Steel is more durable than aluminum, hands down no questions about it. I have NO idea why the factory ever used an aluminum shaft. If nothing else, they cost more than steel and it's also harder to attach a steel spline to an aluminum shaft. At some point you get an alumin to steel interface and run the risk of galvanizing the two together, or if they're loose, the aluminum will frett and wear. I would only use aluminum in a race application where I absolutely had to have another .010 off my ET. That's my professional engineering opinion.
Don't recall where I suggested using a stock one in a high performance application. Hell, my grandpa had an '02 F150 that had an aluminum shaft also, not a single problem in the 86,000 miles he owned that truck. It was driven off road and pulled cars around too. His Aerostar has 336,000 miles on it, with the original aluminum shaft. Thankfully, road salt is not and issue down here. If dozens of people a week are having problems with their aluminum drive shafts under normal conditions at just that one shop, it seems that would be a much more wide spread problem. It sounds to me more like people using the wrong drive shaft for the wrong application, or just flat out abusing their cars. I see taxi cab crown vics at the junkyard with 300,000-600,000 miles on them with aluminum drive shafts. Both my cars, my Fiat and Maverick, will have aluminum shafts.
aluminum is also less drag on the car.. race cars use aluminum driveshafts to help with performance.. i would have bought one if i had the money
Well, the shaft that I have appears to have suffered from what you say...wasn't a failed u-joint as much as a failed yoke. Kinda convinces me, I guess. Anyone want to buy an aluminum drive shaft?
Sorry Jamie not trying to start a pissing contest just stating what i have seen.You mentioned the 800 + hp shafts and was just noting that they are definately different than a stock one.When i say my uncle sees lots of aluminum shafts every week it's like 5-8 of them sometimes less sometimes more.They also do snowplows,rear ends and complete 4x4 work lifts etc.So they don't survive on driveshafts alone.Maybee it has something to do with the weather conditions the shafts are subject to that we see so many failures I don't know,but there is alot of Ford and GM trucks running around here with steel shafts in them now. I would really like to see some real world numbers (1/4 Mile ET/MPH) on steel vs Aluminum to see if they are worth any performance gains.
here you go...:Handshake stmanser:::aluminum is also less drag on the car.. race cars use aluminum driveshafts to help with performance.. i would have bought one if i had the money
O yeah.....well take this: i would say in a race application.. no.. not worth it or needed. FFJ :Handshake
IMO in itself it isn't likely gonna register much of anything at all. However as a systems approach and putting a car on a diet..... they say 100lbs is worth .10
That means I'm good for .269! If I could just figure out how to get my car down the track without me in it.
Yea, I tend to lump the two together, an 02 would be an AOD-E or 4R70W. The OD was noticeably bigger, even before I checked it with the dial calipers. It was somewhere between a C-4 & C-6 diameter. If I have time, I'll check to see if there's a seal to adapt it to a C-4.
