i am planning on putting 4:10s in my lightning and was woundering if anyone is using a steel drivshaft still??
Are there really harmonics at high speeds or any excess in banging into gears??
Do u think i should change the driveshaft?? does it matter
Thanks
Smok'n L

 

i think the driveshaft is steel in 99-00. if not, i'll trade ya...mines steel

 

still running my stock steel shaft.

 

I thought the steel driveshafts were less prone to breakage.

 

Running stock drive shaft on mine, all seems to fine.

 

The torsional stiffness of the driveshaft goes up as to the square of the increase in diameter.....No, let me translate: Having built and run dozens of custom driveshafts over the years, I can't think of a real good reason to replace the shaft with an aluminum unit. The aluminum has a slight edge in rotational inertia because its diameter increase over the steel is less than the difference in the mass betweeen the steel and the aluminum. Another translation: aluminum weighs about a third of what steel does, but the weldable alloys are not nearly as strong as steel. So, if you make it out of aluminum it is not going to be much lighter than a steel one because it has to be a lot larger in diameter and the wall thickness has to be heavier. Aluminum should be heat treated after welding to restore most of its strength. Looking at the driveshaft in my 2003, I see no evidence of post-welding heat treating. I have not broken it yet, so it must work. I was still suprised to see aluminum........

 

thanks everyone, but one more for ya... what's the rpm difference between the 3:55s and the 4:10s??
Thanks
Smok'n L

 

You can use this calculator to estimate.
RPM's on the left.

http://www.ring-pinion.com/calculato...latorsind.html

 

When you put in the 4:10's cruising at 80 mph will crank out about 400 extra RPM. No calculator needed. Been there and done that.

 

Still have the 4.10's in your truck? I have a old like new Steel 00L driveshaft sitting in the garage that I'm hanging on to, There hard to find now?

 

thanks bolt im sold ill be puttin them in my bronco as well!
Max all i got was errors on the page??? thanks anyway!!
Later
Smok'n L

 

I took them out about a month ago and sold them last week. I was running out of gear at the end of the quarter mile.

 

The calculators are versatile for a multitude of estimations.
The link worked perfectly when I posted it and still does now on my end.

 

Why not go with 3.73's? It's all around the best gear to use, IMHO.

 

I agree 373's are a much better choice

410's might even slow you down