Axles, are there any aftermarket?? Options

[TRD6GC]

I was wondering if anyone knows of any axles that are available for lowered cars. Like a shortened or strengthened axle for the front. Since i lowered my car i blew a couple axles. My mechanic said im too low so i was forced to raise it a little. But i want to be low, so what an i do???

[Kwanza26]

I was wondering if anyone knows of any axles that are available for lowered cars. Like a shortened or strengthened axle for the front. Since i lowered my car i blew a couple axles. My mechanic said im too low so i was forced to raise it a little. But i want to be low, so what an i do???
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That's unusual. Lowering the car doesn't neccesarily put more pressure on CV joints or anything like that. Just look at all of those air-bagged trucks, lowriders, etc. Maybe you just got unlucky with come axles?...

[TRD6GC]

Well IDK, this problem has stressed me from day one. When i lowered the car in the first place it made my car shake, one bearing was bad and i never knew until i lowered it (i thought it was the coil-overs so i put it back to stock and the shake stopped, then i bought new coil-overs and it still shook so i knew something was up, then i took it to my mechanic and he said bad axle, i replaced it and no more shaking). Never had a problem for months after that. Then i had a axle boot rip, i noticed on vacation. On my way home my car started to shake a lil bit so i replaced that axle when i got home. Didn't work, it was actually the opposite axle, not the one with the ripped boot, that went. So i replaced that too. That leaves me with two brand new axles. Two weeks later im driving, the speed limit, and VROOOOOOOOM, my axle goes again. They replace it and it goes again as there pulling out of the garage(RIGHT after they fix it). He refuses to fix (and warranty) it unless i raise it back up, i was very very low. I actually removed the circle ring you spin to lower and raise the car so that the coil-over just dropped ALL the way down as far as it would possibly go (>4 inch drop) So i raised it and havent had a problem since. So i dont want to test my luck, one of the reasons im getting TEIN Super Street coil-overs and new strut mounts. Hopefully those two mods will help out a lot. That puts me to this point now, i want better axles. Sorry about such a long post but thats the only problem i have ever had with my poor Celica and i want it fixed!!!!!!!!

[Hanyo]

i dont think it has to do with your axles.. i think is because your car is so low that its stressing out your suspention componets. I think your axles just cant handle so much shaking and vibrations.

oh.. and post a picture of your car lowered.. I'm insterested in how it looks.

This post has been edited by Hanyo: Jan 7, 2005 - 7:38 PM

[shid]

get a new mechanic too

[TRD6GC]

Well i don't really believe the mechanic as anything to do with this. I think it was my fault by lowering it too much.
So do you think once i get the pillow ball mounts and Tein suspension i should no longer have this probelm? Mainly because the Teins wouldn't "allow" me to mess anything up, seeing as there a complete coilover kit. And the pillowball mounts should take on more of the pressure. I also have suspension techniques anti-sway bars, if that matters.

[Junior]

actually, having the car too low will put a strain on the axles. What happens is that the end of the axle that goes into the tranny sits lower than the end that goes to the wheel hub. As the wheels turn it is actually turning on an angle.

[turboinduction]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard with coilovers that if you don't weight balance the 4 corners of the car, you can have a very bad ride. I've seen cases where the car looks balanced by sight but was off by 100 pounds compared to the other. I have no clue how this effects the strain on the suspension as I've never owned coilovers (yet ). But maybe this is causing this weird vibrations and shaking thus eventually leading to blown axles. Its just one idea, and again, I could be WAY off.

-Ti

[TRD6GC]

I get what your saying and i have no idea if it is true. In the front of the car, like i said i took at the metal ring you use to lower and raise it so it just drops all the way. Both sides were like that so they should be even. And in the back they way our celica's are set up, you can not spin the metal ring ALL the way down, it stops like a 1/4 inch up cause there a lip, so there about even too. I think im sticking with the idea that since i blew two pairs or strut mounts its putting more pressure on the axles.

[Junior]

even with springs the car won't be corner balanced. Coilovers weren't designed to lower a car, they were designed to corner balance a car to give it better handling. Either way, this isn't affecting the axles.

[mikew04]

actually, having the car too low will put a strain on the axles.  What happens is that the end of the axle that goes into the tranny sits lower than the end that goes to the wheel hub.  As the wheels turn it is actually turning on an angle.
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what does it matter if the tranny is sitting lower than the wheel hub? if its not lowered at all, the hub and tranny arent even with each other. the cv joints are made to move in any way (to a point) while rotating, most the time at an angle. the only force that is applied to the axles is torsional; the car sits on the suspension components, and the axle is floating in between the hub and tranny. have you ever driven behind an escape? the rear differential sits considerably higher than the wheel hub. maybe if the tranny is considerably lower than the hub, then the axle may become too short, and could pull apart at the cv joints. even then, im not sure if the angle is great enough to do that.

[trdevelopment]

i dono trd but i get what your saying becouse i need both new axeles and i think its becouse of the ground control coilovers also. i just replaced the drivers side axel not even 3 months ago and its broken again.

[Yota]

I have Ground Control Coilovers lowered all the way down...I've never had a problem? What does it feel like when you lose an axle?

[Kwanza26]

Something else is messing up your axles. I have a hard time considering ride height as a major player in torn/messed up axles. You must remember, axles are designed to go up and down, twist, turn, flex, pull apart, and compress to some degree. If you want, I can take pictures with full demostations on how the axles flex and turn. Something fairly minor such as ride height cannot have such an adverse affect. Like I said before, there are guys running around with airbags with their cars SLAMMED and have no significant problems with their drive axles...

[trdevelopment]

yeh i dont know whats up with it man i need to replace both and i dont know if there gonna break again... kwanza what do you think is up with them?

[TRD6GC]

i dont think it has to do with your axles.. i think is because your car is so low that its stressing out your suspention componets. I think your axles just cant handle so much shaking and vibrations.

oh.. and post a picture of your car lowered.. I'm insterested in how it looks. 
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I posted pics in my profile. That's as low as i possibly could go with the coil-overs. I just got Tein Super Street so i'll post a pic after that to see if there is a difference.