Rear 98mm CV joints upgrade feedback

[Aidan]

930 joints are what we call 108mm that's my understanding and there are flanges available in the states for our box that take these, but they are different to 16" ones in their flange face position, by enough mm that the original 16" cvs may not be entirely happy with them, I fitted a set to a box I did for a customer in Canada, and supplied a pair to MG, but I don't stock them due to the difficulty in getting suitable shafts to match

Dai has fitted/is fitting the uprated cvs I think

[futbus]

I have the 944 joints on the back of mine and with a 40mm lift. Been on now for a couple of years and were GKN original ones that are black due to the case hardening. They now have a little play only detectable once the shafts are off. The bodys are a couple of mm longer and such allow the balls inside to move further giving a greater angle.

I`ll try to find the pics we took some time ago and put them up.

[futbus]

Pictures of some old joints, some original and porsche 944.

[Aidan]

Cheers Dave
any interference with the inside of the flanges ?

[futbus]

Does not appear that there is any interference. Also note that the balls are smaller in the porsche joint and this also helps the inner part of the joint move more but the balls move the same distance.

Just check that the GKN joints are black if you get some, as we had some delivered that were just normal heat machined marks, but these will wear quicker. The black ones are treated. I have the info somewhere about the heat treatment, taken from a porsche forum and someone that worked for a main stealer.

[Simon Baxter]

They are getting to be a pain for us as GKN seem really slow at making them.
For us as soon as We receive some they go straight back out again!
If you try and order on application for the Porsche the original part isn't available and they will give you an alternative which is just a normal T3 type joint.
The part number is A loebro number, not a GKN part, there is no GKN equivalent of the loebro part.

Loebro part number is 301132, it is a plain joint in a box with no boots, bolts.

Good luck!

[Simon Baxter]

*301138!
Not 301132, my sausage fingers again.

[jebiga41]

Have Syncro services all round (GKN) and lidl springs so shes high only done some road miles so far but will be at shipston so will see. When fitting them they seemed quite tight on the splines they are definately deeper than the standard originals.

[Simon Baxter]

This part is now obsolete.
We've had them on order for months, delivery date constantly being pushed back, last enquiry we were told there would be no more.
The replacement for them is just a standard T3 joint.
humpf.

[silverbullet]

Slight aside: I put up a link a while back, to a firm who claim to make "unbreakable" CV driveshafts to order, primarily for the grasstrack fraternity. Might have been in one of the 16" driveshaft threads, maybe there's a source of info there?

Here you go: http://www.berrisford.co.uk/page_info.p ... unbufthrp0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[..lee..]

Bare in mind I've been told I can get them made cheaper than that if it's the shafts your looking for.

[silverbullet]

Well it would be an option for 16" owners needing spares or replacements (and maybe me if I ever needed one for either the SA's: both have 108's)

[derekdrew]

The only place that 98mm joints were installed was the front outer position for 16" vans with differential locks. All other joints were either 100mm or 108mm. The front inner joint is *always* 100mm from VW, though in the USA people upgrade this to 108mm sometimes. The so-called 944 100mm CV joint upgrade is not a big step-up because those joints are not greatly stronger than the stock 100mm joints unless the axle is in a position of unusual plunge or angle. But even at a flat angle, all 100mm joints, OEM joints, and 944 joints, have been proven to break on Syncro (with differential lock) under typical off-roading type loads. The 100mm CV joint on syncros that have differential locks has been PROVEN to be a defective size that breaks, and anyone running such a size should eventually upgrade to 108mm if they drive off-the road, particularly if they have heavy campers with differential locks and either oversize tires, or oversize torque. The upgrade to extra-plunge ability, extra-angle ability, that special 100mm joints provide, is an improvement in the RANGE of axle articulation that may be undertaken, but since it does not change the fact that 100mm joints are too weak in the first place, I think it is an upgrade that fails to upgrade the most important thing.... the strength of the joint itself. The typical EMPI joint, either 100mm or 108mm, is an extremely poor choice for Syncro. We have so much experience with these joints breaking that it actually hurts my eyes to see somebody caryying an EMPI axle box in the direction of a syncro . VW itself was going to abandon 100mm joints worldwide as part of regular production but canceled the move when it decided to cancel the 80-90 platform altogether. VW was testing a switch from 100mm to 108mm in North America in 1998 in New Jersey, and made the switch in South Africa as somebody in this thread has pointed out. If you really want to know what is going on in CV-joint land, read this thread carefully: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=417210 I would like somebody to design a logo saying 100mm and a cv joint and then a cross-out circle as a visual representation of how I think owners should be thinking long-term.

[syncroandy]

But there isn't yet a readily-available OEM-spec substitute for the original Syncro 16 parts is there ? I'd like to know if there is.

In the Samba thread, folk are valiantly struggling to cobble together a solution from miscellaneous Taiwanese-made cr*p, and none appear to have found one that's as good as the original. In which case why worry about it ? 100mm CV joints are cheap compared with most of the other components. It's no great hardship to carry about a spare shaft or two.