Drive shaft

[14indy]

I would like to buy an Evolution Performance brand aluminum drive shaft for my 08 GT500. This accounts a 30 pound weight loss in rotating mass. This is a one piece shaft opposed to the factory 2 piece. Can anyone tell me why Ford uses this 2 piece drive shaft? Of course I will also have to install a drive shaft safety loop per NHRA standards.

[dwtalso]

I imagine they took into account clearance, NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), cost, shaft windup, and some desire to leave room for the aftermarket, and compared a "thicker" single shaft to a "thinner", segemented (two piece) shaft. In the end I'd imagine the segmented shaft is more "quiet" than a single piece shaft. The wheelbase on the S197 is longer than the SN95 so probably the driveshaft length is also longer and that extra length may have been enough for the NVH and windup issues to become important to the engineers.

[14indy]

What is S197 and SN95. Also, thank you for the quick reply dwtalso.

[dwtalso]

Those are Ford chassis designations for the last two series of Mustangs. Specifically the SN95 chassis was the 1994 - 2004 Mustang and the S197 is the 2005+ Mustang. The Fox chassis was 1979 -1993 and the community calls the pre-1979 chassis "classic". You'll also see/hear of New Edge Mustangs which are the 1999 - 2004 bodies, although the chassis was still SN95.

[me32]

the stock drive shaft is noisy, my old 03 cobra's drive shaft was quieter, i think ford wanted to save money. the Aluminum DS is not cheap, so they save money by not going with it, but it would have been a smarter move because then the EPA mpg would of went up some, less roating mass = more power to the ground with les fuel consumption

[14indy]

Thank you gentlemen! Has anyone out there installed this Evolution Performance shaft or their drive shaft loop? Also, what is NHRA's spec for how far from the front or rear of the drive shaft the safety loop has to be?

[me32]

Thank you gentlemen! Has anyone out there installed this Evolution Performance shaft or their drive shaft loop? Also, what is NHRA's spec for how far from the front or rear of the drive shaft the safety loop has to be?

i can't efford one yet so i have no idea,

[compgt900]

you cant tell much of a difference but if you havent got it yet look into a carbon fiber one i hear that they are better then the aluminum ones

[2007gt500]

You may also want to take a look at the Team Shelby website and search driveshaft and/or safety loops. A number of owners there have switched over to the aluminum one piece driveshaft and as Evolution is a site sponsor you can get some manufacturer specific info if you post the question.

There have also been some good discussions on safety loops and install issues with various vendors. Also, note that the 725 hp Supersnake conversion includes a changeover to a one piece aluminum driveshaft although no safety loop. From Ford's standpoint I think it simply came down to price, the two piece version is cheaper to manufacture and more forgiving on tolerance.

Good luck....

GT

[compgt900]

True and make sure you check the what diameter of drive shaft your wanting because soem of them aint fitting right and rubbing. these were things I ran into when I changed mine over. If you have any question I can give you the number to the guy who has built mine I am out of NC. We have been building and testing mine for over a year now to see what works with what and what seens to be working the best.