Nitromater
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How many clutch discs go in.....
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3 Disks and 2 Floaters or 2 Disks and 1 Floater. Not sure how many use the 2 Disk Combo any more.
CrewGuy
Nitro Member
Wow.......Less rotating mass-less drag
sdwarf36
Nitro Member
I think just as importiant is to keep the crank centerline as low as possible.
"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
Please explain how the crankshaft centerline changes with clutch diameter? That one confuses me.
I understand keeping the rotating mass down as a couple Pro Stockers were experimenting with tiny ones to reduce the mass until the rules were clarified.
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MM
Nitro Member
thats why humphries smoked his so easily at richmond when there was no water in the burnout box
clwill
Nitro Member
I think the thought is that, with a dry sump, the clutch is one of the few things that might be hanging below the engine. A 6" diameter clutch vs. a 10" diameter one gives you the chance to lower the engine by 2", right?
FC Girl
Nitro Member
You were right the first time Nancy...at least I know that for A-fuelers its 4/3 and TF is 5/4...Im not sure about pro stock. Clutch diameter doesnt affect the centerline of the motor, but the angle of the input shaft does. remember that that flywheel bolts directly off the crank so the only way you are going to affect the centerline is by changing the angle of the rotating centerline through the input shaft...And I think they are using iron for the clutch disks and a mild steel for the pressure plates, but dont hold me to that.
My Bad, TAD's are 3 / 2 close but no cigar,
haagar
Nitro Member
and with that in mind F1 engines have a stroke of less than an inch and a half.
sdwarf36
Nitro Member
This is as much a scientific wild a** guess as anything else--but assuming the clutch attaches directly to the back of the crank like any normal car--and a F1 motor being dry sumpped and with a very short stroke, the outside diameter of the clutch may the the lowest hanging part of the drivetrain. If you have a tiny OD clutch, you can sit the motor that much lower. (look under any manual tranny american V8 for example-the flywheel + clutch are the lowest point.)
Cool. thx.
Pat, what is the approx diameter on the P/S discs? I caught a glimpse of one and it looked like one of those mini personal pizzas.
Also, what kind of materials are in use for these things? (the discs not the pizzas lol)
Kevlar?
We run a 6 inch Ace Clutch. 3 Disks and 2 Floaters. We have a couple of different styles of Floaters depending on how we want the Clutch to react.
The Disks are made of Sintered Powder Metal bonded to a Beryllium Copper Disk. The make up of the Sintered Metal is the key to keeping the heat away in combination with the Coatings of the Pressure Plate, Floaters and Flywheel.
Paul are you really sure you want to know? LOL. Hold the pepperoni and sausage. There are some very simple things and I'll say 'higher tech' materials in the mix as Mr. Herrold said.
But it is also a black art in making them. Just like pizza from different shops even using the same ingedients. Batches, cooks, and recipies change all the time.
As well depending on the manufacturer and the application you can have carbon, dirt (yes I said dirt) sand, dust, from various parts of the world for friction modifiers, fibers of various man made and natural occuring, nomex, kevlar, steel, brass, aluminum, copper, lead, wood (yes wood), rubber, resin binders and other friction modifiers that will never be listed or revealed to the masses.
The real key is mix, pressure of molding, temperature, hold times, and curing process. All of the processes to make consistent and constant parts. I ended up working with a company outside of the states to get people what we used to get 15-20 consistency wise years ago for the fuel cars.
You tell me what you want for Coefficient of friction static and dynamic, temps, mu' (can't find the specail keys for that symbol), number of engagements you wish to have, weight of vehicle, input hp, hp per sq in, mating surface materials, expected wear per run, weight, thickness......I can send you the 4 page list to fill out and then we can talk for about three hours to get a start of what you might need.
Essentially you can get whatever you want but like anything it costs money. I did a project for a we'll say 'class' racer for this discussion who spent 30K to have 10 spec discs made for the season a few years back. He used up 3 and is still running them. He paid for the advantage. Car went .2faster and gave him the leg up.
Z28LT1
Nitro Member
Greeting Pat! I remember seeing you at the LODRS race a few years ago in Brainerd. I can't remember if you were there to get your license or if you were shaking down a new car, but it was cool.
In the nitro classes, the problem as I was told, is not getting clutches that grip, slip or whatever, but, getting batches that are consistent.
If a crew chief can get a big batch that all react the same, then he can tune more consistently.
Teams for one car are using 5 discs per run? Qualifying is four runs. Twenty discs just for qualifying. Hope the next twenty are the same!
Lee
Nitroclovers
If a crew chief can get a big batch that all react the same, then he can tune more consistently.
Teams for one car are using 5 discs per run? Qualifying is four runs. Twenty discs just for qualifying. Hope the next twenty are the same!
Lee
Nitroclovers
