This may be a dumb question, but does submitting CV joints to more than usual angles (as when altering a trans original mounting location) do anything to shorten the life of the CV or reduce its strength? I recognize that the design of the CV is to supply “constant velocity” at significant angles, as when turning sharply in a fwd vehicle. But what if the angle were a constant 20 degrees (or more??) all the time? Just a thought. I am considering a soobie engine conversion and am weighing the pros and cons of the fwd (2wd) soobie trans. Pros are – no adapter plate, relatively inexpensive replacement and performance parts, optimal gearing for the soobie motor, etc. Cons are - long ass behind the axles, custom axles needed (maybe not a con if they could be made stronger), and custom trans mounts (a minor issue given the overall complexity). The other cons, which actually are not cons in my mind, are hydraulic clutch and cable shifter. Since these were in the works for me anyway, it’s just another good reason to do it.

Anyway, it’s the length of the trans that troubles me, but given how short the soobie motor is, the whole thing could be moved forward considerably if the CV’s would not mind the angle. Since the axles need to be custom, making them a little longer would not be an issue. So, how far forward would be too far, in terms of CV life and reliability? Also, it just occurred to me that there could be negative ramifications for the suspension under hard acceleration if the geometry were too off. Yes, no? Thoughts… opinions ?

Here's my SWAG.

After seeing the kinds of CV articulation that off-road racers put into the cars, and the pounding they take, I'm quite sure that a majority of street application won't have problems.

It was only when somebody tried to lighten the 934/5 CV outers did things start to fail. But they did look cool.

Also, FWD cars put the CVs through a bit of articulation, since the suspension elements they are tied to have to steer left and right as well. Are import racers wearing out CVs regularly?

I'm not quite sure what kind of articulation a 914-4 CV can take, but a thicker 951 can be used with a 911 hub for the outboard side (thicker = more articulation?). Suby CVs could be used on the inboard side. I suspect that Sway-a-way could make some custom halfshafts with a Porsche spline on one end, and a Suby spline on the other.

Isn't the Suby gearbox symmetrical -- both CV output bells are equidistant from the centerline?

Thanks for the feedback. I've simply never given this enough thought to have reasoned it out, or had enough exposure to know of working examples. As for the symmetry of the suby box, it certainly looks symmetrical. I've no hard data though, so I probably should hit the suby boards and ask around about that. If they are symmetrical, it would ease the production of axles (1 size fits either side). Also, I met a guy last weekend who is doing a suby install in his Spyder replica and is using the suby fwd trans. So, the Spyder boards are probably of use here as well. I'll check.

Thanks much!