DSS aluminum driveshaft

[AlleyCat]

I have had this sitting in my garage for around 2-3 years. According to dss this is the updated one. I have the dss carbon fiber one on now. Once I get to 60 plus mph it starts to vibrate some. Some people are stating the cf and aluminum one weigh the same. 25-26 pounds. I just put the aluminum one on the scale. 31.2 pounds with the box and included hardware. But I also read that direct rotating weight straight from the engine or transmission is not as bad as extra weight on the corners. Ie brake rotors, wheels, tires. Is that true? Is the dss aluminum shaft good?

 

[DavidKFla]

I have 1 sitting in my garage. Personally, I would only use it for the track. Less NVH with stock. Just my opinion.

 

[AlleyCat]

I was reading that rotational weight from the driveshaft is negligible in terms of gaining horsepower. That forward weight from wheels, etc. do make a difference. I do not understand the physics of it. Yeah I was just hoping to save 1400 dollars as this one has been in my garage and the carbon fiber one I believe is causing some vibration. It is a dss one.

 

[Linda's Hell Cat]

Make sure that the drive shaft and exhaust are not touching, especially up near the front.
If so that could be your vibration, but it also could cut your drive shaft like a circular saw.

I spoke to Frank Rehak ( former owner) a few years back and he told me that the CF was actually stronger because they put a coating on it.
If you have the Diff brace that is the "Best Peace of Mind" part install on my Hellcat.

 

[DavidKFla]

I was reading that rotational weight from the driveshaft is negligible in terms of gaining horsepower. That forward weight from wheels, etc. do make a difference. I do not understand the physics of it. Yeah I was just hoping to save 1400 dollars as this one has been in my garage and the carbon fiber one I believe is causing some vibration. It is a dss one.

With a 1 piece you need to lock out your rear subframe. The forward motion without it can break your transmission.

 

[AlleyCat]

With a 1 piece you need to lock out your rear subframe. The forward motion without it can break your transmission.

I am positive I have those cradle lockouts installed. My memory is not the greatest. But I think they were rubber type round frisbee looking? It was a few years ago.

 

[DavidKFla]

I am positive I have those cradle lockouts installed. My memory is not the greatest. But I think they were rubber type round frisbee looking? It was a few years ago.

👍

I thinking about going back to stock bushings.

 

[Unholy707]

You’ll get more vibration with the aluminum one over the carbon fiber. I have one sitting on my shelf because it vibrates so bad. Went to a redeye driveshaft and have 20+ track passes on it

 

[vortecd]

I must be the luckiest person ever. I have had plenty of aluminum ds is different cars and non vibrated so I never understand when people say this

 

[Unholy707]

I must be the luckiest person ever. I have had plenty of aluminum ds is different cars and non vibrated so I never understand when people say this

You are

 

[ostmike]

With a 1 piece you need to lock out your rear subframe. The forward motion without it can break your transmission.

By far the most important item in a DSS one piece driveshaft install in a car that 60's quicker than 1.4x. The forward motion will most likely break your DS first but the trans would be an issue eventually.
It took awhile to convince DSS of this but with enough pictures they eventually made it a requirement to have their driveshaft covered by warranty. No cradle locks, no warranty.

 

[Unholy707]

By far the most important item in a DSS one piece driveshaft install in a car that 60's quicker than 1.4x. The forward motion will most likely break your DS first but the trans would be an issue eventually.
It took awhile to convince DSS of this but with enough pictures they eventually made it a requirement to have their driveshaft covered by warranty. No cradle locks, no warranty.

I use cradle locks with my redeye driveshaft. I didn’t know they warranty their driveshafts now, pretty difficult/expensive to ship them

 

[ACMAVRO]

I must be the luckiest person ever. I have had plenty of aluminum ds is different cars and non vibrated so I never understand when people say this

2nd that. I’ve had my aluminum one off and on a few times, and I’ve never noticed a difference from stock even up to 150ish. Knock on wood I guess

 

[Forgedrod]

By far the most important item in a DSS one piece driveshaft install in a car that 60's quicker than 1.4x. The forward motion will most likely break your DS first but the trans would be an issue eventually.
It took awhile to convince DSS of this but with enough pictures they eventually made it a requirement to have their driveshaft covered by warranty. No cradle locks, no warranty.

Is the cradle lock enough too protect the trans? if lock is preventing forward movement, is a differential brace still needed?

 

[DavidKFla]

Is the cradle lock enough too protect the trans? if lock is preventing forward movement, is a differential brace still needed?

Yes. Keep the diff brace.

 

[ostmike]

Is the cradle lock enough too protect the trans? if lock is preventing forward movement, is a differential brace still needed?

The cradle lock is going to be the most critical item when upgrading to a one piece DS.
The diff brace serves a separate purpose,

 

[Marc W]

The cradle lock is going to be the most critical item when upgrading to a one piece DS.
The diff brace serves a separate purpose,

X2. Having learned what I have over the years now with these cars…. If you are going to run at a track with drag tires…. Locking the cradle down would be the first thing I would do. Followed by the full diff brace and then control arms.

 

[AlleyCat]

So back peddling a bit. Nothing has been formally diagnosed. Here are the symptoms. On wot there is no vibration. Zero. No misses. Pulls very strong. When cruising as soon as I start hitting 60 plus I start to feel the vibration. Gets worse with higher cruising speeds. Wheels and tires have been rebalanced. New redeye axles. No vibration when I rest my hand on the shifter for the automatic transmission. So that’s where I’m at.

 

[Unholy707]

There’s been extensive posts on this. Your cradles are probably out of alignment.

 

[Unholy707]

You said car was dropped off a lift, you hit something, and has been apart for mods. I bet front/rear cradles are loose/tweaked. You said you got everything rebalanced, what about aligned? And yes, wheels will still be “in spec” with tweaked cradles. Honestly, I would have sold it after it was dropped - would never expect the car to go straight after that