Tell me about it. Factory axles are just over $400 each and my old dealership will not warranty axles for my S4 anymore. I have enough problems with spinning off the start as is, so I need the AWD.
I am getting close to half a dozen broken axles so it gets really old at this point. But on the plus side I can now swap axles really extremely fast.
I don’t think that I get much wheel hop. Usually I spin badly or I dead stick off the start and when it sticks is when I usually break an axle.
I recently went to Summit Point for an Audi event. It was a road course event on the newly expanded Jefferson Circuit. It is a short, slow, and technical track with a bunch of turns. Here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_3NWmTd54
I called Raxles and he told me that he wouldn’t warranty axles for my car since I am lowered. He also told me that he could make stronger axles but he wasn’t very clear with what would be required to get it done.
The LSDs with the wider tires and wheels are probably not helping with the strain that is put on the axles.
It is possible that they were weakened from normal driving and going to Summit Point recently. Then they just decided to crap out.
I do. It is fun when stuff doesn’t break.
Just to be clear, this last broken axle was an OP Parts axle from the local Olympus Autoparts since my local Audi dealership said they wouldn’t cover the OEM axle any more. It was all a means to an end because I have been waiting on the Driveshaft Shop to finish up a custom set of axles for my car to hopefully totally solve this problem.
It just so happens that the custom axles came in today. By the way, I did not intentionally break this axle because I knew that the new axles were coming in. I had someone jokingly ask me that while I was working on my A6 today.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/DriveshaftShopaxlesformyS4_zps1c9ad2e2.jpg
I had to send in a set of used axles that I got from Maddog for them to do measurements off of. Then they changed their design twice to make these. Since they changed their design they had me measure from the transmission flange to the back of the wheel bearing with the suspension loaded to ride height. That was interesting to do because the outer CV joints hold the wheel bearings together so I couldn’t just take the wheel off and axle out, then put the wheel back on, and lower the car down to measure the distance because the wheel bearings would be damaged. The axle on the left is an inch shorter because the driver’s side front axle is an inch shorter from what I measured. According to the invoice that the Driveshaft Shop sent me they reused the stock outer CV joint, the inner CV joint is a IJ-EVO8 joint with the stock inner housing machined to accept the CV joint, and then there is a custom 4130 shaft with different splines to make the inner CV joint work with it.
So far the new axles are holding up to the abuse that I have put them through. I still need to launch the car to be totally sure.
