Anyone else hate the driveshafts?

[chipgibbs]

I love getting packages in the mail, especially when they arrive sooner than expected. MIP drive shafts and HR heavy diff cover showed up last night.

The New MIP drive shafts are perfect, go together in about 10 minutes, come with a few spare parts and have no friction. They also add that additional weight down low.
While I haven't seen anyone break a Traxxas shaft yet, the MIPs are a great upgrade.

[meatmonkey]

The stock shafts are too tight a fit on the splines. My rear barely moves, but the front has freed up a bit after about fifteen hours of use. I guess I don't hate them, but I certainly don't like them either.

What's the deal with MIP using longer than needed outputs on everything lately? It seems that the MIP output yokes have a longer distance from the retaining through pin to the centerline of the "U-joint". Is that an illusion? I don't like that it creates a little extra operating angle and increases the leverage on the pinion bearings.

Is there clearance on the trans for the older style, regular AX-10 outputs that take a 4mm thread? It looks like these new TRX4 versions use 3mm?

[fyrstormer]

How do you know the outputs are longer than necessary? Have you fitted the driveshafts to your truck? You can't tell from a single picture whether there's stuff that the outputs need to clear on the side the camera can't see.

[magic_yeti]

next drive shaft option
for Traxxas TRX-4 #GAX0060, ,(GAX0060) by GRC Heavy Duty Front Rear Center Shaft Set Black

[AggressorBLUE]

For what it's worth, I had my truck out this weekend with the MIPs, and report things went fine. Despite the incredibly dusty conditions (see picture thread ), the shafts continue to move freely, and have no real play or slack to speak of.

[fyrstormer]

I would be extremely surprised if MIP X-CVDs started binding. I've had the same pair of MIP X-CVDs installed on my Wraith for years; I've driven them through mud and water many times, intentionally never washing them, just rinsing them off and re-oiling them when they start to squeak. (part of my chosen aesthetic for my Wraith is "dirty, oily, scratched, beat-up, and rusty".) They still work perfectly. It's my own personal long-term torture-test for MIP X-CVDs.

[Lanky]

I've had great success with using WD-40 silicone... the silicone is water resistant, and the wd is a great cleaner..

[fyrstormer]

WD40 silicone is *just* silicone, nothing else. WD40 is just a brand-name now, it doesn't have anything to do with the actual formulation of the spray unless you buy the original petroleum-based water repellent spray.

Anyway, silicone is not optimal for metal-on-metal lubrication. It's best used for plastic-on-plastic or metal-on-plastic. It's better than nothing for metal-on-metal, but petroleum oil or grease is still far superior for metal-on-metal.

[fyrstormer]

I installed the MIP driveshafts on my TRX-4 yesterday. I took before-and-after pictures to show the difference in driveshaft angle caused by the "unnecessarily long" endpieces.

Before:


After:


Yes, there is a difference, but it's so small that it's certainly insignificant, especially if you lubricate the joints like you're supposed to. After assembling and installing the driveshafts, it's obvious that the reason those endpieces are "unnecessarily long" is so MIP could use 4 of the same endpiece. Otherwise they would've had to make a special-size one just for the front transfer-case output, which would've increased the cost of the driveshaft kit.

If this style of center driveshaft catches on, maybe MIP will make them for other vehicles as well, and then we will have more sizes of endpieces we can mix-and-match to our hearts' content.

[DrVest]

Hello,

I'm installing the MIP's on a brand new / never ran TRX4. The instructions state that there shouldn't be a gap inside of the hub / end yoke. Is this acceptable / normal?

[fyrstormer]

If the driveshaft is installed as far onto the transfer-case output as it can be, then it's fine.

[subspd]

Originally Posted by magic_yeti

If you mean this with the grinding on the trans



than mine infected too, i think that it's caused by the tide space between drive shaft and trans and dirt

also my inner spline was nearly unmovable, so drive shafts on the list.

I have this same grinding as well.

[fr8cture]

Originally Posted by DrVest

Hello,

I'm installing the MIP's on a brand new / never ran TRX4. The instructions state that there shouldn't be a gap inside of the hub / end yoke. Is this acceptable / normal?

I think it's more important on the axle side.

[magic_yeti]

do they have more clearence between shaft and trans or is it the same. my concern would be that i would have same prob with grinding as with stock if some debris finds it's way.

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[fyrstormer]

Sand can get stuck in the narrow space between the output yoke and the underside of the transmission, but steel will resist abrasion much better than plastic.

If you want to get fancy, you could glue a small piece of felt into the space between the output yoke and the transmission, so sand can't get in. It will still catch microscopic dust, though.