ae86 single piece tailshaft

[dava]

Heyas,

I was thinking about getting a single piece tail shaft custom made for my ae86 (T50 -> T series diff).

Anyone who's done this before got any advice about:

- advantages/disadvantages of single vs 2 piece
- who in Perth should I get to do this (I've heard Veem or Truckline)
- exact length or any other specs I might need

Cheers
Daniel

[Jonny Rochester]

I don't know the advantage of going to a 1 piece, except it maybe slightly lighter. But you have to use a tailshaft loop for competition anyhow. No point realy. 2 piece is designed as a better system, due to less vibration, and it fits your vehicle. 1 piece is for custom setups.

[Hen may possibly be a nut]

I tend to agree with Jonny. A single piece tailshaft will work, but will be money wasted in a standard setup.

[dava]

Fair enough.

My centre bearing is on it's way out atm, so I'm weighing up my options. I just don't want to waste my money on a 2nd hand replacement 2 piece if it's worth going for a single piece upgrade.

[lo_rolla]

Would you perhaps use a 1 piece tail shaft in a rather serious build? Still T-50 to what ever diff Mr Japanese Man out it?

I've heard of some one gaining 15-20Hp at the wheels going to a single peice.

[Hen may possibly be a nut]

^^ I've also heard of someone speaking out of their arse.

If a two piece tailshaft really wasted 15-20hp in any situation it would melt the unis/bearing in a few seconds.

I'd only go a one piece if you needed a custom tailshaft in the first place. Not if Mr Toyota has already built a 2 piece that suits.

Hen

[lo_rolla]

Sweet as man.,
I've already bought my new one so it doesn't matter any way.

[ae71dwrifda]

i wouldnt mind knowing how much shorter a jdm tail shaft is compared to an adm one.

[gumbie]

I replaced my 2 peice tail shaft because it was cheaper to get a 1 peice made then it was to replace the center bearing, Car feels abit more ridged now aswell.

[Jonny Rochester]

You can buy the centre bearing new from a few places. Shop around for prices.

To me, the 2 piece setup seams like it would be very safe. And the idea of it is to reduce vibration.

With a 1 piece, especialy a custom one, it is something that can go very wrong. If your diff is at the wrong angle, the uni joints will get chopped out in a short time. And if they have any movement at all, you will know about it at 120km/h. If the front uni breaks, it can pole valt the car.

But... on GranTurismo 4 (an authority because they now design real cars), you can upgrade your Levin tailshaft for a carbon fibre 1 piece.

[awang]

is there any truth? using a 1 piece tailshaft will give minimum drivetrain loss than using a 2 piece tailshaft?

i saw the carbon fibre 1 piece tailshaft for sale in club4ag

[Jonny Rochester]

You only have to think about it yourself. A 2 piece shaft has an extra uni joint and an extra ball bearing. So yes, the 1 piece uses less energy and provides more efficient transfer. It is up to you to work out by how much (and we all guess it is a very small amount).

On a Toyota 1 piece shaft (such as TA22 Celica), and the rear half of a 2 piece shaft (such as RA23 Celica or AE86 Sprinter) there is some rubber. If your custom tailshaft does not have the rubber insulator/coupling then that is what has caused the dirrect feeling.

[H8CHIR6KU]

yeah i will be using a custom 1 piece tailshaft in my drift car. there isnt much advantage but for $250 you cant complain. the only advantage really is direct drive from gearbox to diff. a 2 peice shaft takes more energy to spin than a 1 piece shaft. but like johnny pointed out they are designed as a 2 peice for drivability.

but as for my car fully stripped, spot welded and rock hard suspension comfort is hardly a concern. my only concern is getting the wheels spinning and i think a 1 peice would do a better job of it

if your car is fairly low i wouldn't worry about flogging out unis as the whole setup is fairly straight. but if you worry about that just ask them to make a custom shaft with beefier unis.

and after all the majority of old school v8s run a 1 peice and those machines put out fair amounts of torque, and usually you see them breaking bell housings before shafts. (well i have anyway on numerous occasions)

if your in perth there is a driveshaft specialist on collingwood street in osbourne park. they do customs for alot of american muscle cars and other drag cars. they also made our 1 peice shaft for our rb25 180sx drift car

[todd]

might grab those details off of you aaron, ill be needing a 1 piece for a W conversion soon :)

[dava]

Thanks for the tip, I ended up heading to Driveshaft Balancing Services in Osborne Park and dealt with Rex who sorted me out with a 1 piece shaft for my AE86.

They were pretty hard to track down - so here's their website.
http://www.tailshaft.com.au/