Tom Woods driveshafts
#1
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
Tom Woods driveshafts
Anyone here replaced their rear JK driveshaft with a Tom Woods unit? My stock shaft is noisy and I’m considering a new double-carden unit from TW. 1310 version, since I have no lift and don't thrash it too hard.
#2
JK Jedi Master
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Austin <--> Colorado Springs
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Seeing as how you are still stock and don't abuse it offroad, why not just grab a cheap used shaft off of craigslist or where ever?
All the aftermarket shafts seem to be about the same. Regardless of the name on the box, any of them can perform well, or have issues. (left the shop with a problem, damaged in shipping, install error, whatever.) I think what matters more is the type of service you get from that company. (from my experience, Tom Woods is good people...) If you do choose aftermarket, form an opinion on the connections (flange vs yoke), choose the type of joint (greaseable vs sealed), compare price and warranty, and then get whichever shaft meets your criteria.
That said, I have been running a Woods front shaft for over 10 years. Swapped out joints and had it rebalanced, but that wasn't a problem with the shaft. More about smacking into rocks and spotty maintenance (my lack of crawling underneath to pull it out for greasing, or dropping it and having caps and all the pins fly out. Dumbass...)
All the aftermarket shafts seem to be about the same. Regardless of the name on the box, any of them can perform well, or have issues. (left the shop with a problem, damaged in shipping, install error, whatever.) I think what matters more is the type of service you get from that company. (from my experience, Tom Woods is good people...) If you do choose aftermarket, form an opinion on the connections (flange vs yoke), choose the type of joint (greaseable vs sealed), compare price and warranty, and then get whichever shaft meets your criteria.
That said, I have been running a Woods front shaft for over 10 years. Swapped out joints and had it rebalanced, but that wasn't a problem with the shaft. More about smacking into rocks and spotty maintenance (my lack of crawling underneath to pull it out for greasing, or dropping it and having caps and all the pins fly out. Dumbass...)
#3
Super Moderator
Do the aftermarket shafts also require arms to get the pinion angle correct? Not something necessary if you're planning on staying stock.
#4
JK Jedi
You don't need a double Cardon shaft for a stock height JK. It's just one more maintenance thing to worry about. Just get a driveshaft with a single sealed u-joint on each end.