Originally Posted by
suby723
Here's a closer picture.
It's a plausible theory that a loose screw can cause the issue. However, it would need to be scenario where only one screw was loose, and the other tight. The concept is the loose screw extends past the chassis and pushes up on the hanger whenever the chassis slaps. That would turn the hanger into a class 1 lever, with the fulcrum (I totally dig that I get to use that word twice on this thread) being the location where the other tight screw fastens the hanger to the chassis.
On the opposite side of the tight screw a downward force would be applied, with greater force than that being pushed up (because of the lever), and would cause the break there at the point where the tight screw secures the hanger to the chassis.
So in theory the side opposite the loose screw side should break. I even drew a picture. =)
If both are loose, it would simply cause the hanger to push up with downward force that the hanger is designed to support (as applied from downward force of the car as it lands, applied to the carrier via the hinge pin).
Of course this doesn't take into consideration the screw heads digging into the carpet or dirt and jamming the screw backwards/hanger forward. But you'd have to have a screw sticking pretty far out, and have a bent screw with carpet fibers strung/dirt embedded into it.
I'd personally chalk this up to needing more material on the hanger, or perhaps a high impact from a previous crash that cracked it unknowingly (which more material would probably prevent).
All that said, I'm just bored at work and still waiting for my Dirt Edition car. Excuse my mind numbing interpretation of physics.