Polaris Slingshot Angle Drive Brace by DDMWorks

Description

The strongest bolt-on angle drive brace available for the 2015-2019 Polaris Slingshot. Designed to strengthen and support the weakest point in the Polaris Slingshot drivetrain, the angle drive. Manufactured from laser cut 1/4″ thick steel, solid billet aluminum and secures with Class 10.9 metric hardware. Powdercoated in your choice of various colors.

Why is a brace needed? – In 2016 we started to get reports that some Slingshot owners were having issues with angle drives breaking. The angle drive is in the back of the Slingshot and has the driveshaft from the transmission on one side and the sprocket for the belt on the other side and is similar to a differential in a regular automobile. After talking to these owners, we learned that cracks were forming in the angle drive and sometimes causing the neck of the angle drive to break completely. We started looking into ways to make an affordable, yet strong brace that could help support the neck of the angle drive to prevent these failures. First we looked into the design of the angle drive and how some of the failures happened, it became obvious that the pinion was trying to move during shock loading in 3 different directions. These 3 forces on the neck of the stock angle drive were in places not fully supported stock, which was causing the cracks or failures to happen. One force tries to push the pinion to the side, another force tries to push the pinion up and the last force tries to push the pinion forward. When these forces were getting high enough, a failure of the angle drive neck was occurring. When the drivetrain of the Slingshot was loaded quickly or shocked, like during tire bouncing while power is applied (wheel hop) or even just during rapid accelerations these forces would spike and that was when failures typically occured. Once we knew what was causing the failures, we set out to design something to help. After working on the brace for more than a year, we developed the DDMWorks angle drive brace, the strongest bolt-on brace available for the stock angle drive. The brace kit uses massive 1.5″ thick collars to secure the neck of the angle drive. Those collars then bolt to a 1/4″ steel bracket spanning the entire width of the angle drive, supporting the collars on two sides. Together this brace helps support the neck from all 3 forces and helps prevent the failure of the neck of the angle drive.

o•ver•kill /’ov?r?kil/ noun : the amount by which destruction or the capacity for destruction exceeds what is necessary.

Our goal when designing this brace was to offer a bolt on solution that some people might think is overkill. We carried this goal even into the production of the separate pieces. The steel bracket is made from CNC laser cut HPR&O steel. What is “HPR&O”? It is hot rolled steel that is then dipped into an acid bath [ie: pickled] to remove the scale. After that, a layer or oil is applied to surface to prevent oxidation or rust formation. That surface finish by itself is sufficient to prevent surface corrosion, but we go one step further and apply powder coat for more protection and an aesthetic piece. That extra layer of powdercoat protection will help the brace against the elements, salt, road debris etc. to keep it looking great for years to come. The billet aluminum collar is machined from solid 1.5″ thick aluminum, thicker than anything else out there. We then sandblast those aluminum parts to give a nice smooth appearance and finish with clear anodize for protection. To bolt the brace together, we chose Grade 10.9 with a tensile strength of 150,000 psi, overkill for sure.

The brace is designed to give extra support to the stock angle drive to help it take more abuse than stock for a fraction of the price it costs to replace the angle drive. We know there is no way to prevent all failures of the stock angle drive, but we know we have designed a bolt on solution that offers the best support possible. We worked hard to also make the brace as compatible as we could with rear exit exhausts like the Welter or Twist Dynamics rear exit exhausts. We have been able to install the brace with Polaris Slingshots that have the Welter or Twist Dynamics rear exit exhaust installed, but fitment is very close. We have found that fitment of the rear exit exhausts on the Slingshot vary greatly depending on when the exhaust was made and how it was installed and for that reason, we suggest contacting us before ordering this brace. To install the DDMWorks angle drive brace on a Slingshot with a Welter or Twist rear exit exhaust, the section of the exhaust that is close to the angle drive does have to be removed to install the brace. This brace is designed to fit any 2015-2019 Polaris Slingshot, the 2020+ Slingshots have a revised angle drive that is braced from the factory to offer similar support to what we are offering with this brace.