race prep tranny, new TC, and cf driveshaft?

[Arctc Wolf]

I'm looking at getting a race prepped 4L60-E tranny from www.LS1Speed.com, a higher stall torque converter, and a carbon fiber driveshaft, but i dunno if the money I throw down will be worth the gains i see.

i plan on having 17x11 rear tires w/ 315-35 rubber on them w/ the already installed lsd and 3.42's, so i know I'll have some really good traction. i wanna use that and see if i can make the drivetrain a bit more efficient by buying the tranny from ls1speed so it'll be able 2 take the daily abuse as well as allow more power 2 get 2 the ground.

i figured if I'm gonna replace the tranny, i might as well do a TC and DS while I'm at it, since it all has 2 come out anyway. How much of an improvement do u guys think I'll be able 2 get out of all that? I figure the TC stall will be between 2800-3400, hopefully 2.5-2.7 str w/ a 94%-97% efficiency(if that's realistic).

i know the carbon fiber driveshaft is overkill, but the weight of rotating mass increases as it's revolutions increase, so the lighter it is, the better my top-end will be, cuz even a 4-7 lb. difference between aluminum and carbon fiber can make a big weight difference at 4500-6000 rpms.

as far as the tranny goes, I dunno how much lighter it'll be, but it will for sure take a lot less time to shift between gears, meaning more time for power to hit the track. i figure the forged pieces they'll put in will provide some weight loss, wich will let me get even more power to the ground from the engine.

I've heard from a couple people that i could see between a .4 decrease in 1/4 times all the way up to 1 full second off. is this realistic assuming the increase in hp put to the whells as well as the increased launch and lighter weight of the car?

[navyblue2000]

first off, your times aren't gonna be near as good, as you are countering the weight loss with a cf ds with the extra weight of those ungodly rims. if you want REAL weight reduction, get yourself some weld racing draglites, i believe prostars, 15x8. and some DR's about 255/55/15. that will give you decent sidewall for good traction.

[Arctc Wolf]

ok, so what about the increased stall speed from the TC, quicker shifts from the race-prepped tranny, and extra traction from the ungodly big and heavy tires?

[Dominic]

15" rear weld rims arent going to fit that 2001.

Stick with stock 16" wheels, run 255/50R16 drags on it instead - the rest is all good [img]smile.gif[/img]

315s are nice for looks, but you're not gaining anything other than some cornering with them.

[12secondv6]

Carbon fiber d/s is overkill for a street car.
I saw one at my shop and it was shredded into 2 pieces.
Something small popped up and nicked it while driving on the road, the whole thing shreaded.
It is extremely strong length ways but if something just nicks it then it completely falls apart.
Stick with the aluminum one.

Do a search for a post I made on my tranny and its internals, it is somewhere around here.

[Arctc Wolf]

doesn't it come w/ a clear coat over it so rocks don't nick it as easy, cuz that would seem to be the smart thing 2 do.

[12secondv6]

It is but still.
I would not believe it until I saw one shreaded into 2 pieces.
Length ways it is exceptionally strong!
But, if you make a little knick in it it falls apart.

[Arctc Wolf]

hmm, what about a thicker clear coat or maybe a couple coats of wax? it sounds funny, but wouldn't that work?

[strobhen]

no

nothing short of a full metal sheild going down the length of the d/s to protect it from impact is going to make it safe for the street.

carbon fiber is very rigid, but it has TERRIBLE impact strength. It will literally turn to dust.

Indy race cars use a lot of CF, but not on the body, that is a CF/Kevlar mix, the Kevlar is there to absorb energy in a crash and give some crunch zone to the car. If they were 100% CF, you would literally see half the body of the car turn to dust on impact, not good.

CF is great on the track -- where it is clean. I would never, ever, not in a million years, put it on a street car.

[Arctc Wolf]

I've read several articles on supras using carbon fiber driveshafts and having them end up staying intact. what about fabricating a plastic bolt-on shield that covers the driveshaft valley? could that work to protect it from debris? also, I'm wondering exactly how often things hit the driveshaft, cuz unless I'm driving on gravel, i don't hear hardly anything hitting the bottom of my car.

[00swartz]

Kinda defeating the weight savings if that is the purpose- maybe?
The weight savings vs steel DS and the cost vs steel DS makes Aluminum the best deal!

[ravenp]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Arctc Wolf:
I've read several articles on supras using carbon fiber driveshafts and having them end up staying intact. what about fabricating a plastic bolt-on shield that covers the driveshaft valley? could that work to protect it from debris? also, I'm wondering exactly how often things hit the driveshaft, cuz unless I'm driving on gravel, i don't hear hardly anything hitting the bottom of my car.<hr></blockquote>

Way too much trouble for the gains and risk. Save your time and money with alum, and get some drag rims so you can enjoy the 17's on the street.

[00swartz]

I knew I read a comparison of weights on DS and it is from Dom in the tech archive- take a look.