SEMA 2021: QA1 Shifts Gears Into the Driveshaft Market

Legendary suspension manufacturer QA1 has taken a surprise turn with its product line up in recent years. Amongst the K-members, coilovers and suspension kits, QA1 started producing driveshafts — one of which is desgned for late model Mustangs. While we all know the S197 and S550 are incredible handling vehicles, the achilles heel of these cars is the two-piece driveshaft. And although other companies offer a driveshaft, very few offer the quality that QA1 does.

Marketing Manager Dave Kass knows this issue all too well…he also knows his neighbors, who happen to be 3M. “We teamed up with 3M early on with our driveshaft division. 3M had a joint interest in designing a resin for commercial driveshaft applications at the same time we were looking for one in motorsports,” Dave said.

Dave continued, “We knew we had to fix the two-piece driveshaft from Ford. The noise, vibration and harness combined with power limits meant we would be finding the shortcomings in the factory drivetrain quickly. This is only compounded when sticky tires are added into the mix.”

QA1 driveshafts

Dave gave us the lowdown on the product line.

“Their engineers from the transposition and aerospace team spent a ton of time with us and we spent time with them. We conducted back-to-back testing. It was an 18-month process of getting a finalized product that had the abrasion resistance and water absorption preventatively correctly.” Dave said. “These are some of the specific things a driveshaft has to suffer through.”

This process took a great amount of time and effort, however, the end result is a carbon-fiber driveshaft that can handle up to 1,500 horsepower and 1,000 ft-lbs of torque! The driveshaft also has CNC-machined, forged yoke tubes and uniform wall thickness throughout.

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About the author

James Elkins

Born into a household of motorsport lovers, James learned that wrenching takes priority over broken skin and damaged nerves. Passions include fixing previous owners’ mistakes, writing, and driving.
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