A four link can be designed is such a manner that the distance between the jackshaft and axle will remain the same over the limited distance our suspension will travel. Thus the belt tension will remain the same for bound and rebound (assume some limit on droop).
That said, you will have to deal with the relative displacement of the rear axle from parallel (to the jackshaft) when cornering or when one wheel passes over a bump while the other does not. On a fairly smooth racing surface, this is not a big deal. However the short distance between the shafts will cause the suspension to become rather stiff as the rear axle becomes un-parallel. This may not be all bad. Richard ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:37 AM Subject: [F500] advantages of having a long drive belt > Bill Schmidt asked: > > If, or (when) I get around to converting my 88 Red Devil to 4 link, is it > mandatory to relocate the countershaft from rear of engine to in > front of the engine, like your old car is now? And if it is mandatory, > why so? Inquiring minds...... > Bill Schmidt 88 RD Kawi > > My answer: > Relocating the countershaft to in front of the engine allows the use of a > longer drive belt (or chain). Because the countershaft and the axle are > further apart, the longer belt will have more 'wrap' around the smaller > pulley i.e. more teeth engaged. The greater distance between the two > shafts also reduce the amount of stress in the belt due to twisting > movement when one side of the axle rises due to a bump or chassis lean. > Well designed long suspension arms allow greater control over axle > movement relative to the fixed countershaft. This means that drive belt > tension will be more consistent over the arc of axle movement. Is it > mandatory? No, your short drive belt will limit the suspension travel, > and I doubt that would last very long due to stresses caused by twist and > extreme movement relative to the pinion drive gear. > > John Ryall ________________________________ FormulaCar Magazine - A Proud Supporter of Formula 500 The Official Publication of Junior Formula Car Racing Subscribe Today! www.formulacarmag.com or 519-624-2003 _________________________________ _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
