which do you think is stronger more capable and would rather use?? and whos running what?

 

If you're going for maximum articulation and off-angle stuff -- CV's. They'll be on my driveshafts when I get done the SAS.

CV's are more expensive though. Sure does eliminate a lot of obsessing about pinion angles though.

 

how are they for strength?? i heard that they can also be weak sometimes and like to blow apart...

 

That's more than likely for two reasons:

1. People scrimp because they are more expensive to start with.

2. CV's are often used where driveshaft angle and/or pinion angle mismatch are going to be extreme. Applying power in any extreme angle situation can blow things apart. Just the reality of it.

If you aren't going to NEED CV's, then don't get them. A poll is kind of useless unless you give some idea of what you are trying to accomplish. CV's are neither good nor bad inherently: they solve a problem. If you're not going to have that problem, they are a total waste of time and money.

So: why do you think you need them?

 

If by CV you mean a double-cardan joint and not the joint in the front end of a 4x4 ranger (or fwd minivan) then there should be little difference in strength assuming the same size joints are used in both. You do sacrifice cost-effectiveness and ease of rebuilding as well as adding parts that could fail when using double-cardan joints but if you have a sharp u-joint angle, the joints will fail more quickly (ask me how I know) and need maintenance more often. The double-cardan joint in a driveshaft is less sensitive to pinion angle, but there is a proper way to set it up. Simply swapping a u-joint driveshaft for a double-cardan driveshaft is only doing half of the job.

Now, if you're comparing the joints at the front wheels of a ranger (CV) and the joints at the front end of (for example) a Jeep (U-joint) then the u-joint is definitely stronger. The CV joint does give greater range of motion as it must be able to move in two planes (steering and articulation) whereas the U-joint in a solid axle suspension only needs to move in one plane (steering).

I run a standard u-joint front driveshaft and a double-cardan rear driveshaft in the Jeep. In the near future, I will be changing the front to a double-cardan joint as well. Keep in mind whether or not you *need* a high angle double-cardan joint tho. A standard 1310 joint will be stronger than a high angle joint because it will use 1330 size joints which have longer "ears" and therefore are easier to break (again, ask me how I know).

 

Uhhh...Tom, how do you know?

 

yea how do you know??? lol and for the first question i was talking about the CV ones found in rangers that have the boot over them to protect from dirt and water and all that nasty stuff.

 

I dont think i need them at all! im pouring enough money into this truck as it is im just courious to learn more about them, weakness/strengths, where they are better in different scenarios than u-joints, what causes them to go and stuff like that.