Ams driveshaft safety loop available soon!

Waste of time - as far as mythbusters is concerned

Seen the mythbusters do a feature on this by trying to dig the prop shaft into the ground and flip the car/ penetrate the cabin - didnt happen no matter how many times they tried. They even modified the shaft to dig in on impact but it just wouldnt happen.

In the end they even had to dig holes in the ground, modify the prop shaft drastically etc etc and then it still didnt work. The Myth was not only busted but it showed that it just doesnt happen in reality.

Based on seeing that, I think this is a waste of time although it was a good thought. 10 points effort but fail.

Any issues or arguments you should take it up with them direct @
Mythbusters.com after seeing the relevant show for yourself.

 

I urge you to take this argument to the governing bodies that require the hoops to be fitted and see how far you get
Rules are rules and laws are law, they often don't take in to account variations between designs such as the fact you can't drop the drive shaft from a Z32 as the exh will get in the way.

Laws and rules aside in the event of a joint failure you're going to be better off with the AMS design than with nothing at all.

 

You just need to remember Myth Busters is entertainment, not definitive answers, some good, some not so good.

The thing is people expect the car to flip, its about losing contact with the road surface and or causing damage as in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9DVlnX0jIc

 

A poor guy was killed on the motorway here a couple of years ago, truck drive shaft blew out and flew across to the other lanes, straight threw the windscreen killed instantly
Massive shake up in the industry after that, part of the reason modified cars have to have hoops fitted if certain criteria is met.

 

There is a big difference between a truck and a car - lol
There is no law or requirement to fit these to a Z32 either.

However to be fair, what actually mythbusters didnt take into account overall was the damage that was done to the propshafts themselves when busting the theory. It was pretty significant requiring new ones at cost.

If your constantly putting these under force such as quarter miles or racing etc and you let say own a carbon fibre prop shaft (which is not cheap), then given the cost of the shaft, then it would be viable to have one of these.

Yeh - sure mythbusters is entertainment, but I also remember thinking that it was a guaranteed obvious thing that when the shaft broke it would cause all mayhem and penetrate the cabin and flip the car etc etc and so I was actually really very surprised when it just dragged/ pushed the shaft along the road again and again after numerous tests of trying to dig it in (and even when they dug a hole as well).

If you havent seen the program I am referring to, then it is worth looking at anyway, as it does gives you a new perspective on the subject.

I am not saying myself its waste of time, rather saying mythbusters would.

I am just pointing out there is video on the subject that is interesting and worth checking out as it does give some perspective whether you agree or not that it is worthwhile/ or likely to occur as well as assessing damage potential in the overall scheme of things and this can help give an insight when looking at the potential application of a prop loop.

Cheers

JC

 

There is here in NZ and there are rules in AUs depending on what motorsport you are involved with

 

SIR, i will repeat as above ..MYTHBUSTERS = ABSOLUTE CRAP !!!!

an example: a few years back, i watched a M/Busters program which did a test to prove that cigarette lighters could not explode if left exposed in a vehicle cabin and subject to heat/sun .. they found that it was impossible ...!!!!

a couple of months later, i left my car in a car park on a hot day ... two cigarette lighters on the centre console .. returned some four hours later to find that both lighters had been shattered to smithereens .. and lucky for me that they had not exploded in sufficient flame to destroy my Zed.

Sir, as noted elsewhere, any number of your posts are suspect and misleading ... a dependence on MYTHBUSTERS as any sort of authority is totally fallacious to the point of rubbish.

 

If you want to run under 13.0 then it is an ANDRA requirement.

It is cheap insurance compared to the damage that can be done to the car and possibly the occupants. The loop stops the tailshaft swinging far enough off centre to become a weapon.

This is an example of a two piece tailshaft letting go at around 60 mph. The tailshaft also caused the airbag to deploy.



http://dieselgiant.com/Mercedes flex disc failure.htm

 

from memory, mythbusters didnt go very fast either.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMpSl_V0Xkg&feature=plcp

Video if a Z32 blowing the gearbox or drive shaft - something under the gear lever let go anyway.

 

holy CARP insane .

 

Perhaps the AMS Driveshaft Safety Loop might have been an asset here. Hope the collateral damage wasn't too severe.

 

Actually in this instance I doubt any drive shaft hoop of any design would have prevented any of the worst of the damage this car has suffered.

We are yet to see pictures of exactly what has gone on but clearly the drivetrain has let go right up near the front, even an extra hangar bearing right at the front of the shaft wouldn't help if the joint blows and the shaft goes off centre.

Drive shaft hoops are designed for safety NOT for preserving the components of the car, if this car had a hoop I'm willing to bet the repair bill would be exactly the same from this particular incident.
If he had got through first gear and it let go at second gear THEN the hoop may have saved some parts, his car and possibly himself from personal injury.

I posted the link to the video only for those that may have had some doubt in their mind that Z32s can blow the driveshaft/gearbox etc.