anyone use this new driveshaft coupling

[fullcircle]

I was wondering if anyone has tried this new prothane driveshaft coupling. Going to add a supercharger in the future and can see the stock rubber coupling not holding up.

http://www.prothane.com/whatsnew.php

[TCorzett]

Interesting.

-Todd...

[Panzer Leader]

Please explain, does this take the place of the center carrier bearing? I thought the GB Base and GT used the same driveshaft, but the GXP was different. Please explain where it goes and benefits. Thanks

[wreckwriter]

Mine has held up fine so far.............. No prices I see

[rjones916]

It is basically a rubber bushings between the driveshaft and pinion shaft of the differential and also one between the driveshaft and trans output shaft.... Benefits? Less movement or chance of cracking/breaking, more direct feel I guess??

[Panzer Leader]

Thanks, I would take it to mean it reduces the "slack" in the driveshaft? Which sometimes results in the "thunking" sound as the gears engage? Would this put additional stress on other OEM parts of the driveshaft?

[MY SRM GXP]

Summit racing is showing them for sale at 112.99 in red and 119.99 in black each. I will be ordering a set in about 2mths due to getting a root canal next week. And yes, one should have a lot better feed back over the stock units.

[SRG963]

Subscribed

[dandragonrage]

Anyone know whether this would cause vibrations or not? And is this meant to fix the problems with our driveshafts where the two pieces connect, or is that something else?

[hayabusa160]

I was looking at this on the camaro forums

[gman08]

They look cool none the less.

[wreckwriter]

Too expensive for an item that doesn't appear to be needed. If I have twisted mine off most of you are fairly safe I think. If they priced by pair I'd consider it.

[GT Drew]

Your going to break an axle or diff before you break the stock coupler. It is there to absorb some of the drive line shock. The harder you make it , the more shock/strain in the drivetrain. The stock one is supposed to be good 900 or 1000 hp. More than any street application needs.

[Panzer Leader]

^Thanks, what I suspected.

[G8V8]

These stock donuts have been a problem in Oz. The get distorted or torn from the diff rocking and hard acceleration. Bolts break off. The units get so messed up they cause bad vibrations and can actually hit the floorpan. There was at one time a replacement kit of donuts and bolts for the VE. Do some research on some of the Oz boards before assuming nobody needs these donuts. When GM was fixing driveshaft vibrations by getting driveshafts rebalanced, the donut were replaced with special ones that the balance shop could only get from GM for warranty repairs. without the new donuts, some of the driveshaft vibrations could not be corrected by balancing alone.

Here is just one thread of many about donuts andvibration.Link here. (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=127694&highlight=donut+vibration)

[Panzer Leader]

I would like something to correct the slack or whatever, which causes the "thunK' . (Park to Reverse, Park to Drive and all other combinations) Seems No One can come up with a solution. To me its the poorly designed drive shaft with poor quality U Joints. I thought perhaps a one piece driveshaft could do it But from the suppliers that I have talked to, no one really knows if it will correct the problem.

[98aggie]

I am putting some from the Drive shaft shop in a couple road racing vettes. LG reccomended the solid Al ones but I was worried bout two much stress in the drive line being soildly coupled.

[Andy@SquashPerformance]

These aren't going fix any clunking. You're not getting any clunks from the u-joints or anything else drive-shaft related. It's just the backlash in the differential. Swap to a Camaro diff and it's 5 times worse. The proper fix for broken bolts/coupler is stiffer diff bushings, not this thing. I swear anyone will buy something just because it's made out of polyurethane.

Andy

[G8V8]

Squash,
I was not saying these caused the problem. Many guys in Oz who had problems, got the coupler problem after strip or a lot of WOT use. Better diff bushings, and other pieces to help hold the diff in check can help prevent the problem. However, once damaged or stretched the donut is not repairable and needs to be replaced. If the bolts break or get loose, the donut is often damaged and causes vibrations. The problem is not 100% related to drag strip or WOT use. Guys who have never done this have reported the problems to the point that holden would warranty them.

The original OE donut is weak and prone to problems. The ones that GM provided on an as-needed basis for the the shop rebalancing the driveshafts were not the original donuts. They were better ones you could not buy in this country.

If somebody has vibrations that other fixes don't fix, the donuts might be their problem. Until just recently, the only way to get a new donut in the US was to buy a new driveshaft or buy a $300+ kit from OZ and pay to ship it here.

[Panzer Leader]

Thanks for the input realsquash. Appearently then there is no fix for my specific differential problem.

[GT Drew]

The design of our car is to have a constant angle between the driveshaft and the pinion. The centre section is not supposed to move. There is too much movement between the voided subframe and diff bushings. That is when the coupler is getting damaged. Pedders has said all along that bushings are the first suspension mods your should make. This is just one more potential problem that can be avoided by doing the difficult bushings install first.

[2StepsAhead]

I have the thumping like something is hitting the floorpan and its definitely shift related, I also have the diff and cradle bushings. My local shop believes its that rubber piece and says they do the same thing on the Camaros. Im waiting for my new one to come in to rule it out but thats what he claims.

[G8V8]

I have seen with my own eyes black rubber streaks on the floor pan from the donut rubbing it. Check your bolts carefully. I have seen photos of bent bolts that hold the donut to the yoke.