seems there is an epidemic of high horsepower 4 link dragsters spitting driveshafts out.

according to the experts,such as mark Williams,its not a weak shaft or joint,they claim the driveshaft gets placed in a bad position around 1000 feet which in turn binds the joint,then blows it up.

they claim the only fix is an alternate shaft such as the cv style shaft built by Goethe enterpises that can still function at an akward angle.
the problem now is Goethe has gone ghost.dosent answer calls.wont return voicemails or texts.wont respond on facebook.this is numerous people that are experiencing this.and if you do talk to him he has you get the measurements for the shaft and then never calls you back.

someone else out there that builds a similar style shaft?

Hey Mike, anyone have video of what the dragster looks like after the 1000 ft? Does it bow up like a Alky or Top Fueler?

lol
not sure mike but there seems to be a lot of carnage in a lot of instances!!
mine has been fine,but a whole bunch haven't!!

I wonder what bind they are seeing at 1000 we think we are back to ride height on shocks at that point.which is 1.5 degrees

according to the experts its binding 1000 feet through the traps and again upon lifting

Shock sensor doesn't show it just trying to learn something

me too rusty maybe it depends on chassis style and shock placement?
this is the way mark Williams described it to me and Goethe when he used to answer his phone

We have the goethe on Seabass car with shock sensors and on mine no sensors and regular driveshaft. Sensors show extension at hit and by 1000 ft or sooner back to zero

from what I am reading its most substantial when you lift.he saying the front yoke splines bind on the trans shaft and put the yoke into a wobble.

I would be surprised if anybody has broke a TRUE chromoly driveshaft from MW..in a dragster

I have a ride height and right rear shock sensor, would they show what's needed to determine bind?

MW said it’s just the characteristics of a four link dragster....no fix

quote:

MW said it’s just the characteristics of a four link dragster....no fix

well i have seen some awfull poor setups,but have also seen a lot of 4 links going very fast for more than short term.still intersted to learn more

quote:

MW said it’s just the characteristics of a four link dragster....no fix

mark Williams told me the fix is a Goethe cv driveshaft but that guy is non exsistent...looks like he put some shafts out from 2014-2016 on a regular basis but then things have looked shaky.

i saw him at one of the races we went to last year may have been denver.he is still making shafts i think,but not his primary job.seabass has had some success talking with him in the past.i will touch base with him.

It's not just Mark Williams, most any of the top TD chassis builders recommend a solid car for just that reason.
Not saying it can't be done with a soft tail BUT you need the correct components.

I tried to google what you are looking for but didn't get much.
You may need to find a local drive shaft company that can make one.

quote:

.seabass has had some success talking with him in the past.i will touch base with him.

he will talk to you,just wont call you back after you give him the measurements

Does he have the patent on it and if not then why doesn't Williams or Inland Empire or Dennys or one of the other driveshaft manufacturers build one that's similar?

looks like he applied for the patent in 2013

I've never seen one of the Goethe driveshafts in person. But in pictures, they look a lot like the tripod CV axles we used in FSAE cars, when I was in college. I would guess that Goethe put in the engineering to design yokes to work with an existing, off-the-shelf CV joint.

Taylor Race Engineering sells all of the components to piece together your own CV axle, but their bread and butter is sports car racing (the FSAE market depends heavily on Taylor). I doubt they stock components that would stand up to T/D power levels. But if you're not getting service from Goethe, Taylor may be worth a phone call.

https://www.taylor-race.com/