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Is RCV still the “go to?”

06h3

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Who’s had a positive experience in the last year?

I ran a set of RCVs in my Dana 44 back in 2015ish. Maybe 2016. Anyways, positive experience. Shipped quick, strong, never broke and if it did I was confident I’d be taken care of from the feedback I got.

Then I went to a custom built Dana 70 running stock Chevy length Dana 60 shafts. Ran that for a while and finally broke a spicer u joint and wiped out the stock inner ears and chromoly outer ears.

I wanna buy once cry once. So RCV was my answer, I waited months to purchase and I am just about ready to pull the trigger when I see a nightmare story with RCV on some UTV driveshafts. Someone else comments with the same problems, so I start searching…and I’m finding more horror stories, lack of communication, warranty issues, etc.

Anyone on here have personal experience within the past year? Good or bad?

When I did my research in 2015 there was no bad feedback on them. Amazing service, no questions asked warranty was legit and simple. 7 years later it seems it’s changed?

I’m fine dropping 2500 bucks for shafts but if I do I expect the best service, warranty and transparency.

So talk me into or out of RCVs.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
My father in law said his king pin ford shafts were $3500 :eek:

I thought they were closer to your price....
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That’s the full 300M. Standard is 300M outer shaft and CV assembly and then the inner is 4340.

300M inner brings it up to about $3500. I did the standard last time with no issues.

It’s ridiculous. I bought a 6.2L L92 for less then the price of those shafts. :mad3:
 
I've been super happy with RCV.

They're just slow for custom work.

Just buy from a dealer so they handle the communication.

And IDK where you get your prices from but they're wrong.

Without much research:

RCV DANA 60 CV AXLES

RCV Performance Ultimate CV Axles simply replace your GM 1-Ton, K30 & V30's weak Dana 60 U-joint axle shafts with a high-strength constant velocity design. Tests prove Ultimate CV Axles to be twice as
eastcoastgearsupply.com
 
Personally I wouldn't use the UTV crowd (excluding some here) as a standard for a company's level of service. A good portion of those guys are sitting at the computer card in hand ready to bolt on the new bling they don't need in 3 days and any delay or built to order part is unacceptable.
 
I'm sure you can quote me on here or facebook for saying "buy once, cry once", but with two steering axles that are going to be 40 spline... I just cannot spend close to 9K for front and rear axle shafts (Big bell 40 spline, direct spline to hub). Im hoping the Branik shafts will hold up well for me. That said, if I had unlimited funds and/or no concern on timeline for finishing my project, I would probably get a couple sets of RCVs.
 
I wouldn't use them after seeing the recent product and lack of support. Just yesterday I came across an insta post from someone who says they were sent parts that were wrong, RCV said they knew the parts were wrong, then they didn't do anything about it.

I usually don't put much consideration on posts like that, but it's a shop I've used a lot and trust. A few people popped up in the comments saying they had the same problems and lack of service. That tells me this is not just a single product that snuck out with a flaw.

I know it's hard to find good help, especially now. This is the make-or-break time for a lot of growing businesses. If the owners aren't on top of the product and service they will destroy themselves.
 
I hear ya on buy once cry once. I have been trying to buy the best stuff I can afford. I used to buy the cheapest and in the end I’ve spent more in the long run. I try and look for value, downtime with consideration to my wallet.
 
AK_F250 said:
Personally I wouldn't use the UTV crowd (excluding some here) as a standard for a company's level of service. A good portion of those guys are sitting at the computer card in hand ready to bolt on the new bling they don't need in 3 days and any delay or built to order part is unacceptable.
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I agree, this wasn’t some dumb UTV tard. This was a shop owner that has been many legit rock crawlers and was working on a UTV.
61scout80 said:
I wouldn't use them after seeing the recent product and lack of support. Just yesterday I came across an insta post from someone who says they were sent parts that were wrong, RCV said they knew the parts were wrong, then they didn't do anything about it.

I usually don't put much consideration on posts like that, but it's a shop I've used a lot and trust. A few people popped up in the comments saying they had the same problems and lack of service. That tells me this is not just a single product that snuck out with a flaw.

I know it's hard to find good help, especially now. This is the make-or-break time for a lot of growing businesses. If the owners aren't on top of the product and service they will destroy themselves.
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Yep, unfortunately it seems like many don’t care nowadays.
 
During covid i broke one and they said they were hurting on parts and labor all that. Gave me a lead time of like 4 weeks or something. I had it in 6 days if i remember correctly. I was kind of bummed I had to take the front back apart since the replacement showed up the day after I borrowed a spare and put it in to ride. Does that count as a complaint?
 
Didn’t 2big bronco just have problems with his RCV shafts making noises as soon as they were installed so he had to send them back and get another set?
 
RunningProblem said:
Didn’t 2big bronco just have problems with his RCV shafts making noises as soon as they were installed so he had to send them back and get another set?
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Still waiting on my 3rd set several months later. Clicking has turned to thunking but they havnt broke yet.

RCV has handled the shitty situation as well as possible
 
A handful of years ago now I went through all the let's buy RCV's measurements spline count stuff.

Got the quote I recall it being 2700 for the front shafts.

The morning I went to buy them a few days later they were 3700


I know a 1000 isn't a ton of money but it was the communication and the left hand not talking to the right hand that turned me off.


And the other thing that turns me off is hammers.



All venders know when the race is gonna happen, but they go about their year like nothing is coming up and then BAM "were swamped with hammers orders."

It leaves a shitty window for the guys that aren't racers or are trying to get their rigs together to go watch hammers and wheel.

I haven't looked at RCV since that debacle.


I've just adjusted my wheeling a bit:laughing:
 
2big bronco said:
Still waiting on my 3rd set several months later. Clicking has turned to thunking but they havnt broke yet.

RCV has handled the shitty situation as well as possible
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What were the axles for? i've heard the toyota one's clicking and them being fairly new.
 
For CV stuff yeah, branik and spidertrax make the u joint style and pretty good. I wouldn't consider them the end all and I had a confuddle when I got mine. Asked for a specific profile on the shafts, they agree, I sent them the drawings, they send the shafts and the lathe person chucked them up off center and so only half the shaft was profiled. :shaking: it was fixed but it was a bit of a debacle. But no issues since so happy enough with them.
 
Lilyota said:
And the other thing that turns me off is hammers.

All venders know when the race is gonna happen, but they go about their year like nothing is coming up and then BAM "were swamped with hammers orders."

It leaves a shitty window for the guys that aren't racers or are trying to get their rigs together to go watch hammers and wheel.
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That's not how it works.

Everyone knows when the Hammers is. Nobody anticipates and orders early.

Everyone orders in December and needs their shit for mid-Jan.

RCV cannot help that there is an influx of orders before KOH.
 
All this lead time reminds me of my RCV order blues.

Ordered through the parts store here. Showed 3 sets in stock. Austin promptly let's me know he called and, they're 2 weeks out and I can have a full refund immediately if I choose. I tell him no big deal. 2 1/2 weeks go by and they say 2 weeks :homer: I wait 3 week and they say 2 weeks :mad3: I contacted them directly and they ended up coming through around that time. Wasn't a crazy amount of time, plus over Xmas, covid, ect. But still annoying for an "in stock" probuct.

To be fair, it was a $400 set of Sami birfs, so I'm sure that gets sidelined for $3-5k big boy stuff :laughing:
 
I honestly don't think I know anyone that runs them since Zach isn't around anymore. He was our local spot to buy them.

Most guys are running Branik/Spidertrax stuff that are on that level. Although Spidertrax doesn't make KP outers anymore.
 
HIt & miss for me, although this is going back to 2016.

Mine was a really oddball thing, being a TTB application. It's the high pinion D35 diff but with a 30-spline locker and 35-spline Dana 60 outer stuff. Center ball is a D44 size and outer is D60. Had the drawings done, lead time on the original set was fine, they showed up, everything went together, all is good.

Because the TTB has a slip joint like a driveshaft, I had an issue where the midshaft pulled out of the CV bell because the circlip gave way before the slip joint did, and that ate the splines on both the bell and midshaft. They replaced both of those parts pretty quick, and the 'fix' is a square profile ring instead of a round one. It won't pull apart now...and f'ing good luck getting it apart, even if you wanted to. *

Later I had the same thing happen on the inner shaft that goes into the diff, and the splines twisted as well. No big deal, they covered it...and sent me something completely wrong. I replied with my drawings and the specific dimensions to double check, and again got something completely wrong. I sent back the same drawings and dimensions, much less happy this time, and a few days later get this in an email back:

"Hi, we finally found your original order in our system, just to double check, that shaft should be 14.02" and 27 splines on both ends, correct?"

No, it's 11-7/8" and 30-spline, as per my previous emails, and if you didn't find my order before, what order were you referencing, and if you did just find my order, why is it still wrong?

Keeping in mind this ongoing conversation was with the same guy the entire time :mad3:

They ended up making a new drawing from scratch, from their own drawing that they sent me originally. And I've got two nice 300M shafts on my shelf that work for...something, somewhere in the world? I'd like to meet the other person on the planet that has a 30-spline HP35 TTB setup with RCVs that's just a little different than mine :laughing:

IMG_20170302_154531674.jpg


* so while I had it all apart, I had noticed that the splines on the slip joint were bottoming out at full droop. That was on me, it was tricky to measure when I first ordered the shaft set, so I figured with all this warranty stuff going on I'd order a new inner shaft too that was 3/4" shorter. That was pretty reasonable, like $300. That actually showed up perfectly fine even with all that other stuff being wrong. Problem is, back to that square ring...it just does not come apart. I built a slide hammer with a piece of tube and some plate welded on to hit with a sledge hammer in my vise and it didn't even budge. Eventually I just put the whole rig back together with the old one still in there and just limited the droop a bit. Everything has been fine since then but I really think I'll need a whole new CV bell if I ever want to run that new shaft.
 
vetteboy79 said:
HIt & miss for me, although this is going back to 2016.

Mine was a really oddball thing, being a TTB application. It's the high pinion D35 diff but with a 30-spline locker
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Wait, you used a D35 center in that thing? How's that holding up? IIRC you're substantially over RBV weight with plenty of extra power and more tire...


vetteboy79 said:
I'd like to meet the other person on the planet that has a 30-spline HP35 TTB setup with RCVs that's just a little different than mine :laughing:
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How low you willing to go? I could build to fit. :laughing:
 
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arse_sidewards said:
Wait, you used a D35 center in that thing? How's that holding up? IIRC you're substantially over RBV weight with plenty of extra power and more tire...
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Dana 35s are not a horrible ring and pinion unless you put them in a crappy, thin, flexy housing and add c-clips. :lmao:
 
I am actually pretty impressed that the D35 center is twisting chromoly 30 spline shafts. Been toying with upgrading mine to 30 spline, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it since I thought the ring and pinion would just become the weak link. Looks like 30 spline is a pretty good match for the D35 center section.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Wait, you used a D35 center in that thing? How's that holding up? IIRC you're substantially over RBV weight with plenty of extra power and more tire...
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I wouldn't say substantially over RBV weight...mine's like mid-3k lbs, high 200s HP, and 35's.

Tech Tim said:
Dana 35s are not a horrible ring and pinion unless you put them in a crappy, thin, flexy housing and add c-clips. :lmao:
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That was my logic going into it, especially being high pinion and in a housing that isn't load-bearing.

'84 Bronco II said:
I am actually pretty impressed that the D35 center is twisting chromoly 30 spline shafts. Been toying with upgrading mine to 30 spline, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it since I thought the ring and pinion would just become the weak link. Looks like 30 spline is a pretty good match for the D35 center section.
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I'd agree. Overall it's been good, I'm on R&P set #3 but that's not the gears' fault. I blew the pinion out of the housing when my D300 locked up going down the highway in Moab. I found a junkyard housing and put a fresh set of 4.88s in, and I think I either didn't have a bearing race seated all the way or didn't get the crush sleeve down far enough because that one lasted all of 50 feet from the start line at a race before the pinion loosened up and started eating itself. Finally I found a NOS housing on Ebay and sent that off to a local shop who built it from scratch with all the proper Dana setup tools etc, with a lifetime warranty, and it hasn't broken since :laughing: that's 3 racing seasons and many rec wheeling trips.
 
I'm not super TTB savvy, but why not just go D44 or even D50 for a little extra beef? Especially if you're already 35 spline outters?
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I'm not super TTB savvy, but why not just go D44 or even D50 for a little extra beef? Especially if you're already 35 spline outters?
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Yeah. That's my thought too. 44 isn't a huge upgrade over a 35. But 50 bolts right in to the same hole and the difference between 35 and 50 is substantial.
 
94toytruck said:
Although Spidertrax doesn't make KP outers anymore.
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They do.
They just don't stock them.

vetteboy79 said:
Problem is, back to that square ring...it just does not come apart. I built a slide hammer with a piece of tube and some plate welded on to hit with a sledge hammer in my vise and it didn't even budge. Eventually I just put the whole rig back together with the old one still in there and just limited the droop a bit. Everything has been fine since then but I really think I'll need a whole new CV bell if I ever want to run that new shaft.
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Big bells are the same way.
There is a trick to get them out.

Involves breaking the clip though.
 
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