Today’s modern UTVs and Side-by-Sides are seriously capable off-road vehicles. Torture tested and manufactured to handle tremendous abuse, the components in these machines do have breaking points. It is just the nature of OEMs to build within the target price point and scope of the product. This means there are going to be weak links. We found one of these weak links could be easily upgraded with GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles from GSP Products.
A leading automotive manufacturer for over 35 years, GSP Automotive Group is one of the three main CV-axle manufacturers around the globe. They specialize in producing spec’d-out parts for vehicle manufacturers, offering the best coverage for CV axles, hub assemblies, loaded strut assemblies, and ATV/UTV axles.
GSP first began producing ATV and UTV products during the powersports infancy back in 1985. Ever since then, they have been considered a high-quality OEM supplier. It is worth noting that UTV factory CV axle failure rates are very high due to the extreme operating conditions. What is better than OEM stock parts? How about OE-fit replacement heavy-duty parts! GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles are the perfect choice when you want reliability and quality from a replacement part.
GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles Explained
CNC-machined splines for precise OE fitment
Extended length options: Xtreme Duty (XD) Axles
Over 307 SKU’s
Covering over 95% of PVC
Warranty: limited lifetime
User Rebuildable
After giving the GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles a close examination, it got the cranium gears upstairs spinning. Besides the axle component, the main mechanical feature is the CV joints. As a common vehicle component, we often look past these things without really knowing much about where they came from and the minds behind them. This perplexed me to the point of looking into it further.
The constant-velocity joint, or CV as they are more commonly known, was introduced to the automotive industry by a Ford engineer named Alfred Hans Rzeppa in the 1930s. Boasting articulation capabilities that would allow a vehicle to steer and accelerate in the same motion was something the automotive industry had never experienced before. While the design has been improved over the last century, the original idea still exists. Rzeppa’s idea mimicked the forces applied from a helical cut gear in which a torque input is then converted to an output with a 90-degree turn and minimal torque loss. Using six ball bearings to evenly distribute the torque flow, a constant-velocity joint can operate at extreme angles without fear of failure. Today, Rzeppa’s constant-velocity (CV) joints are one of the most commonly used components in trucks, SUVs, passenger vehicles, and of course modern UTVs.
GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles Features And Benefits
Breaking down the GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles, we can determine the differences over a stock OEM unit.
CV JOINTS
Oversized CV joints dramatically improve strength and provide a higher swing angle of up to 50 degrees. Adding increased suspension travel.
CENTER SHAFT
Heavy Duty Center Shafts use 4340 chromoly-steel construction to increase strength by 30% over OE axles.
GREASE
Manufactured with high-performance Moly grease for optimal performance at high temperatures and resistance to friction in the most extreme conditions.
BOOTS
GSP’S premium grade neoprene & TPEE boots are designed for superior performance and durability in even the most extreme conditions.
These main features give GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles a prominent balance of reliable durability and performance. So much so that professional UTV off-road racers are using these very products on their competition race cars. Jim Beaver of Parker, Arizona has been racing a factory-backed Polaris RZR in the UTV Unlimited class in desert races across the United States. Over the course of his career, Jim has earned 20 Top-five finishes with 10 podiums.
Beaver’s UTV Unlimited #2915 Polaris RZR, dubbed “the Mona Lisa” by his former Polaris team mate Mitch Guthrie JR. Equipped with GSPXTV Axels, this car completed the last five races in 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 1st, and 2nd. The very last race placing was good enough for 6th overall in that event.
There are many countless others, both enthusiasts and off-road competitors, that rely on GSP Products to get them to their destination. These vehicle components are as simple to install as any OEM replacement and both the average joe and racers can do it with simple hand tools and a little know-how.
GSPXTV Heavy Duty Axles: Installation Video
Tools Needed For This Installation:
Pry Bar
Air Impact Gun
Sockets
Wrench
Torque Wrench
After digging into the flagship off-road products from GSP, we wanted to know more. Off Road Xtreme sat down with Robert Murgado, Product Director for GSP North America, to find out the current state of the CV axle industry and what consumers can look forward to in the not-so-distant future.
Off Road Xtreme: What exactly is GSP North America and what is it that you bring to the automotive industry?
Robert Murgado: “GSP North America is one of the three main CV axle manufacturers around the globe. Some might even say we are the largest in the world.”
ORX: I have never heard of GSP. How do you compare to brands like Import Direct or Precision?
RM: “Import Direct and Precision are just that, brands. GSP is an OE-approved manufacturer. You will actually find our products bolted onto vehicles rolling off the factory floor. But, that is not all we do.”
ORX: Is the automotive manufacturing industry smaller than we think it is?
RM: “We are actually both Precision and Import Direct without actually being them. In order to always maintain stock and availability throughout the country, these brands will contract with multiple manufacturers. They control the quality and choose the feature set based on cost. For us, private label manufacturing contributes quite a bit of business.”
ORX: As one of the three manufacturers, what sets GSP apart?
RM: “I came from the aftermarket side of the industry and had a ton of experience with branding. What we realized was there was an opening within the off-road industry for heavy-duty CV axle applications. We used our manufacturing acumen to build our HD line of UTV axles and through market research, we learned that what customers are really after is a rebuildable solution. If the axle is not physically broken, there is no need to swap it out. We introduced rebuild kits with new boots and replacement clips and that really put our competitors on notice.”
ORX: I would agree that you guys nailed exactly what the customer wants. What else does GSP have up its sleeve?
RM: “We are always listening to our customers. We ask a ton of questions and really dig into exactly what the problem is and what solution we can create for that problem. A lot of our competitors were extremely happy with just continuing to meet the status quo, but not GSP. We launched our Xtreme Duty line for heavy-duty trucks. We use upgraded boots, clamps, and grease that are specially formulated for colder temperatures. In traditional CV boots, the rubber becomes brittle at cold temperatures and leads to cracking.”
ORX: It is never fun having to clean up all the grease out of a wheel well after a CV failure!
RM: “That is why we are so dedicated to manufacturing our products. Producing the best means paying attention to the little things like our premium-grade neoprene & TPEE CV boots. Beyond that, we are extremely excited about some of the new products we have on the horizon, both on the UTV and passenger-truck side. We are sure it is going to completely flip the CV axle game for the aftermarket industry and we cannot wait to take the wraps off of these new products!”
ORX: From what I’ve heard, it sounds like there are going to be some real game-changers coming out soon. Where can customers find your products?
RM: “Currently we do not have too many direct lines of distribution. Some of the main online retailers are Summit and Powersports ID. As we continue to build our lineup, I am sure we will be bringing more retailers onboard soon.
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