1 Piece Driveshaft Decisions

[Kr240sx]

So I am gonna order a 1 piece driveshaft for the VLSD im swapping in since the old DS is beat. The aluminum is 5 lbs lighter and only $50 more but I have heard it has more flex and can be noisy compared to the Steel. And although the Steel is heavier (less power free'd up) I heard its stiffness can result in a more responsive or snappy feeling. Can anyone who has used these give me some feedback, advice or suggestions? Thanks guys

[EsChassisLove]

Go with steel. Even though you will probably never make enough torque to really flex an aluminum DS. JUST in case you do, the steel DS is "snappier" so to speak.

I have the steel. Def helps transfer more torque to the wheels.

[Kr240sx]

Could you feel the difference right away after installing it? Thanks for your input

[Edwin562]

Originally Posted by Kr240sx

Could you feel the difference right away after installing it? Thanks for your input

from friends who do have a 1 piece DS, they have told me car is way more responsive... and its a worthy of an upgrade.

[theboy]

whats your intentions for the car? Are you racing it on a track? What motor/trans are you running? How long do you plan to run them? VLSD are garbage. Your better off welding your open.

Also, an aluminum drive shaft, if made correctly should have 0 flex and be lighter than steel. It should also feel better than a steel shaft. Theres no real point to go one piece if the car is a daily driver.

[Kr240sx]

Well it is just a street car now my daily driver only in the summer. Eventually it will only be a weekend or nice day car once I get out of school and buy another daily. I still have the stock ka24e which will be swapped out for an SR in a year or so. The VLSD came out of another 240 which I drove and it locks up fantastic, once it dies I will shim it or get a tomei to drop in.

the reason Im going 1 piece is the fact that I have already done suspension and now am working on driveline, trying to make my car the best it can without putting money into the motor setup I will eventually be swapping. This driveshaft will be beneficial now and when I swap my car, thats how I see it.

Plus, i need a driveshaft regardless so I may as well replace it with a quality aftermarket piece.

[Edwin562]

Originally Posted by Kr240sx

^ Can you recall if these friends had steel or aluminum Driveshafts?

sorry about that, most of them who have a 1 pc had aluminum.

[theboy]

Originally Posted by Kr240sx

Well it is just a street car now my daily driver only in the summer. Eventually it will only be a weekend or nice day car once I get out of school and buy another daily. I still have the stock ka24e which will be swapped out for an SR in a year or so. The VLSD came out of another 240 which I drove and it locks up fantastic, once it dies I will shim it or get a tomei to drop in.

the reason Im going 1 piece is the fact that I have already done suspension and now am working on driveline, trying to make my car the best it can without putting money into the motor setup I will eventually be swapping. This driveshaft will be beneficial now and when I swap my car, thats how I see it.

Plus, i need a driveshaft regardless so I may as well replace it with a quality aftermarket piece.

you do realize that the drive shaft for the ka and the drive shaft for the sr are different? So youll be spending the money for a drive shaft twice. Why do you "need" a new drive shaft? Your seriously better off finding a better used one than yours and then spending the money when you do the swap. But its not my money so you do what you want with it.

[Kr240sx]

Different lengths? I was 99% sure they are the same length.

And secondly, My old driveshaft is beat and the bushing has exploded. So I need to fix this one or buy another one, and with that being said I would rather spend the extra money on something that would be beneficial to my car then an old sloppy 2 piece. But it does not matter I dont need to convince you why I "need" one it is my decision, my money, and my car.

[Edwin562]

Originally Posted by Kr240sx

Different lengths? I was 99% sure they are the same length.

And secondly, My old driveshaft is beat and the bushing has exploded. So I need to fix this one or buy another one, and with that being said I would rather spend the extra money on something that would be beneficial to my car then an old sloppy 2 piece. But it does not matter I dont need to convince you why I "need" one it is my decision, my money, and my car.

agreed, when i swapped in my SR on my coupe. i used the KA DS on my SR and it handled great, no leaks....

[Kr240sx]

And theboy, I hate to make assumptions but so far you have only insisted on me welding my diff and 2 remain with a stock 2 piece driveshaft. You and me must have different mindsets because my car willl never get a ghetto welded diff or an old ass driveshaft, I am looking to obtain something of QUALITY not simply getting the car going at the cheapest and make-shift way. No offense but I would say this is the reasoning for our different opinions.

[EsChassisLove]

Haha if its a ka just get a stocker.

Edit..Nvm...same length. Get a DS from the Ds shop

[Edwin562]

Originally Posted by Kr240sx

And theboy, I hate to make assumptions but so far you have only insisted on me welding my diff and 2 remain with a stock 2 piece driveshaft. You and me must have different mindsets because my car willl never get a ghetto welded diff or an old ass driveshaft, I am looking to obtain something of QUALITY not simply getting the car going at the cheapest and make-shift way. No offense but I would say this is the reasoning for our different opinions.

well said...

[Kr240sx]

Shaftmasters is a better price and cheaper shipping so I think I will go with them, any one using one notice better gas mileage or any noises? Thanks

[Edwin562]

Here is a link for shaftmasters for the 240sx category.

Nissan 240SX Driveshaft Replacement

and here is for the Driveshaft shop

The Driveshaft Shop | Nissan - Import Driveshafts

i say price wise, they are pretty much in the same ball park.. but The driveshaft shop is a bit more expensive... i seen more positive feedback on The driveshaft shop DS and i never heard of shaftmasters... so me personally i would go The driveshaft shop.

[Tkwjh07]

I just installed a 1pc stell ds from shaftmaster, i like it, it feels alot better than stock, alot lighter than stock too but not as light as the aluminum. I wanted to go with the aluminum but shaftmaster told me there was a 2 month wait on the aluminum so i went with steel only because my ds was really beaten up.

[Kr240sx]

I have been put on a waiting list to get my Aluminum Driveshaft from Shaft masters. But I am reading up on shimming my vlsd, maybe just a new stock size shim or a little bigger, anyone have any input on shimming?

[bladetech8]

I bought a ShaftMasters (SM) 1pc aluminum drive shaft back in Oct' 09 and been running it since in my S13 (weekend mountain carver). It's definitely a quality piece equivalent to the quality you get from the DriveShaft Shop (DSS). You'll get replaceable 1310 series u-joints on the SM driveshafts, but you don't get the re-greaseable zerk fittings that come on the DSS units. That being said, I didn't think regreasable fittings was that necessary; personally I'd just replace the u-joints down the road with 1310 series SPICER ones.


Performance-wise, you will feel and notice first off is a more freely revving motor, especially when applying more than 50% throttle. You won't gain any HP/TQ, but you will feel the rev's climb a tiny bit quicker when laying the hammer down. Also the responsiveness of the power delivery is quite noticeably different. The car feels so much more responsive inbetween on/off throttle applications (e.g. mid-drift or out of corner acceleration).

Comfort-wise, you'll definitely hear the driveline a lot more.. It sounds like a secondary exhaust note that gets louder as the rev's climb. I can hear the diff gears meshing at bit more and I can now hear the backlash in the diff when on and off the throttle. It's very subtle but I can hear everything thanks to the subframe collars and polyurethane subframe bushings. I love performance-oriented sounds so I don't mind at all. If you're concerned about having a smooth and quiet ride, then don't get a 1pc driveshaft. Hence why Nissan didn't put one in there stock.

[Kr240sx]

^ Thanks a lot for the response man I really appreciate the input, I am deffinetly getting an Aluminum one from ShaftMasters when it is ready. Sound isn't too much of an Issue and if it is ill turn the radio up!

[drift freaq]

Originally Posted by theboy

you do realize that the drive shaft for the ka and the drive shaft for the sr are different?

I guess you did not know or realize the driveshaft for the KA can be interchanged with the SR. S13 SR will fit S13 KA same as S14SR will S14KA.

They are exactly the same length and have the same input splines. The only real difference is the s13 KA driveshaft has the funny big old rubber coupler for extra damping and the S13 SR one did not.

If you are going to post info post correct info.

[Tantwoforty]

have you ever thought of junkyarding a long steel 1 piece from a econo van and having a shop cut it and put your ends on it?
you can find a alu one to...

its cheap as hell..

[Kr240sx]

^ No I have not, but to be honest this is a piece i will hold on to for the duration of my 240's life, So to me it is a worthy investment. Plus wouldn't balancing be an issue? Still trying to figure out if I want to shim this vlsd, gonna make a new post soon..........

[bladetech8]

np!

Yeah I'd definitely wouldn't mind the wait to get the aluminum one for sure. Never cared enough about gas mileage on my 240, so I have no comment on that one.

While you're waiting, I'd order a new rear main seal from Nissan for your tranny. It's a good idea to change it out while your down there and while the driveshaft is out. You should also change out the fluid too unless you've done it already in the last year or so.. My recommendation is Motul GEAR 300 75W90 (100% Ester-based Synthetic) if you want the highest quality stuff or Motul MOTYLGEAR 75W90 (SYNTHETIC BLEND) second best stuff for a cheaper price. If either of those are too much bank for you, then whatever you do don't use Redline MT90, that $#!t sucks major a$$. Made my trans notchy when warm and grind 2nd slightly when cold. Could've been just my trans too..

[bladetech8]

Originally Posted by Tantwoforty

have you ever thought of junkyarding a long steel 1 piece from a econo van and having a shop cut it and put your ends on it?
you can find a alu one to...

its cheap as hell..

That also sounds ghetto as hell.. LOL

I'd just pay the $$ to get it done right once and not worry about it ever again..

[Tantwoforty]

Originally Posted by bladetech8

That also sounds ghetto as hell.. LOL

I'd just pay the $$ to get it done right once and not worry about it ever again..

how is it ghetto?
its pretty much your bringing the shop the materials.
the shop will balance it and ensure its right. they put it on a big ass machine and spin it at some crazy high rpm..
they build driveshafts all day.
if anything, its less ghetto than buying a "driveshaftshop.com" one
as this one was not mass produced.
it was made by a dude who dose this all day..
we ran one on a 750hp ttz32 with no problems at all
dont get me wrong.. you get a shitty shop and your fucked..
but a skillful crafstmen>mass produced

[Kr240sx]

^Sounds like a lot of time/work to make that happen. Time is money so I will just order the aluminum DS, Good call on the trans fluid and rear main seal. Im all over it. Now just diff decisions, I know my VLSD works but the shims could make it awesome........

[Tantwoforty]

no. you mesure from your tranny to your diff plate.
you go find a suitable shaft.
you spend 30 bucks buying it and 20 min pulling it.
you can sawzall it off if you want to.
then you go to the shop. bring him your stock shaft and the new one.
you pay him
you pick it up 1-2 days later.
you save like $200
you win.
ive done it
it works
you people and your i gotta spend money problems lol

and the shop warrentys it for like ever if it vibrates.. bring your car in, they will fix it, free.

i mean, if you have the money. may as well just spend it on the one you want.
its just a thought

[bladetech8]

I like the way you format your responses. It looks cool! Reminds me of a poem format or something lol.

You have a valid point and that's definitely a great 'thinking outsidethe box' way to get it done. That being said, some people would probably love to go that route and kinda DIY, and some people just want it fabricated at a shop and shipped to their door as one complete unit. Either way.. Oh and I was just joking about it being ghetto. Didn't mean to offend anyone.

[Tantwoforty]

it helps me think lol
i hear ya, it is kinda ghetto i guess.
any option is going to pretty much do the same thing

the shop one ends up costing like 280.. so you dont save that much.. but it will work just as well..
i snapped the nut off the inside of my center support bearing.. so i have to go 1 piece.. boo lol
money i dont want to spend on that right now

[Tkwjh07]

When I installed the driveshaft I changed my main seal, and put new mt90 gear oils in, feels like a completely different car. I can't believe how much 400 dollars can do if u spend it right