Axle thickness

bm130

Member
Iam exploring my axle on my vlr emerald kart it has a med in now so Iam goin to buy a vlr soft & see if the kart will free up &get me a couple seconds. If yur reading this I lik hear from ya
 
It could possibly free it up. A stiffer axle could cause a hop. I tend to think of axles as springy and less springy. You can have different axles with the same stiffness but it is the rebound that makes the difference. You can have two axles of the same material and thickness but the length will make a difference. No one considers axle protrusion, the amount of the axle that sticks out past the outside of the wheel hub.

This has something to do with the relationship between the end of the axle and where the force is being applied inside the hub. Generally a shorter axle will place more force in a different part of the hub than a longer axle will at the same track width. It is something to the effect of, “getting the same result of narrowing the rear track without actually narrowing it”. My opinion on axles is that there are way too many variables you’re affecting by changing them and there’s too many unknowns. It would be easier to change a bunch of other proven adjustments around the axle instead. One trick I used when it rained and they lost the track was to pull the narrow RR hub off and replace it with a 4" extended hub. The kart would take off and be gone!

Msquared
Understanding Chassis Theory and Dynamics
 
SIDE BAR, is it agreed when referring to "free" as loose? if i want to be free are we talking about being more loose on exit and mid corner? asking more for understanding. i'm looking at getting a thinner or "softer" axle for next year.
 
SIDE BAR, is it agreed when referring to "free" as loose? if i want to be free are we talking about being more loose on exit and mid corner? asking more for understanding. i'm looking at getting a thinner or "softer" axle for next year.

Probably a good clarifying question. Again, I will speak in generalities... When I refer to "freeing the chassis up", I mean loading the outside rear less. Trying to solve a "bound up" condition. So, yes, more loose on corner exit.
 
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