Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

This is a questions I really didnt want to ask, but driver safety is more important!

Are broken axles common or rare!

In the last 2 months we broke an rear axle on asphalt that was brand new. It happened on the left
rear right where the threads end. Last night I heard of another driver that broke and axle on asphalt and another on dirt. I am asking this questions as the broken axle cost me about $10,000 in car, engine, etc repairs. So there are many great axle companies out there.. Winters, DMI, Frankland, Etc! I am trying to see if there is a trend. We switched on our car to all standard non light weight axle to give us some more meat. Unfortunately their is no way to quietly asked this question. Who has broken and axle. Please provide us if you please with year/date mfg, make, model, dirt/asphalt, 360/410 and was it light, medium or standard thickness? Also there is no rear end company for liability reasons that will tell you how to put an axle in the car or how to mount and torque wheels for fear of lawsuits if something wrong. Any advice in this area would be good as well. We asked this question not to embarrass or harm any company, but for driver safety. Thanks in advance..

not a dum question , I often wondered the same thing, although I have yet to break one I have seen a couple , and one proubly damaging more parts and the car because of its failure, obviously for the drivers safety this is a good topic , I happen to be one of the lucky ones (knock on wood) Ive ran mine proubly longer that Im willing to admitt , with that in mind I have yet to walk into a baitshop and find out the fish wernt biting ..

When you buy light weight parts you have to deal with them carring loads they arent built for. Was that 3 lbs of weight worth it when buying a light weight axle.

I don't aim to please.
I aim to hit the target.

There are times when you bang the wall with the right rear and the jacobs' ladder breaks. It can rub on the axle and, for lack of a better term, "score" all around the axle, then it breaks at that point.

I've used standard weight, light weight, wing and non wing, always use Winters and never had a broken axle.

I stumbled upon using a steel spacer between the birdcage bearing and the axle shoulder. It keeps the bearing from making contact/rubbing on that shoulder. Someone once told me that would cause an axle to break.

Axles have almost always broke...the lightweight ones are more likely to break. LR side from brake heat, bumping the wall and breaking the jacob's ladder, running a bent wheel, among many things. The stell spacer thing helps prevent a score line on the axle, which can and will weaken an axle.

Ask around the pits - I had a racer once tell me that a lightweight axle was good for 25 shows - after he broke it on race 26!

Chuck.....

Percentage wise, I see alot more break on winged asphalt cars. The teams that run more stagger, seemed to be the ones that broke the axles. In my 3 years with he AVSS, I saw more break, than I did in the previous 10 years on the dirt. Yup, usually just inside the left rear. Ryan Litt had a nasty one at Toledo a couple years ago. You can see it on youtube break just inside the left rear. Ask Jason about the one at K-zoo, I am sure that was just inside the left rear as well in the 61 Marv Carman car.

On the dirt side, I saw one. That broke a race after he had a brake rotor catch on fire, and it broke right at the rotor. Seen several brake during crashes, so I am only noting those that broke on their own.

2009

Reported to us so far score is 5 broken axles at the LR axle threads on Asphalt vs 1 so

far on Dirt. thanks for the replies.