What is the best pinion angle for drag racing?

We want the two working angles to be within a half-degree of each other and as slight an angle as possible, less than three degrees is normally recommended in drag racing.

How much pinion angle is too much?

typically over 1 degree. More than 4 & you have the opposite effect of too much wear due to excessive movement & the potential for increased vibration. 1-2 is probably an ideal range. Keep in mind performance applications tend to run more angle due to the suspension flex under hard acceleration.

Should pinion angle be up or down?

A typical leaf spring rear suspension needs, roughly, 5-7 degrees of negative angle (pinion pointing down). You never want the pinion setup with a positive pinion angle (pointing up). This can lead to binding of the u-joints as the suspension reacts, and will hurt traction.

What should my driveshaft angle be?

1 to 3 degrees
Ideally, both driveshaft-operating angles will be 1 to 3 degrees. Anything over 3 degrees at the rear axle will shorten your universal joint’s life and could create vibration.

Can wrong pinion angle cause vibration?

The wrong angles can lead to horrible drive line vibrations, as well as premature failure of U-joints, driveshafts, pinion bearings and even transfer case output bearings. Wheel/axle vibrations usually occur at 1/3rd engine speed or driveshaft speed because of the differential gearing.

What is the best driveline angle?

Driveline angles should be equal to or within 1° of each other. When checking driveshaft angles, be sure all tires are inflated to their normal operating pressure.

How do you calculate driveline angle?

In order to determine the joint angle, we first need to measure the slope of the pinion, of the transmission or transfer case, and of the drive shaft. The differences are the net joint angles. For example, if your drive shaft is 20 degrees and your transfer case is 5 degrees down, your joint angle is 15 degrees.

What is a good pinion angle?

According to Currie, the average car crafter should strive for between 1 and 3 degrees between the tailshaft of the transmission and driveshaft, and 1 to 3 degrees between the driveshaft and pinion. Furthermore, the two angles should be nearly equal (between 1 and 3 degrees), but always opposite (see crude diagram).

What does a driveshaft vibration feel like?

A common symptom of a failing driveshaft is an intense shaking coming from underneath the vehicle. Worn out u-joints or bushings can cause the driveshaft to vibrate. Vibrations caused by tire balance issues are speed sensitive while driveshaft vibrations aren’t.

How do you adjust pinion depth?

Pinion Depth – The distance from the face of the pinion gear to the centerline of the ring gear. This is adjusted by adding or subtracting shims to the inner pinion bearing.

What should the pinion angle be on a rear wheel drive car?

Here is guide to checking the relative angle between the centerline of the pinion gear in the rearend and the center line of the driveshaft. This is known as pinion angle. Pinion angle is important due to the forces at work in the rearend and rear suspension of a rearwheel drive vehicle.

When do you start setting the pinion angle?

This is the main cause for the change in pinion angle and why the starting point for setting pinion angle needs to begin at ride height; that is the closest to zero degrees as possible.

How can I change the pinion angle on my Hotrod?

You can alter the rear end pinion shaft angle by inserting or removing wedge shaped shims under the rear spring mounts or by adjusting the length of the control arms positioning the rear end. Answer: Most vehicles have a frame that is kicked up in the rear and may have other portions that are not flat.

How is the pinion angle calculated on a Jaguar?

Inserting shims underneath the transmission mount changing the centerline in relation to the rear differential raised the rear of this transmission. This highly modified Jaguar rear end mounted in a ’32 Ford chassis illustrates how this driveshaft has angles to be calculated from both the top and side.