2 Piece Driveshaft or 1 piece? Can anyone explain pros and cons and design issues? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

55Designs · 08-23-2010, 07:44 PM

We are going to get a 1 piece unit soon in our last attempt to fix the rear driveline vibration. Its been checked that the 2 piece center bearing is a problem and dealers just replace parts but it comes back. Cars with bigger rubber and stiff race suspenions feel it more due to the increase road feel.

Now I know and have heard 2 piece units are designed to absorb more vibration than a single piece unit.

I was speaking to my engine builder and other old timer hot rodders and they said the single piece might make my vibration worse.

I am torn on whats the right choice before we plunk down over $1g

Can anyone shed light on this here and can explain both design pros and cons as I am not an expert by no means in these axle, driveshaft areas.

600hp-lpe · 08-23-2010, 08:08 PM

you will need to talk to both Hendrix-engineering and gforce1320. Both have driveshafts for the Camaro. I believe Gforce1320 has a 1 peice and hendrix has a 2 peice (from memory - I may have them backwards). Anyway, they are the only ones so far that have made driveshafts.

I don't have a recommendation for anything as I havn't upgraded mine yet.

Tallboy · 08-23-2010, 08:11 PM

Have you tried having the stock shafts re-balanced? A local driveshaft shop could do this easily, quickly, and inexpensively. It can make a world of difference.

GFORCE1320 · 08-23-2010, 09:14 PM

Give me a call tomorrow and I'll give you my take on why we only sell 1 piece driveshafts.
What we have found is that most of the vibration problems with 2 piece shafts are due to the fact that there are too many adapters and couplers in the equation that introduce vibrations.
A good 1 piece driveshaft will out perform a 2 piece any day of the week. 1 piece shafts give a firmer feel, are lighter and eat up less horsepower.
There is a reason you don't see 2 piece shafts in race cars and the real fast cars.
Our driveshafts come with a billet pinion yoke that gets rid of the OEM 3 finger yoke that is prone to bolts bending.
You also get rid of all the rubber couplers and the center support.
Now that is my take, I'm sure others have other opinions.

We've never had to have one of our 1 piece driveshafts rebalanced because of vibrations and we've sold a bunch of them. Now that is an excellent track record.
I attribute that success to both quality built driveshafts and precision cnc machined billet pinion yokes.

Thanks
Chris

Hendrix-Engineering · 08-23-2010, 09:43 PM

We have the only drive shafts that have been over 200 mph in street GTOs .This is street cars with our two piece ds.We have rear billit yokes as well.The two piece will always be smother and have a much,much higher critical speed.If you drive a 4000lb street car that you take to the track i wouldnt consider anything other than our two piece.If we can help you get a heavy duty drive shaft that will talk all the abuse you can throw at it but keep the smooth ride,give us a call.

55Designs · 08-24-2010, 07:12 AM

seems like biased opinions from both vendors not that its bad but I just dont know which way to turn. I am honestly doing this upgrade to our company demo car to eliminate vibration on the highway and high speed straights on the track. We are not drag racers and we are not that hard on the car. Its the OEM unit that just outright stinks. No driveshaft shop can balance the entire OEM assembly in NY metro area so I figure toss it for a new one.

Its so frustrating driving this car now at any speed above 65.

I will throw this message out to both G Force and Hendrix. What sort of warranty do you both promise regarding your shafts? What if we bought the shaft and it made the vibration worse what are our options?

GFORCE1320 · 08-24-2010, 08:03 AM

If our shaft vibrates, I'll give you a full refund.
Doesn't get any easier then that now does it

Thanks
Chris

hypurone · 08-24-2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 55Designs

seems like biased opinions from both vendors not that its bad but I just dont know which way to turn. I am honestly doing this upgrade to our company demo car to eliminate vibration on the highway and high speed straights on the track. We are not drag racers and we are not that hard on the car. Its the OEM unit that just outright stinks. No driveshaft shop can balance the entire OEM assembly in NY metro area so I figure toss it for a new one.

Its so frustrating driving this car now at any speed above 65.

I will throw this message out to both G Force and Hendrix. What sort of warranty do you both promise regarding your shafts? What if we bought the shaft and it made the vibration worse what are our options?

And you are positive it is the DS? Not a tire/wheel balance problem? Or a halfshaft problem? I have no vibrations, none, all the way up to insanely fast speeds. I am running the stock shaft on a not-so-stock car inc a supercharger.

I just have not seen a lot of DS issues in low mile cars in my many years when I was a tech but it is possible I'm sure. And it could be a faulty unit, maybe get it warranted?

GFORCE1320 · 08-24-2010, 09:37 AM

I agree, might not be the shaft. Could be the output shaft on the trans. We've seen slightly bent output shafts on GTO's cause lots of problems and it's very easy to overlook.

Thanks
Chris

Hendrix-Engineering · 08-24-2010, 10:23 AM

Hendrix Engineering makes there driveshaft using a new one of a kind balancer,we set the ride angle and we balance the front and rear portion at the same time but with seperate sensors.This is the only balancer that can do this,all while spinning 10,000 RPM!!!!!...If you do a little homework you will see Hendrix-Engineering has always been leaders in solving todays drivetrain needs.If you need us give us a call anytime after all this is what we do

east TX Muscle cars · 08-24-2010, 10:54 AM

I can say that in the GTO world i ran alot of different 1 piece shafts and the HE 2 piece was the best by far, thats why we started selling them. we took our 1000+ rwhp GTO to 191mph and it was as smooth as glass with the 2 piece from HE. We are also doing a big HP build right now and installing the HE 9' kit in it with a 2 piece and the car will be 750-800 rwhp. :-).

motorhead · 08-24-2010, 10:58 AM

Hendrick is the way to go for sure , but I wouldn't buy it until you nail down the problem for sure.

GFORCE1320 · 08-24-2010, 11:15 AM

If anyone has some spare time, read through our feedback threads on the GTO forums.
Here is one of the largest feedback threads on the GTO forum.
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthr...=307526&page=7

It's very important that people do some research and not only listen to what the manufacturers say but also see what the customers say.
Look for feedback on our 1 piece shafts and then look for feedback on 2 piece shafts, you will find that we own the GTO market hands down.

But I agree, I'd make sure it's your driveshaft first.

I'll give you a call Phil.

Thanks
Chris

Hendrix-Engineering · 08-24-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motorhead

Hendrick is the way to go for sure , but I wouldn't buy it until you nail down the problem for sure.

....Thanks,sincerly,Only 8 sec. GTO,et record,mph record,sixtyft record,six speed record

08-23-2010, 07:44 PM	#1
55Designs Drives: 2010 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Westchester NY Posts: 990	2 Piece Driveshaft or 1 piece? Can anyone explain pros and cons and design issues? We are going to get a 1 piece unit soon in our last attempt to fix the rear driveline vibration. Its been checked that the 2 piece center bearing is a problem and dealers just replace parts but it comes back. Cars with bigger rubber and stiff race suspenions feel it more due to the increase road feel. Now I know and have heard 2 piece units are designed to absorb more vibration than a single piece unit. I was speaking to my engine builder and other old timer hot rodders and they said the single piece might make my vibration worse. I am torn on whats the right choice before we plunk down over $1g Can anyone shed light on this here and can explain both design pros and cons as I am not an expert by no means in these axle, driveshaft areas.

08-23-2010, 08:08 PM	#2
600hp-lpe Drives: 2010 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NH Posts: 4,788	you will need to talk to both Hendrix-engineering and gforce1320. Both have driveshafts for the Camaro. I believe Gforce1320 has a 1 peice and hendrix has a 2 peice (from memory - I may have them backwards). Anyway, they are the only ones so far that have made driveshafts. I don't have a recommendation for anything as I havn't upgraded mine yet.

08-23-2010, 08:11 PM	#3
Tallboy Say "when"... Drives: 11 2LT Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 431	Have you tried having the stock shafts re-balanced? A local driveshaft shop could do this easily, quickly, and inexpensively. It can make a world of difference.

08-23-2010, 09:14 PM	#4
GFORCE1320 Drives: 05 GTO Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 1,243	Give me a call tomorrow and I'll give you my take on why we only sell 1 piece driveshafts. What we have found is that most of the vibration problems with 2 piece shafts are due to the fact that there are too many adapters and couplers in the equation that introduce vibrations. A good 1 piece driveshaft will out perform a 2 piece any day of the week. 1 piece shafts give a firmer feel, are lighter and eat up less horsepower. There is a reason you don't see 2 piece shafts in race cars and the real fast cars. Our driveshafts come with a billet pinion yoke that gets rid of the OEM 3 finger yoke that is prone to bolts bending. You also get rid of all the rubber couplers and the center support. Now that is my take, I'm sure others have other opinions. We've never had to have one of our 1 piece driveshafts rebalanced because of vibrations and we've sold a bunch of them. Now that is an excellent track record. I attribute that success to both quality built driveshafts and precision cnc machined billet pinion yokes. Thanks Chris

08-23-2010, 09:43 PM	#5
Hendrix-Engineering Account Suspended Drives: First 9 inch-12 bolt IRS Camaro Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: nc Posts: 1,835	We have the only drive shafts that have been over 200 mph in street GTOs .This is street cars with our two piece ds.We have rear billit yokes as well.The two piece will always be smother and have a much,much higher critical speed.If you drive a 4000lb street car that you take to the track i wouldnt consider anything other than our two piece.If we can help you get a heavy duty drive shaft that will talk all the abuse you can throw at it but keep the smooth ride,give us a call.

08-24-2010, 07:12 AM	#6
55Designs Drives: 2010 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Westchester NY Posts: 990	seems like biased opinions from both vendors not that its bad but I just dont know which way to turn. I am honestly doing this upgrade to our company demo car to eliminate vibration on the highway and high speed straights on the track. We are not drag racers and we are not that hard on the car. Its the OEM unit that just outright stinks. No driveshaft shop can balance the entire OEM assembly in NY metro area so I figure toss it for a new one. Its so frustrating driving this car now at any speed above 65. I will throw this message out to both G Force and Hendrix. What sort of warranty do you both promise regarding your shafts? What if we bought the shaft and it made the vibration worse what are our options?

08-24-2010, 08:03 AM	#7
GFORCE1320 Drives: 05 GTO Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 1,243	If our shaft vibrates, I'll give you a full refund. Doesn't get any easier then that now does it Thanks Chris

08-24-2010, 09:37 AM	#9
GFORCE1320 Drives: 05 GTO Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 1,243	I agree, might not be the shaft. Could be the output shaft on the trans. We've seen slightly bent output shafts on GTO's cause lots of problems and it's very easy to overlook. Thanks Chris

08-24-2010, 10:23 AM	#10
Hendrix-Engineering Account Suspended Drives: First 9 inch-12 bolt IRS Camaro Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: nc Posts: 1,835	Hendrix Engineering makes there driveshaft using a new one of a kind balancer,we set the ride angle and we balance the front and rear portion at the same time but with seperate sensors.This is the only balancer that can do this,all while spinning 10,000 RPM!!!!!...If you do a little homework you will see Hendrix-Engineering has always been leaders in solving todays drivetrain needs.If you need us give us a call anytime after all this is what we do

08-24-2010, 10:54 AM	#11
east TX Muscle cars Drives: 2x 05 Vettes/65'AC cobra/68 camaro Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: LONGVIEW, TEXAS Posts: 845	I can say that in the GTO world i ran alot of different 1 piece shafts and the HE 2 piece was the best by far, thats why we started selling them. we took our 1000+ rwhp GTO to 191mph and it was as smooth as glass with the 2 piece from HE. We are also doing a big HP build right now and installing the HE 9' kit in it with a 2 piece and the car will be 750-800 rwhp. :-).

08-24-2010, 10:58 AM	#12
motorhead Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Downtown Charlie Brown Posts: 11,850	Hendrick is the way to go for sure , but I wouldn't buy it until you nail down the problem for sure.

08-24-2010, 11:15 AM	#13
GFORCE1320 Drives: 05 GTO Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 1,243	If anyone has some spare time, read through our feedback threads on the GTO forums. Here is one of the largest feedback threads on the GTO forum. http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthr...=307526&page=7 It's very important that people do some research and not only listen to what the manufacturers say but also see what the customers say. Look for feedback on our 1 piece shafts and then look for feedback on 2 piece shafts, you will find that we own the GTO market hands down. But I agree, I'd make sure it's your driveshaft first. I'll give you a call Phil. Thanks Chris