Something I have wondered about with the carbon fiber driveshaft: isn't CF pretty "brittle and delicate" when it comes to chips and impact damage? So I assume they have this rather pricey part very much protected under the car from rocks and scrapes/dings, etc?

 

So is the debate the different grades of CF or the lack of protection?

I can assure you its not the same CF your buddies civic hood is made of.

 

Just wondering how well protected it is against road hazard damage - even though it's not really a "structural" component of the car per se, it's still pretty important. Even CF mountain bike frames - which are structural - sometimes don't fare that well against rock chips

 

Its pretty wide open you can stick your head under there and see it theres no covers or anything.

 

um... yes you are correct... LoL I'm really not sure what we are talking about, people have 200+ k on these cars and some have totaled them with no drive shaft damage.

 

There is probably a good reason it costs 5K. And considering how much power it can transfer to the rear, it better be durable

 

It is surely much, much thicker than a frame. In the same sense that a quarter panel can be steel and a drive shaft can be steel.

 

Check this out.

 

Great video. Richard Hammond is a badass.

Only thing is, the OP wasn't questioning the possible failure of the CF drive shaft under load. It's more of a question of its impact resistance. Carbon ceramic brake rotors are the same way. They are extremely durable in use. They deal well with heat and last forever. The problem with them is that they don't hold up against impact. I've heard horror stories of techs accidentally dropping a wheel/tire assembly off of a hub and having it break a carbon ceramic rotor.

I can see what OP is asking. We have yet to hear about an RL drive shaft being destroyed by an object in the road. I don't think Honda, or any manufacturer for that matter, just throws CF drive shafts underneath their cars totally exposed without at least testing this scenario. If it makes anybody feel any better, an impact with an object in the road resulting in damage to the car would be covered by most full coverage insurance plans.

 

If it makes it through the radiator and oil pan, the drive shaft will be the least of your worries.