There is a critical link in your driveline that always needs to be addressed when you’re trying to put power down: the driveshaft. Having a driveshaft that fits correctly is important, but there are other considerations you need to make before the time comes to start bolting a driveshaft in your car. Selecting the correct driveshaft will help reduce vibrations, prevent damage, and assist in making sure all your horsepower is getting to the ground efficiently.
Driveshaft geometry is one of the cornerstones of a driveline configuration. If you don’t have the correct driveshaft geometry, you’re likely to experience some significant vibrations under power and that will damage parts in your driveline. This video from Mark Williams Enterprises shows what happens when your driveshaft geometry is off and the problems it will cause.
The material of the driveshaft you’re going to use is another important aspect to keep in mind. According to Andrew Dickson from Mark Williams Enterprises, the stronger you can go, the better.
“Steel driveshafts, and even better, chrome-moly driveshafts, are the strongest driveshafts you can get. Obviously, they will be heavier than aluminum or carbon fiber, so the next question is ‘what is the lightest driveshaft that is still strong enough?’ Diameter plays a large role in how strong a driveshaft will be, so if you can fit a larger driveshaft, do it.”
The final piece to keep in mind is what the driveshaft’s rotating speed will be when in use. A lot of bad stuff can happen if your driveshaft fails after the rotational speed is exceeded.
“You never want a driveshaft to exceed its critical speed. A manufacturer should be able to calculate the critical speed by the length, diameter, and type of material the driveshaft is made from. It’s important that the driveshaft will not experience RPM in the critical speed range. If you have changed gear ratios or have done work on your engine or transmission that will make the driveshaft spin faster, you need to make sure your driveshaft is within the critical speed boundaries,” Dickson says.
You can learn more about how to select the correct driveshaft right here on the Mark Williams Enterprises website.