Lightweight Driveshaft: worth it?

[Admired]

Is a aluminum or carbon drive shaft worth the buy for the performance gained? I have an auto and ive heard people complaining about the aluminum ones chattering and vibrating wildy. Is this something you will only hear under a quiet exhaust idle and what kind of throttle response /acceleration gains would you see with one?

[Captain Snooze]

1/ Lightening the drive train has its biggest effect in 1st gear and decreasing effect the higher the gear.
2/ Carbon fibre is springy and will absorb some drive train shock.
3/ Is it worth it? Depends on who you ask. Seriously.

Related posts:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34569
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18364

[Yoniyama]

There are several modification that can be made to improve acceleration by reducing the rotational inertia. In terms of 'bang for the buck', they include:

1 Light weight pulleys ($200 to $500) - best value and you can feel the difference at all rpm;

2 Super-light wheels ($200 to $600 each) - a 14lb wheel (vs 21lb stock) will be noticeable, but a 17lb wheel will not be noticeable;

If you have already done the above, the next step will be a light-weight drive-shaft. Get a carbon graphite one (for about $1,000) if you don't want a lot of noise and rattling. The improvement is noticeable, but not significant. I am happy with my carbon graphite one - no rattling or more noise.

For those with a manual transmission, a lighter flywheel ($500 to $800) will also improve acceleration noticeably. I got a 15lb flywheel, (and not a 11lb or 12lb one), so the car is still driveable in slow traffic.

[Jason@DSG]

I'm a huge advocate of reducing rotational weight in wheels and the drivetrain. The "feel" is substantial and I have a lot of happy customers running the PST driveshaft.

[WatchmaN]

No at all, only for weight thats it. If you release 1hp to the wheels you'll be happy. Go for light wheels, light flywheel.

[calibrz]

is Light weight pulleys really work??? i heard bads over goods from local drivers, they told light pulley didn't do much.

[sunset_blvd]

Originally Posted by Yoniyama

For those with a manual transmission, a lighter flywheel ($500 to $800) will also improve acceleration noticeably. I got a 15lb flywheel, (and not a 11lb or 12lb one), so the car is still driveable in slow traffic.

One thing I have been disappointed with on the FRS is how incredibly heavy the flywheel seems. Is it all flywheel, or does it have to do with some throttle hang programmed into the ECU?

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by sunset_blvd

One thing I have been disappointed with on the FRS is how incredibly heavy the flywheel seems. Is it all flywheel, or does it have to do with some throttle hang programmed into the ECU?

No idea, but i think the throttle latency is something like 15% or something ridiculously high if I recall.

[Cjymiller]

Originally Posted by calibrz

is Light weight pulleys really work??? i heard bads over goods from local drivers, they told light pulley didn't do much.

I installed the light weight pulley a few weeks ago and my 1st gear lugging is much much better. Also the rev matches are smoother and less throttle effort. Car seem peppier. Definitely an improvement for ~$100. You can always find them used on the for sale threads.

[cf6mech]

Went to lighter wheels.....lighter clutch/flywheel.....and lighter carbon fiber driveshaft by DRIVE SHAFT SHOP....they all made a difference. Did this all incrementally and noticed each change....The stock drive shaft is a boat anchor compared to the carbon model....very heavy in comparison....go with the carbon a few hundred extra for less noise.....not a fan of changing pulleys.

[Poodles]

Not going to notice a lot with an auto... Just the nature of having a fluid coupling (torque converter)

[kodyo]

For what it's worth, I went to a set of older SSR type C wheels and felt practically no noticable difference and they were significantly lighter than stock. To each their own I guess.

I may try the pulleys/drive shaft in the future if I run out of other things to change.

[xmadror]

I went with lighter wheels (15.6 pounds) and the ride is not as harsh on bad road as it was. Didn't noticed much in term of performance though and since I did instal a K&N air filter at the same time I would assume that's were the very small performance gain came from.

I might do pulleys in the future but not so sure about the driveshaft/flywheel/clutch.

[stockysnail]

I have the lightweight pulley and had the lightweight drive shaft. I think I noticed a little something but not much if I did notice something. Save your money for a turbo or supercharger if you want more power and if you want better cornering and speed get the stickiest tires available, RE-11 or AD08 for non-R compound or R888 or similar for street legal R compound. Don't skimp on tires as they are the most important thing you can do to your car. Wheels you can skimp on as they aren't as important.