[itanibro]

Anybody have any idea what would cause a front axle to break? Mine broke the other day...going to cost a cool grand to fix.

I do have aftermarket alloys and non RFT's on the car, as well as new Bilstein HD shocks/struts. Think that combination would cause an axle to break...or is this a case of plain bad luck?

No aggressive driving at all...just crusing on the highway. Normal bumps, etc.

Thanks for your help! -AO

[///Mposter]

Was it at the knuckle or on the shaft? Because the rubber boots break overtime and can cause the grease to leak out. Soon after the assembly comes loose and the rubber boot is not there to keep it in place and a bump, or just a sharp turn in a parking lot spot can dislodge the knuckle , leaving you stranded.
The other scenario of breaking a shaft would be too much torque/HP /abuse/defect.

[Frenk]

wrong wheels size dimension can cause this !

[smallseafishie]

Was it the front or rear axle?

Lowered suspension can cause more stress on the AWD drivetrain.

[itanibro]

@///Mposter - I probably should have asked that question. The shop foreman crawled under the car, shook the front axle (it rattled like it was in pieces), and said it was shredded. The scary thing is - I drove the car to the dealership (12 miles) with the axle in that condition. Perhaps that helps to answer the question?

@Frenk - I bought Conti DWS 225/45/18. Same outside diameter as the stock set-up. My new rims are 18", the old ones were 16"

@smallseafishie - Front axle. The Bilstein's are the HD's, and I'm using the stock springs. The overall height has remained the same as stock...no lowering.

Thanks for your replies, I do appreciate it! -AO