Whats the difference between the two axles. I know the splines are different, but is the splines different where they go in the diff. or the hubs??
Difference between 99/01 and 03/04 axles
- Thread starter sonicsaleen
- Start date
asking because i have a set of axles that look like 99/01 axles. I counted the splines that go in the diff off both sets and they are 31 which is 03/04. but one set is 1 inch shorter. Are they aftermarket remans or something. They are not upgrades. They dont even look the same
01 Cobra's are 31 spline also.
Are there any tags on them? Stickers?
Are there any tags on them? Stickers?
No the 99 and 01 Halfshafts are different. The 99s where 28 spline and the 01s were 31 spline.
No that's wrong information!
1999 Halfshafts have 28 spline inners and 28 spline outers.
2001 Halfshafts have 31 spline inners and 28 spline outers.
2003-4 Halfshafts have 31 spline inners and 28 spline outers but are beefier than the 2001 version. They are however interchangeable between 2001 and 2003-4.
IRS differences through the years
In 1999 the halfshafts on the IRS contained a 28 spline inner shaft. This is determined by the gear carrier inside the differential. The 28 spline halfshafts were the weakest halfshafts of all IRS years. In 2001 the halfshafts were beefed up slightly and the inner spline was updated from a 28 to a 31 spline. In 2003 the halfshafts were once again upgraded to a heavier unit but still retained the 31 spline inner. ALL halfshafts from ALL years retain the same 28 spline outer that goes through the hub in the rear knuckle.
The early 1999 and 2000 Cobra R models had knuckle cross axis joints that were pressed in and did not have a flange and retaining ring holding them in. These were all recalled and updated with the retaining ring style cross axis joints.
From here:
Mystery of IRS
FWIW
:thumbsup::coolman::beer:
Well thanks for setting that straight. But I perfer the solid anyways so I never paid to much attention to halfshafts.
Solid is good for drag racing. Ride comfort and handling, not so much! :-D
Mustang and that go together??? When did that happen? lol In all seriousness though, an IRS has its place on even a performance car. It would've been better if the chassis was built or modified to be specific for an IRS instead of just a generic mount.
As far as the 'ride' part goes, well not really. Mustangs have a reputation for having a pretty crappy ride, most likely one of the main reasons the team of SVT engineers figured it would be a nice upgrade to put an IRS in the 1999 Cobra! I think it was more for handling performance but the improved ride came along as a bonus. :idea:
As far and the handling goes, not many people have figured out how to get a Mustang to handle as well as say a Corvette or a similar high performance sports car that has an IRS. It can be done, it's just not easy. Some people like to take the easy way out of a situation and some people like the challenge of making a Mustang handle as well as a car that costs much more. I can pretty much guess which one of the two above people I've described is you and you surely can guess which one is me. ;-)
oke:Corvette pwnage with Mustang
As far as the 'ride' part goes, well not really. Mustangs have a reputation for having a pretty crappy ride, most likely one of the main reasons the team of SVT engineers figured it would be a nice upgrade to put an IRS in the 1999 Cobra! I think it was more for handling performance but the improved ride came along as a bonus. :idea:
As far and the handling goes, not many people have figured out how to get a Mustang to handle as well as say a Corvette or a similar high performance sports car that has an IRS. It can be done, it's just not easy. Some people like to take the easy way out of a situation and some people like the challenge of making a Mustang handle as well as a car that costs much more. I can pretty much guess which one of the two above people I've described is you and you surely can guess which one is me. ;-)
I guess your correct. But if it is that much better I wonder why they put a solid back in for the Shelbys.. Most Shelby owners say the ride and handling are well refined and the newer cars are even better the the "First Gen" Shelbys. All with a solid axle but a Mustang was never really meant to handle and give a smooth ride. Its more about brute power and raw feeling while driving the car. :rockon: Atleast IMO that is. :beer:
That's a damn good guess!
epper:HTT originally wanted a sub $40k price point for the GT500. He and the SVT team of engineers came awfully damn close but............ even after trimming everything they felt they could, they still came up about $4k short.
An IRS is expensive! That's the bad news. The good news is the S-197 chassis is SO FAR SUPERIOR in rigidity and suspension technology (not to mention the extended wheelbase) to the SN-95 chassis, they still made huge improvements in ride comfort and handling even without an IRS. See new and improved chassis explanation above.
The new chassis, with the PHB equipped SRA, has a much more refined ride than the previous SN-95 chassis even with the IRS. Mainly because the old platform was well beyond it's useful life being 25 years old.
Mustangs have ALWAYS been about brute American V-8 horsepower. :bowdown: Well except for the V-6 secretary versions! :fart: Few things feel better than squeezing down the loud pedal on a healthy Mustang. :dancenana:
Me squeezing Mustang throttle
I will agree with the brute power comment but the 'raw' feeling is only something you get in a Fox Body or an SN-95 chassis. And of course the older models as well. These cars make you 'feel' like you are accelerating much faster than you really are because there's a lot of shake-rattle and rolling going on with these chassis equipped vehicles. You do not get this feeling in an S-197 equipped vehicle. That is why many people mistakenly 'think' they are not going as fast because the new chassis offers such superior ride comfort over the older chassis. The proof is in the time slip, not the SOTP dyno.
FWIW
:thumbsup::coolman::beer:
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