Axles and Halfshafts
Halfshafts deliver the power from the differential to the wheels. On a front-wheel-drive car or a car with rear-wheel drive and independent rear suspension, the shafts are quite similar to driveshafts, solid steel rods ending in CV joints. Turbocharged front-wheel-drive cars with sticky tires are especially prone to breaking halfshafts. The cure is, of course, to strengthen the shaft by making new ones with a larger diameter or from a stronger type of steel such as 4130 or 4340 (number codes for certain steel alloys). Larger shafts will almost always require larger CV joints that fit over the oversized shaft, even if the CV joints are not the weakest link.
High-powered front-wheel-drive cars sometimes have handling problems ...
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