centax clutch spring preload
 

hello guys...i need to polish back my understanding regarding the basic principle on clutch spring adjustment.

so here goes,

-the tighter the spring tension, the higher rev needed to push the clutch for engangement.
-the less tension , lower engine rev will engange the clutch.

my question is, what are the criteria's i need to identify before deciding on how much adjustment to the spring is required..tqvm

you are correct in your thinking to loose motor will bog out of corners to tight car will be overly aggressive and be hard to drive Smoothly with excessive tire wear (wheel spin) provided right shore is chosen for conditions

Yes thats it.
For what its worth. I want to go fast so I adjust the clutch so the car jumps out of my hands when i test it on the bench manually aplying the throthle. "it kicks is" so to say. and adjust the setup accordingly to get the car to handle the power.
I should say it kicks in approx on 25000 revs. Try it and see how you like it.
And adjust to your liking. HAve fun

Do not forget that the type of clutch is also determed with the gap. The larger the gap the more agressive the clutch.

How do you determen which part of the clutch to adjust? I have a hard time figuring out if i should adjust preload or gap.

I've always used the idea of....

The gap effects how the clutch engages... the spring controls when the clutch engages. In most conditions I always use a gap of .6-.7 mm. The track conditions is going to be the final determination on how you set your clutch for best engagement. For low traction I use a smaller gap with a softer spring setting.

Pass you soon...

On the flip side, a stiffer spring may create some slippage which is handy on low traction too as there wll be less bite. It's a dynamic task and getting it right is a challenging task and sometimes I feel the more I learn the less I know!

for those with some experience; clutchwise;)

The less traction , the more front drive i have/put:D
clutch wise never changed.:sneaky: so less slipage as possible. just enough for that rear to not step out.
clutch springs used like we use shock springs , not to much preload but use stiffer or weaker spring to adjust the revs on wich it engages together with gap. Just how i do it, could be i`m all wrong. got me to 4th place though on my first year nationals.:blush: i use/have 6 clutch springs to adjust to my liking. I wonder why my clutch shoe lasts 2 years:confused: no slippage i presume:eek:

I seem to like a 8scale feel to my 10 scale powering on the throttle out off the turns. Not the fastest driving style my race friends tell me, but hey its lots off fun:D:D:D who cares about tire wear, its only the rears that wear. the fronts hardly touch the track. Its a problem i have with hardly any front tire wear. I use 32 35 fronts with 40 42 rears and still end up with smaller rears.

OK back on topic.

I always like a large gap (0.7-0.8) with a hard spring (Shepherd or 10x0.6 conical wahers) and a red shoe

So you like a agressive clutch i think, i think the red shoe has little slip. Its like i learned with karting, fastest way with a stif axle is letting the tires slip through the turns. So no cruising the turns but on the throttle is the fastest. i like the mugen ultra hard on my 10 scale.

Did Shepherd release a conical washers set?:confused::confused::confused: I thought Xray was the only one.


Pass you soon...

Preload is something wich can limit the clutch spring, so also gap needs to be measured. With prelaoding the clutchspring don`t overtighten it because the room between the spring turns need to be more than the gap.
i`m getting to algebraic i think but don`t no to explain otherwise.:D

best is do a gap of say 0,7 and adjust spring hardness with some preload.
put the car on the bench with one hand holding the car on the bar pressing it on the bench and the other giving throttle slowly. when the refs get higher to a point you may think it will not engage give it some more and suddenly the car jumps forward and you can hardly hold it. The front useally goes upwards. if you feel it engaging slowly then its wrong setup with to much slippage.
best way i can discribe it hope this helps you. Have fun

Sorry, I ment Shepherd or conical washers. (thick fingers)

There are more suppliers with conical washers and going to a spring manufacturer you can get them in all sizes.

Do not know why Xray has introduced a new extra hard spring while the conical washers imho is the best spring you can make.

This winter several washers are ordered with high temperature ratings so when the season starts again we will try more different sizes washers.

Hm
 

Couldn't pass this thread by without commenting how much I frigging hate Centax. It took me quite awhile to get it to where it doesn't eat the shoes (not engaging sufficiently.) I'm going with .5 myself, but one thing I noticed that may or may not be of help...get quality bearings in the bell. Crap bearings cause more play which causes it to wobble/change no matter how you set the wretched thing. And remember that loctite is your friend, because sometimes that stupid spring nut decides it likes to be somewhere other than where you originally set it. I'm cheating...I have a three shoe old school setup ordered for my car which I'll probably be running this year, I'm not the patient type and apparently don't learn well from my mistakes on some things (got an ex-wife that I'm sure would agree with that but that's neither here nor there..........)

And always remember to pack extra aspirin before you go racing....

About the wife thing; been there and experienced it:D
but centax is easy normally. With .5 gap its real difficult. with so smal a gap the only centax i know is the capricorn clutch with the red shoe wich does it good.
And with 8 scale its best i think to have a bigger gap and a harder shoe if you want an soft clutch. because of the power these engines have. They need to really hit it hard.:sneaky: to grab it otherwise you will be polishing shoes and wear through them without real grunt. Just a 10 scale racers opinion though. with some 8 scale experience from 30 years ago when clutches were important to get power. Not like these days with these power beasts wich will tear through anything no matter what.