Beefier half shafts available anywhere yet?

[mjr5150]

Hey ...I don't want Walt Disney anywhere near my car ....... .

Originally Posted by teahead

I wonder if cryogenics can make the OEM shafts stronger?!?

[tbyrne]

Originally Posted by kevenj

I'm playing Devil's advocate here....... but when someone comes out with Stronger half shafts - - and someone surely will - - THEN what is going to break? Differential?....... you beef up the weak link and something else is going to break. And it may be something much more expensive to fix. Just food for thought.

One thing leads to another... either because you want it or you need it

[hemiforever]

I have experienced a broken half shaft.


Better shot of the actual break.



The shaft is actually a Mercedes part. My dealer had to do reverse searches to get back to a Chrysler Part Number. The shaft alone (no labor) is nearly $1,100.00 and was not readily available (took 2 days to deliver). To change it the exhaust system has to be removed and the rear end dropped. It wasn't pretty!

[srt8danno]

I didn’t know they cost that much either. So you replaced your broken one with an OEM one?

[HalV48]

Originally Posted by hemiforever

I have experienced a broken half shaft.


Better shot of the actual break.



The shaft is actually a Mercedes part. My dealer had to do reverse searches to get back to a Chrysler Part Number. The shaft alone (no labor) is nearly $1,100.00 and was not readily available (took 2 days to deliver). To change it the exhaust system has to be removed and the rear end dropped. It wasn't pretty!

I'd look for a new dealer. Cost, if I remember right is like $575.00. I got mine at cost plus 10%, it was like $650.00 with tax.

Slow going on the halfshafts

[hemiforever]

You probably won't believe this but it happened on the dynomometer. We had two runs at approximately 405 HP at the wheels. I had Goodyear F1's on at the time.

The shaft was replaced with OEM parts.
The MSRP of the shaft is $956.77 + 2 Seals @ 11.25 ea + my 6% sales tax that's where I derived the "nearly $1,100.00" price which is overstated by $62.00. Fact; I didn't pay anything for the repair I have a great dealer.

If you would like to hear my theory as to why it broke please PM me.

[Hemi31]

Originally Posted by mjr5150

Not that I've seen and I've been looking everyday > We know HalV48 and Needforspeed are working on it as is Hemi31 ..I think . Drag radials were going to be my next move(still might be) ..then this half-shaft fiasco . I wonder if it was the Nitrous(violent shock) that did it . I'm running completely NA.........and am having traction issues at the track to say the least . Would love to try DR's .....maybe in the spring . Good luck , Mike.

I was working on a cheap spare since we share the axle stub(the part that breaks)with the 5.7 cars.But the U-joints are very different and will not swap out.So any easy swap is out of the question.Keeping your tires as the weak link till we get axles is you best bet.
BTW....AFAIC the next weak link is the driveshaft.If you go to hardened axles I would have a one piece driveshaft made up as well.

[hemiforever]

A quick fix is probably not possible unless some casting and/or forging magic can improve the strength of the shaft where the bearing race and splines are located. If strengthening is only possible by increasing the shaft diameter then bearings, hubs, seals and differential all have to be altered.
I was going to order DR's this spring but I'm not sure now. I thought I had an isolated incident.

[2006_Black_SRT]

Originally Posted by hemiforever

A quick fix is probably not possible unless some casting and/or forging magic can improve the strength of the shaft where the bearing race and splines are located. If strengthening is only possible by increasing the shaft diameter then bearings, hubs, seals and differential all have to be altered.
I was going to order DR's this spring but I'm not sure now. I thought I had an isolated incident.

Go read the SRT chat session. The SRT engineers said they used the biggest beefiest carriers and halfshafts that would fit into the Differential. As some of you may know...I came from the Corvette forum and this was always an ongoing discussion. basically after years of working with Chromolly splines and carbon fiber half shafts the final decision is IF YOU RUN SLICKS WITH IRS...IT IS NOT A MATTER OF IF IT WILL BREAK...BUT WHEN.
If you want to run slicks you need a solid rear...This was the reason ford went with the live real axel in the latest mustang. Read up on the new Cobra GT 500 and they are popping IRS's like pop corn.

There was a guy making 9" Ford independant rear suspensions but the shaft angles were so steep and the pumpkin so big there really was no IRS benifit left. Bottom line IRS is a handling feature...they were NEVER designed for drag racing...If that is what you want...you should fab up a solid rear 4 or 6 link set-up.