broken 1/2 shaft

[RP-Motorsports]

I have a friend Jeff who is an instructor for BMWCCA. Back in spring of this year during lapping session @ Road America he was doing about 125 heading for turn 12 and he felt a sensation like wind gusts drifting his car around. He was wrong......his drivers half shaft broke at the spline area. Luckily he drove off the track without incident. (I saw a live axle domestic spit the shaft and tire out of the diff. once!!!) Good thing we don't have simple rear suspensions!
Our great service mgr from A.O.B. came up and swaped in a new shaft with free labor right at Road America ON A SUNDAY!! Now thats service!

Anyway has anyone seen or heard of this happening? I plan on using the NSX almost as many track miles as Ken Sax. , so this is a concern of mine.

 

[Nimbus]

Anyway has anyone seen or heard of this happening? I plan on using the NSX almost as many track miles as Ken Sax. , so this is a concern of mine.

Let's see... if Ken Sax has gone through that many track miles without breaking his half-shaft, and you're planning to do almost as many miles as Ken, doesn't that mean you should have no problems either?

In other words, don't be that concerned about it, at least not the half-shaft issue.

 

[nsxtasy]

Funny, I just walked in after spending the weekend instructing along with Jeff at a BMW CCA event.

The half shaft doesn't just break with no warning. The first sign that a problem may be coming is that the axle nuts start to back out. This had occurred several times (three, I think) on Jeff's car (and was re-tightened each time) before the half shaft actually broke. See this topic for more information.

My half shafts have never broken, and I just caught the first loose axle nut recently...

 

[nsxtasy]

P.S. John actually swapped two half shafts into Jeff's NSX - Jeff's former NSX - that weekend last May. He had trouble getting the first one in, so Steve (SJJ 28) and I went to pick up the second one for him...

P.P.S.

I plan on using the NSX almost as many track miles as Ken Sax. , so this is a concern of mine.

I think your first concern should be acquiring the NSX...

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Don't worry about that Ken! My car is sold and I am getting one before Windy City in May!!! I might just request you again! I have the whole winter to shop. I will check out the topic you mentioned. I was hoping you would reply to this.

Is Jeff running the M3 now?

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by Bell turbo B18C1
Is Jeff running the M3 now?

Jeff is not running his wife's M3. He and his brother Mike went in together and bought a race-prepared E36 M3 (from Bruce Mitchell) and a luxo-van tow vehicle.