Drag radials & stock half-shafts

[treynor]

Fellow drag racers,
Any experience with using drag radials with the stock half-shafts? I've got an interesting race coming up in May in our "slow" Viper, and would prefer to help tilt the odds in my favor. However, it's my wife's car and she likes it quiet, so no power adders (other than the usual tubes & filters). That leaves traction as a possibility. I know of course not to use my ET street setup on the stock shafts, but has anyone tried (successfully or otherwise) running drag radials without swapping the shafts?

 

[treynor]

Good to know. Maybe I'll just run my ETs and do a "soft" launch.

> You might find that the car will bogg down a bit with the ET's, so let it rev up a bit before launching.

*LAUGH* Don't I know it! Someday I'll post the video of me launching my RT at 4000 RPM on ETs, bogging, then nailing the 1-2 shift and snapping my half-shaft U-joint

 

[Mike Brunton]

I have experience in this area... no problems down to 11.5 at least.

I've heard of people breaking 1/2 shafts on stock tires, so it's not like it CAN'T happen, but most of the problems stem from running slicks with the stock halfshafts.

Toss on the 'radials... win the race.. make us proud. If you blow a shaft, it can be fixed.

 

[Jack B]

I have run the Nitto's with stock half shafts and no problems. The shaft killer is generally wheel hop or not knowing how to get some spin out of either the tires or clutch. If you bog on an aggressive launch this is another bad scenario, all the torque is basically applied to a locked point thru the half shafts.

 

[treynor]

Thanks, everyone, for the input. After thinking about it a bit more today, I decided I wanted to have every advantage I could get against my opponent (a Civic which apparently runs 12.2 @ 115!). Accordingly, I ordered up a set of the Unitrax medium-duty half shafts, and I'll run the race on my ET Streets. That should put me into the high 11s if I can launch -- and I'm going to practice that...

 

[MES]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I've got an interesting race coming up in May in our "slow" Viper, and would prefer to help tilt the odds in my favor
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Getting a little nervous about that 2.0L beast eh, you big bully

 

[treynor]

Hee hee. I have every right to be nervous. He first claims to run 13.5 @ 104, then smokes a C5 6-sp twice in a row. Now he's claiming to run 12.2 @ 115. For all I know the d*mn thing runs low 10s

 

[MW]

Ben,

My experience w/the BFG drags is below 2500-3000 lauch I would bog or wheel hop. I even run them at 25-30psi. it lauches as smooth as an automatic at 3000! 0-60's of 1.80. 11.7@120 w/just Borla's/K&N. Stock shafts, just got in some Unitrax safety loops.

Put some whup-gAss on him!
MW

 

[jamie furman]

Dan you don't need to run the skinnys up front, I have used ets with stock fronts almost everytime I use them with no problems.

 

[GaryA]

Treynor,

I broke two BTR halfshafts on STREET tires (separate occasions) and have since upgraded to the Unitrax halfshafts with the safety loops. I feel much better about this arrangement.

 

[MW]

GaryA

Did you snap the u-jts (both use the Spicers as do the stock ones) or break/twist the shafts?
What in the world were you doing?

 

[GaryA]

MW,

I broke the u-joints in both cases. The first time, the halfshaft that broke was at the end of a 1/4 mile run (right wheel, u-joint closest to the wheel). The second time, I accelerated hard to avoid being hit by an old guy making a left turn from the far right lane. This time I broke the u-joint connected to the rear end on the left wheel and it took a nice little chunk out of the differential housing. That's why I decided to go with the half shaft loops. I'm just glad I wasn't going fast that time.

 

[MES]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>(both use the Spicers as do the stock ones)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are you saying all the half shafts use the exact same U-joint or just the same brand of U-joint? What's the point of HD half shafts if the U-joint is the same, and the u-joint is the part breaking