Parply

I have decided to get a carbon fibre driveshaft for my 07 STi PPP Hawkeye and I'm looking for some advice. It seems like they are not an overly popular item in the UK and importing from the US is the only option for a reasonable price new. Currently a Drive Shaft Shop one is being offered here on ebay. Do I have to import or does anyone know of a UK source that is competitive on price for new ? Any reason not to get a DSS driveshaft over other options e.g. PST ? Anyone have experience of this seller ? Will I need anything else to be able to get it installed (I'll be asking a local garage) ?

bigarf

iTrader: (67)

theres a 6 speed one for sale in for sale section mate.

Parply

Indeed there was one on offer and thanks for pointing this out. Not sure how I missed it as I have been searching here for posts using almost every combination of keywords I could think of (varying use of prop vs driveshaft across the interweb has been confusing me a lot !). However it does seem to be sold. Anyway I want a totally brand new one for peace of mind if it proved to be faulty (although I admit I could easily find myself high and dry if it came from the US via ebay hence one of my questions). Also the asking price was nearly £150 more than that being asked for on ebay (and the price on ebay is not suspiciously low compared to US domestic prices).

CarBen Fibre Creations

iTrader: (2)

Be careful when buying parts like this mate, do your research and make sure you buy from a trusted seller otherwise you could end up with a load of crap that will snap at any time.

Prime example is the price of carbon in the UK & US to the stuff coming from China, yes its carbon but the final product is a lot different.

Parply

Thanks for reminding me about Chinese goods not always being what you thought. I got bitten this way with an iPad stand just this week. I'm hoping that buying a recognized and widely known brand will help avoid this. PST and Drive Shaft Shop seem to be obvious candidates from the US that are made in the US. The second part is making sure that the seller, especially on ebay, is not passing off a fake which is down to published reputation and, even better, direct feedback from other customers.

CarBen Fibre Creations

iTrader: (2)

Looking at the eBay shop and also the link to NASIOC the manufacturer seems to be someone called PST

The initial reviews on NASIOC look good, might be worth doing a bit more digging first before you purchase. I would also look into the returns and warranty policy for overseas customers

http://www.pstds.com/critical_link_drive_shafts.htm

Parply

I've been lurking here, on NASIOC, and on IWSTI for a while trying understand all the options and decide what would make sense. I've flipped between PST and DSS a few times. Currently I favour DSS because the company site is a little more comprehensive. Their product is a little lighter than the PST one and they publish pictures of the actual shaft installed

http://www.driveshaftshop.com/import...ber-driveshaft

which is reassuring. I cannot find the actual PST shaft I would need on the PST company site even though third parties are offering it for sale.

Good point on warranty and returns. I guess I have to contact my potential seller and ask the obvious questions. Indeed I just sent an email to DSS directly. Should have thought of this myself.

bigarf

iTrader: (67)

just out of interest,what kind of power are you running in your car (i'm guessing quite a bit)and what do you mainly use it for,drag,track use? just asking as carbon props are normally the last mods that people go for.

Parply

Actually at the moment its mostly a stock '07 STi PPP so 320bhp if I'm lucky. I know the drive shaft is usually a late mod for most but I have a slightly different plan. The car is road only at the moment. Might do track one day. My current goal is for maximum responsiveness and handling on the road. I'm just going round the car upgrading everything to increase the tolerances and margins as much as reasonably possible without major changes. So far ScoobyWorld stage 2 handling pack, Exedy clutch and racing flywheel, strut braces, all new tyres, new petrol tank (could fill another thread on this one), and upgraded sound system. Future plans include forged short block (probably Cosworth), bigger TMIC (maybe Grimspeed), fastest spooling turbo for about 400bhp (not sure yet but not twin scroll), supporting mods. Thinking about a respray as the scratches around the door handles irritate me intensely. What is it about the paint Subaru used ? My '51 WRX was the same even though I owned it from new and although only one door ever really got used they all got scratched somehow. The drive shaft comes from the improvement I noticed with the clutch/flywheel. Just wanted to finish off that part of the job and the right sum of extra money is coming my way soon. Also in part encouraged by seeing the ugly two part OEM shaft whilst looking at where petrol tank had been leaking. All probably overkill for intended use but it will make me happy. And then once I get there I have to decide whether to go further or if the GT-R is finally within reach ...

Oh and it turns out that the Drive Shaft Shop ship to the UK all the time so it seems like all I need to do is to open the wallet.

bigarf

iTrader: (67)

personally I would spend the cash elsewere.but I suppose if its what you want then its your car so go for it.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Didn't jgm have one and it broke at totb? (I maybe wrong though)

You alright arf

Parply

Bigarf I suspect that in the end I will also spend the money elsewhere ! Still I'm not going to be worrying you on any track soon with that beast of yours. Black is definitely the right colour to have as long the OEM gold rims are dumped for something also black. Is there anywhere left that you could spend the money ? With my novice eyes the only thing I can see that is missing is, well, ummm, a carbon fibre drive shaft ..

bigarf

iTrader: (67)

i'm good mate thanks,long time no see.
haha tbh mate I have thought about buying one for mine in the past but always seemed to spend the money on something else.just in the process of fitting a new engine at the moment so a carbon prop is even further away now.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Yeah arf it's been a while, hope you and things are well.
Think we need another samfooker sesh

bigarf

iTrader: (67)

lol,xmas is coming we should all get together for a few.

daveyj

iTrader: (1)

There is someone who advertises in Banzai for carbon shafts. Sorry reply is vague but Subaru is listed as a make they cater for.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Sounds like a plan

Parply

So I went ahead and bought the drive shaft. It has been installed for a few weeks now. I would love to say that I'm seeing a performance increase as a result. Specifically responsiveness when the foot hits the pedal. I want to think there is and there may well be. Unfortunately I had my leaking intercooler hoses replaced at the same time and that was certainly impacting performance. However there is something else that is definitely due to the drive shaft. When in a suitable gear for the speed, especially at higher speed, there is a massive drop in noise and vibration. Counter to this is a significant increase increase in both when not in a suitable gear. Especially at slow speed. But then I see that as a driver aid rather than something negative as well. Value for money ? Probably not given the current level of mods on my car. Happy with it ? Yes ...

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

interesting results, its on my list and i do look at them after every visit to RCM, maybe next year!

thanks for the update