3"OD, similar wall thickness. I will say though it's REALLY nice not having to deal with the center bearing, and launches feel a little more solid.
 
I have a one-piece driveshaft in my P1800 T5 conversion. I chose to go with the one-piece to eliminate the center bearing and take complexity out of the system.

I experience the dreaded vibration with my install. I've corrected pinion angle and messed with mounts at length. Still no resolution. My next step is to try oing back to a 2 piece driveshaft.

More here: http://1800philes.com/t5.html

steve
 
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