Driveshaft toughening

[db484bhpv8]

Ive managed to snap a few driveshafts in my IRS TVR Chimaera.
I am a regular at the drag strips and use Mickey Thompson street radials and nitrous oxide.
So i have plenty of grip and power but the standard driveshafts cant take a full power launch.

I approached Dave Mac to have a pair of so called indestructable ones made up but the quote was twice that i expected.

Are there any other manufacturers? Or maybe I could get my current shafts heat treated in some way.

All ideas appreciated. I need to get this sorted before the first race meeting at Easter.

[db484bhpv8]

PhillipM said:

What kind of price?
£2-300 per shaft for hardened S255 is about par for the course for ours, albiet they're pretty long (30"+) and have 6" of spline engagement on the CV's to cut.

The shafts were quoted at £295 each + VAT so not far from that i guess.
There were also 4 CV joints at £49 + VAT each so the bill came to £943 + delivery.

I am considering trying cryogenic treatment of my current shafts

[db484bhpv8]

Its the standard TVR driveshaft that i have been breaking. Luckily i have managed to find replacements for beer tokens upto now.
I have over 500 bhp at my disposal with the nitrous but can only give the launch a 'blip' of stage 1 in first gear. Probably about 350bhp, anymore breaks the shaft. Once away and into 2nd its fine. I have all the grip i need if i smoke the MT radials. So now i just do a mild burnout and all is fine. I can run 1.70 to 60 foot but know the car is capable of 1.5's

The BTR diff should be strong enough to cope at this level.
The T5 gearbox could be the weak link but has some modifications and is healthy at the moment.

I have ran 10.89 @ 129 and the aim is to try and get down to 10.60 to take the current TVR record which is held be an LS3 powered Cerbera.
I believe i can get there with the harder launch.

[db484bhpv8]

NormanD said:

How about not using Nitrous in fist, just to get the car rolling then nitrous from second gear onwards

Could find that even quicker as your not just burning rubber off the line

If i do a decent burnout then there is no wheelspin whatsoever from the line no matter how much nitrous i try and introduce.
I have found the point which i can launch without breaking a driveshaft but this isnt good enough. Hence stronger shafts required.

[db484bhpv8]

turbonutter said:

Have you tried Launching in second gear - or is that not an option due to the ratio being too high....

I now have a 3.08:1 diff and the car hits 75+ in 2nd so yes a little long geared.

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plasticman said:

I think you will find Topcats can supply an uprated driveshaft

Will these be the same as 'Raceproved' shafts?
There are a few of us refer to them as 'Racefaileds'
I spent the sort of money that we are talking about for bespoke shafts with Raceproved and snapped both of them.

[db484bhpv8]

db484bhpv8 said:

plasticman said:

I think you will find Topcats can supply an uprated driveshaft

Will these be the same as 'Raceproved' shafts?
There are a few of us refer to them as 'Racefaileds'
I spent the sort of money that we are talking about for bespoke shafts with Raceproved and snapped both of them.

Topcats quote £350 each with a lead time 6-8 weeks.
Say they are gun barrle bored out to 12mm and much lighter and stronget. Claim none of their race cars have broken one yet. But they dont launch on sticky MTs do they