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Originally Posted by garagelogic
I think you are wrong. Based on physics, whether the shafts we asymmetrical or not, that alone is going to have little, if any influence on whether or not you have wheelhop. More likely, they use a stiffer bushings or something along those lines to reduce the amount of deflection caused by immediate torque to the wheels.
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Ok, I am doing a bit of speculation here, but as I understand it axle hop is due to resonance in the system. That is why it shows up more pronounced at a particular rpm. Obviously, it is a complex system that involves rotating tires, flexibility in the suspension and the car, etc. It is not quite as simple as a resonant frequency of a string, as there are many degrees of freedom to a car's suspension. However, with that said, it appears the reason for the different size shafts is intended to shift or minimize the natural resonant frequency of the suspension as a whole without adding excessive mass to the structure. Two different diameter shafts will have a different resonant frequency, so even if on their own they would be prone to some inherent vibration, the fact that they "ring" at a different freq. means they no longer combine to magnify the problem into noticeable or damaging wheel hop.
I would love some more technical data on this system but my guess is that most of their engineering data is not going to be released, as I believe they have patents on the design (although Chrysler uses it in the Challenger as well-I don't know how that works).
By the way, thanks for the info fbodfather, it sounds like you guys have done a lot of work on this.