slimcubby

iTrader: (1)

To my surprise today I found out that I don't have the aluminum driveshaft! My old F150 and Silverado both had the aluminum one. Why does my truck have the ****ty steel one that already is completely rusty! Pretty disappointed..

painthorseowner

Because it's the type of thing manufacturers do to cut costs and increase profits, and since a high percentage of folks never LOOK underneath......it seems a logical place to hide something. That being said, aside from being unattractive......it isn't going to hurt anything. Don't sweat it.....if somebody else sees it, you should just be worried about why they're under your truck!

BassAckwards

I haven't been able to determine which configuration of trucks receive the steel and which get the aluminum. It seems to flip flop.

SeeManRun

Surface rust is no issue with that huge piece of metal. And you might be happy having steel rather than aluminum. My dad backed over something and it totally wrecked his drive shaft in his Titan. Not sure that would have happened had it been steel.

13Harleyfan

Maybe aluminum should be there but Ford is using the steel because they're cheaper. Not a high failure item so nobody is going to second guess it.

jeremyha

yeah I think my 2011 ECO super crew 4x4 has the aluminium one

Zixxer10r

That points to poor design and situational awareness more than anything.

Why would a manufacturer mount a drive shaft so low that a road hazard could damage it, and why would someone drive over something so tall that it could damage the drive shaft?

EcoboostDave

I also notice that yours has a cover or a skid plate on the gas tank, mine does not. And I think my DS is aluminium because mine has no rust.

11screw50

Well, given that the driveshaft connects to the rear differential, how do you propose raising it? I am doubt that it is any lower on the Titan than it is on any other pickup (but I'll look under my friend's Titan and compare it to my Ford since they are both SCrew short bed 4x4's).

As for the differences and which trucks get which material, it is probably predicated by the length of the driveshaft. Anything that they use a two-piece driveshaft is probably steel while one-piece are aluminum.

Just a guess.

kgpat

My 13 lariat has aluminum shaft