Kyosho TF014 Rear Drive Shaft TF-5

This is the rear drive shaft for the Kyosho TF-5 touring car.

The drive shaft carries torque from the rear differential outdrive to the wheel hub while allowing the angle between them to change as the suspension moves through its travel. It has to transmit the full drivetrain load through a joint that is articulating constantly, which makes it one of the harder working parts on the car.

Wear appears at the ends first. The tips round off and the outdrive cups they sit in open up, and the play that results shows as a knock under acceleration and a clunk when you lift off. On a touring car that play also costs drivetrain efficiency directly, which shows up as reduced runtime and a motor running hotter than it should.

Because both sides wear at the same rate, replacing them as a pair rather than one at a time keeps the car balanced and saves a second strip-down shortly after.

Kyosho lists this as a standard part for the TF-5, the TF-5S variants and the TF-5 Readyset.