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Aluminum 1 piece driveshaft - experiences good/bad/ugly by brand?

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JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
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W2W Racing
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20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
So I'm thinking as always about getting rid of weight, especially rotating weight, so feel an aluminum driveshaft might be a worthwhile step, just concerned about possible problems it could cause. Not really into CF for this application, just because, well, just because.

Was looking at DSS FDSH25-A but saw some indications on the web that there can be issues with the CV joint they use causing vibration. Anybody have any experiences good or bad with any particular brand? Hate like hell dropping 12 or 1500 bucks on a thing that makes a whole new set of problems that I don't currently have.
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,242
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HPDE
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10-20 Years
Illinois
I have the DSS shaft. No issues after 5 years.

A CV joint usually eliminates vibration when used in place of a u joint.

Several guys here have installed the Ford Performance piece with good results. You may be able to pick one up "North of the Border" at a good price. Can anyone chime in on the Ford piece??
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
I have the DSS shaft. No issues after 5 years.

A CV joint usually eliminates vibration when used in place of a u joint.

Several guys here have installed the Ford Performance piece with good results. You may be able to pick one up "North of the Border" at a good price. Can anyone chime in on the Ford piece??

I can get the DSS piece from a distributor in Toronto cheaper than I can import it, so was leaning towards that one, just saw some stuff that indicated some people didn't like the CV joint, but the distributor said they've sold a pile of them and the only time they see any issues is if the car has been extremely lowered. I'm just in the process of finalizing the order now.
Thanks for the input.
 
I've had a DSS Aluminum on my 2011 GT500 for about 2 years now an I absolutely love it. Cleaned up some noise and the acceleration responsiveness is much nicer...way less mass to rotate on the driveline. One of my favorite mods for street and track applications.
 
6,360
8,180
Not a fan of CF driveshafts, it will loose some overall weight but don't expect much of a performance increase since the rotating weight is all pretty close to the crank centerline.
DSS are the people that built all of the specialized stuff back in the Subi days and are a quality company..
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
3,787
2,740
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HPDE
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3-5 Years
Brighton, Colorado
I have a DSS carbon Fiber DS I've been toying with putting on my '12 Boss but have not gotten around to it. I like my DSS 3.5 Aluminum one and although I had an issue early on, DSS made good and repaired it even though it was past warranty. That was five years ago and can't complain about any noise or issues. Been contemplating selling the CF one.
 

Wingrider

'11 GT500, 99% Track Car. Lots of mods & I coach
+1 for upgraded driveshaft.

I put the DSS carbon unit in my GT500 a year and a half a go and love it. The car revs more freely while driving and I went from I believe about 45 pounds of weight to 17. The fit was perfect and no changes to the pinion angle were necessary. (They are pretty specific about fitment if I recall. Also used the correct thread locker as specified.
 
Ford Racing one piece aluminum drive shaft here. I love it and the price is right. No more clunk during shifting and the engine seems much more eager to rev.

Simple installation and no other issues. I would recommend it.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
215
210
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HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
SoCal
I have a DSS CF on my 16 GT. I experienced vibration with the install. I clocked the rear and it helped, but still was not good. DSS said to clock the front which made it much better, but not perfect. After a tip from Kelly at BMR, I lowered the transmission mount about 3/8" and that seemed to do the trick. He believes that the pinion angle relative to angle at the transmission is not ideal and that lowering the car only makes it worse. He found that lowering the transmission mount makes a big difference for a lot cars that have vibration issues with single piece driveshafts.

I'm not sure if it's perfect or not since I did a lot of rear suspension mods at the same time to the IRS to tighten things up. It may just be NVH that I tend to feel at higher speeds.
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
So driveshaft finally showed up this week and installed yesterday. Very happy with it so far, there is no more massive clunking in the driveline whenever the clutch is pressed or released. This car always had the "thud thud" when shifting gears right from new, but when I put black bushings/lockouts throughout the driveline and rear end/cradle the thud thud became a "clang clang". Now with the DSS 1 piece shaft in there that noise is gone. So on that point alone it was worth doing, if I get any decrease in lap times that will be a bonus. No vibration issues at all either.
 
215
210
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
SoCal
That's great news. I forgot about it taming down the clunk. :p I assume you did a quick run over 100 to make sure things are smooth?
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
That's great news. I forgot about it taming down the clunk. :p I assume you did a quick run over 100 to make sure things are smooth?

100 kilometres an hour, sure. But mph, that's going to wait to be done on a real race track. Getting caught on a highway at that speed around here is an instant ticket to walking instead of driving, for a long long time. And getting insurance after that? Fuggeddaboudit.
 
I’ve been chasing that stupid clunk ever since I lowered my car. It’s infuriating.

One thing I’d like to ask of you all: I’ve heard from some that when lowered, the 3.5” FRPP can hit the tunnel towards the rear. I used FRPP stuff to lower my car. Would I have an issue with the driveshaft contacting the tunnel?
 
I’ve been chasing that stupid clunk ever since I lowered my car. It’s infuriating.

One thing I’d like to ask of you all: I’ve heard from some that when lowered, the 3.5” FRPP can hit the tunnel towards the rear. I used FRPP stuff to lower my car. Would I have an issue with the driveshaft contacting the tunnel?

I've had the FRPP aluminum driveshaft for years now. I am lowered 2" all around with Maximum Motorsports Road and Track springs. Driveshaft works perfectly and never experience any problems. Never hit the tunnel either.

Not sure how low you'd have to be to experience that issue.
 
I've had the FRPP aluminum driveshaft for years now. I am lowered 2" all around with Maximum Motorsports Road and Track springs. Driveshaft works perfectly and never experience any problems. Never hit the tunnel either.

Not sure how low you'd have to be to experience that issue.
Man, I really appreciate the feedback. That helps me pull the trigger on what I’d like to do driveline wise.

My car was bought from a collector with 6,500 miles on it in Feb. I daily drive it, and she’s up to 11k now. I’ve heard about the trans issues, and am told it’s mostly around the clutch/shifter setup. I was planning on pulling the trans and doing the clutch, shifter, and driveshaft all at once. I was hesitant because of what I’d heard about clearance issues with the tunnel.

Your experience helps me feel better about it. I’ll look forward to doing the work now this winter!
 

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