Driveshaft ?
I've seen a dirttrack car do it before, and I've personally lost TWO driveshafts under power. If you posted this because you're thinking about getting a safetly loop, please get one.
Ben T.
Ben T.
I think it's darn near impossible for a full size car to flip over from a broken driveshaft, but a broken shaft can inflict a lot of damage to items under your car, as well as piercing the floorboards. Bob
Originally Posted by Exotic Performance Plus
I think it's darn near impossible for a full size car to flip over from a broken driveshaft, but a broken shaft can inflict a lot of damage to items under your car, as well as piercing the floorboards. Bob
Wasn't this even on mythbusters? I think they proved it couldn't happen (but that's given the assumptions they based their experiments on).It CAN happen. Why else would the NHRA require loops? It is just because they don't want participant's cars destroyed by a loose drive shaft?
I'm sure no one would imagine a flywheel (SFI approved bellhousings are available) could come loose from a car and kill spectators, but a friend of mine was present when this exact happenstance occured in Florida.
Very rare for either of these to happen. Usually when an Fbody driveshaft lets go it's the back of the driveshaft that breaks, but it is not without posibility for the driveshaft to sumersault a vehicle.
Ben T.
Here's what usually happens when a driveshaft breaks. Notice it's right the line where the driveshaft has the most stress on it.
Without a loop (like my car didn't have) expect destruction. I mangled my exhaust piping, busted the center console of my car, and sliced the thin sheetmetal floorboard between the rear seats.
http://www.streetsleepers.com/images...s/BustedDS.mpg
Ben T.
Without a loop (like my car didn't have) expect destruction. I mangled my exhaust piping, busted the center console of my car, and sliced the thin sheetmetal floorboard between the rear seats.
http://www.streetsleepers.com/images...s/BustedDS.mpg
Ben T.
I have seen in person a '70s Ford LTD get the rear of the car kicked up 5ft in the air when the front ujoint broke and let the shaft dig into the pavement. It didn't flip, but it sure didn't look like fun. A guy I race with had his right arm mostly severed when the driveshaft shredded and came through the floorboard. That's the part a lot of people don't think about, the shaft coming inside the car. The sheetmetal floorboard isn't very good at stopping a broken shaft spinning at high RPM. Just my .02
