wrkhrd

Modifying/customizing a car is a hobby (or addiction?!) that most of us have and enjoy. In my opinion, many spend a lot of money for the appearance and modifications which can shorten the life of the car and engine for any given purpose, rather than modifications that actually can help the car and also be a foundation for future possible improvement. Taking off 20lb from your rotating mass is a huge gain and it is a lot of pressure off of the driveline and engine. This is a modification that actually may help the longevity of the car while improves the performance such responsiveness on the street and improve the time at the track. Besides when you start adding power adders such as SC or super charger and tunes, you want to be sure that you have taken care of the basics first.
Now we talk about the increase performance, who really NEED a stock 420hp engine on the street? really? Nobody in my opinion, but we are all addicted to it and we always want more!
At the end, let's be realist too, Ford has spent millions of dollars designing these cars and I am sure they many many reasons for having steel two piece DS, from their cost of build to safety and so forth. But again, it is a hobby at the end.
This is why I am researching them.

typesredline

So I'm reading Shaftmasters, DSS, and Axel Exchange so far.

Is it safe to say those are the 3 main ones for mustangs?

Also people say each has their benefit and we need to find which works best for what we want. Aren't they all essentially the same?

Thamac15

DSS I would say is different than all of them due to its design. Pretty sure it has a beefier u joint than all as well. Been awhile since I looked.

typesredline

That would make sense. The AE and SM "look" the same whereas the DSS has a design more similar to stock.

So why would someone do one over the other? One guy said he did DSS bc he was lowered. All 3 claim to not have any vibration issues. All 3 seem to be excellent quality. What would be the one to get for just normal use, not lowered, etc?

And other than cost I'm sure, why not get the oem cf one from the gt500?

Mustang259

I too thought this would be a good mod to help performance, but in the end the cost does not justify the gain, which is exactly what I was told by a well respected auto cross racer who does not run a one piece DS. the bottom line is if you want to spend your money there go for it but don't expect it to be a drastic improvement.
I chose to forget the DS upgrade as not cost effective, you may be different.

Thamac15

ONLY reason I got one was because I went forced induction and have plans to build the powertrain to be close to 800hp. Driveline was/is being upgraded to handle the power increase.

You'll hear you don't need it, it's a waste, and you do need it. Up to you.

Jazzman442

Thank you for the information. I am starting to understand the single DS. Most of the mustang mods are to use parts from the GT 500. Why dont you all just get a GT 500 DS?

kcoTiger

Have you priced a Shelby carbon fiber driveshaft?

Joeywhat

They really use CF from the factory?

In either event, I've seen aftermarket CF shafts going for just North or $1000, which isn't too bad if you're already shelling out $800 for an aluminum one. I'm not really sure if the extra weight reduction is really worthwhile, though...guess it's cool to say you've got a real carbon fiber part on your car

Thamac15

Yes, the 13-14 Shelby has a carbon fiber one piece. The DSS carbon fiber driveshaft for the GT is a couple hundred bucks more than their aluminum for the GT. There's a video on YouTube about how the Shelby made it to 200 mph. Search for it, it's a good watch.

2011 Kona Blue

You must not read many reviews from people who have one piece aluminum driveshafts. I'm very happy I got my one piece from AM (The Axle Exchange) and I don't track my car. Its insane that Ford uses a two piece for our vehicles. Less rotational mass provides faster off line acceleration and smoother ride.

typesredline

I've been researching a ton. I've found ton of popular companies.

Coast, Dynatech, Axle Exchange (Steeda and Shelby Store), DSS, Shaftmasters, etc.

I narrowed it down to the DSS.

My reasons are this. The Dynatech and AE are both excellent quality and have great looking welds. But for me, I'm not wanting to pull the pinion flange, leak gear oil, get the splines right, add more oil, etc.

The Shaftmasters looks great because they use that special u joint deal that bolts directly to the factory flange. Their customer service I've read is stellar. But the DS's seem to be hit or miss. Lots of threads that people love it. Some where they love it BUT get vibration at 130+ mph. And some that have had vibrations immediately, to find after sending it back that it lost its balance somehow. This was on both lowered and factory height cars.

The DSS at first turned me off bc it looks different than the rest using the rear cv joint (like the oem DS). It also uses an adapter type thing (not sure why it can't bolt right up since it looks just like oem in the rear). I read that adapters = bad. Even the Shaftmasters site talks about this.

But after more research, I found that adapters COULD be "bad" because the oem flange has to be super clean prior to install. The DSS adapter bolts to the DS first, not the flange. Also found that Shaftmasters used to use an adapter and said it was fine (another reason I got kinda turned off has their flip flop marketing).

Also read that in some designs the u joint piece in the rear doesn't play nice with lowered cars, and sometimes even factory height cars and it would require an UCA to fix the pinion angle. The cv joint on the DSS does not have this issue.

Finally, the fact that the DSS is balanced up to 9000 rpms and that they use very beefy components was a nice draw.

So I realized during this why people said to research and find the one that works best for you. From lowering mods, to install preference. They are all a bit different. These are exclusively my personal reasons for the choice.

Thamac15

Same reason I chose the DSS. Shoot jay@hypermotive a PM.

Jazzman442

No I have not looked at the prices. But If it is only a few hundred more that would be my vote.

I would love to see results on 2 of the same cars side by side one with the OEM DS and one with a One piece even the GT500 one. Has anyone seen this?

Thamac15

So which one are you going to get?

Stevedotmil

If you plan to upgrade your transmission to the Tremec it comes with a custom aluminum DS with included in the $3700 cost as well as the short shifter and ball. Why spend money twice? If not then hey, it's your money either way.

2011 Kona Blue

I can't say I have seen 2 of the same cars side by side, one with the OEM DS and other with one piece aluminium DS. Assuming both drivers are completely equal in driving skills, the car with the one piece aluminium driveshaft will be faster.

I'm not saying a whole lot faster but at least 1 and maybe 2 tenths faster. It has less rotational mass, therefore easier on the transmission and will accelerate faster from a dig. Not too mention having the one piece aluminium DS can easily handle speeds up to 140 mph and ride smooth and steady.

kcoTiger

A two-piece is weaker for two reasons: balance and parasitic power consumption. The more parts there are, the harder it is to stay balanced. Anything that has a mechanical joining--like the two-piece DS--is going to incorporate parasitic loss of power. You hear it every time you go from reverse to a forward gear; it's the clunk under the car made by the lash in the two-piece shaft.

Solid shafts are less forgiving and conserve more power, thus delivering more power faster to the differential. They're lighter as well. The catch is that they don't play well with pinched pinion angles and by their nature will put more stress on the gear boxes front and back--because there is no lash. No mechanical joint, no lash.

RE: CF shafts, I don't know how high of a quality aftermarket CF shafts are built with so I can't speak to their cost effectiveness. I do know that you'll pay more for the one sitting in my garage than you will another brand's CF shaft, but like everything Ford sells aftermarket, they like people to think they're **** proud of their stuff by pricing it high. in terms of quality, I can't differentiate. I just know that without the one I have on my 500, I wouldn't be able to reach 200mph in October.

cdynaco

That part is just not true Matt - though it seems to be a popular excuse that will not die. I've posted it several times from the engineer on Bullitt that used to post here before the TMS crash. For those with poor throttle/clutch coordination, search for 'clunk' elsewhere other than the CV joint. Plus, the Track-Lok clutch packs are not noise free for the FWD to Mustang crowd.

Yes it has more mass - for a reason. And yes it is a two piece - for safety reasons - of which aftermarket pieces bear little responsibility.

The carbon fiber (which was explored for the GT before it reached the GT500) is presumed to break away in disaster and therefore I am guessing is as safe as the two piece, though much more expensive.

https://themustangsource.com/f726/cl...2/#post6816836

PS: For the doubters, there are millions of FWD (not to mention 4X's) on the road that use CV joints on the front. Do they clunk? Only if they are defective and need replacing, correct?
So why do some Mustangers think Ford engineers can't engineer and build a quiet CV joint in a 2 piece driveshaft? When in fact what some drivers really need is better foot coordination.

Stevedotmil

My car hits over 140 all the time and the two piece is just fine.