Propshafts. If you’re a car enthusiast, you already know that the propshaft is what helps bring the drive train to life, and therefore driving in general. It’s all about the torque, baby. But if you aren’t careful, you have to make sure that you keep a good eye on your propshafts, because they are susceptible to a lot of stress. You have not only shear stress, but torsion as well. Everything also has to be weighted properly, because if a driving shaft is too heavy, it would drag on the other components of the drive train too much.
But enough physics. You need to know how to protect your prop shaft more than you need to know about how all of the mechanics work. There are a few tips that you ought to keep in mind when you’re trying to keep the parts working well for a long time to come.
What’s the top protector of prop shafts everywhere? Why, grease of course! If you’re working on a vehicle that is going to take a heavy beating day to day, then you need to keep those shafts as lubricated as possible. Remember that so much of your vehicle’s movement is going to depend on how well your drive shafts are working.
By the way, have you considered swapping out one propshaft for another? Changing the angle of your propshaft is recommended before you make other modifications. Going off road is usually one of the top reasons people start looking at how to move the angle of their current shaft. Before you can go off road and get all muddy, however, you need to consider switching to a ‘shaft with a wider angle.
Going to 30 degrees instead of the standard 2-3 degrees will help your prop shafts bear stress better than if you just stick with the stock models.
Part of maintenance is knowing how to replace a shaft gone bad, which means that you need to know how to measure it. The wrong measurement will weaken the entire system, if not halt movement altogether. You should measure the prop shaft while it’s closed, and just move from one end to the other.
Paying attention to the way your car feels as you go on the road will often tell you a lot. If you’re having trouble controlling the vehicle, accelerating, or getting power, it isn’t a bad idea to consider the propshaft might need to be replaced or at least greased up to prevent a breakdown. Speaking of replacements, check out Driveshaft Solutions. They excel at answering in-depth questions about all things torque, muscle, and propshafts.
Stay safe out there, gearheads!