carbon fiber driveshaft

[V10_P70]

With all the talk about upgrading the performance of the Marauder, has anyone tried this option? It is worth 5% to the rear wheels and gives you greater speed. You are improving two things at once with one upgrade. Just a thought. Have had good luck with ACPT drive shafts.

Advantage of Carbon Fiber
Lighter than steel or aluminum.
Three times torsional strength of steel.
Torsional spring rate allows better tire hook-up.
Torsional spring rate allows smoother shifting.
Less shock load to the differential.
Eliminates or dampens high speed vibrations.
Reduces transmission and differential breakage.
Characteristics can be varied by changing the wind, angles or diameter.
PST offers both steel and 7075 Billet Aluminum yokes.
In drag racing applications - a better 60 Ft. time.
ET's have been lowered in some cases by as much as .120.
In stock car racing better control out of corners is the result of the torsional spring rate.
In road racing smoother shifting and better durability of transmission and differential have been reported.
Tested on Cobra's at 180 MPH on Dyno with no vibrations.
A much greater safety factor - carbon fiber will return to a fiber and not create shrapnel under the car, as would aluminum or steel shafts.:cool:

[gja]

I have only one concern with an ACPT shaft, EXPENSE.
M guess is it will be significantly more than even the MMX shaft, which is already expensive enough.

[V10_P70]

Ford Production Shaft

Ford also experimented with the concept of carbon fiber driveshafts for several model years in the 1980s on its Aerostar rear-drive minivan

Imports

Perhaps reflecting a renewed interest in carbon fiber — and dropping prices — Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is using it for the driveshaft on its all-new 350Z sports car and the Infiniti G35 sedan and G35 coupe due out this fall.

Safety

More important, crushable carbon fiber manages a crash impact far more effectively than the unbending mass of a steel driveshaft; so it's safer.

Cost Model

A mid-1980s study by a filament-winding manufacturer, however, revealed interesting cost analyses: contemplating a unit three and one-half inches in diameter, 60 inches long, capable of 5,000 RPM, 2,500 lb.-ft. ultimate torsion load, and a volume of 100,000 driveshafts per year, a 24% reduction in carbon fiber price would lower the cost of the assembly by only 2%. Assuming carbon fiber at $17/lb., and epoxy resin to meet boil and ultimate torque tests, the materials bill was $6.57. Completing analyses, with slightly different dimensions and some variation in materials, gave total part cost at $60 to $133 per unit.

:cool: