bilbo
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 posted on 27/3/06 at 09:12 PM |
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Live Axle - Maximum Power
I'm still at the planning stage of my build, but I'm still undecided about the rear end configuration. Does anyone have a good idea of how
much power you can put through a standard escort (english) live axle?
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12a RX-7
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 09:23 PM |
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depends how much torque you will be putting through it and how much grip you have ... most rally cars upgrade to the the atlas axles as a minimum
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zilspeed
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 09:26 PM |
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Ok - useless answer time.
Let's assume an all up weight of 600kg if you're having a car engine. You will maybe have 250kg over the back wheels.
Let's also assume 250bhp and road tyres with a 195-205mm tread width.
what I'm building up to here is the chance of lighting up the rear tyres at very regular intervals. I did it lots in ye Olde XFlow engined car
with approx. 125-130bhp.
So - the english axle will not actually be that highly stressed when you think about it. Because most of the grunt produced by the engine will
leak away via rampant wheelspin.
My two bob's worth. 
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 09:31 PM |
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That would be my answer too, wheelspin will be a problem 1st, of course you can break it with abuse but that's true of everything, I ran a RV8
mated too an VW beetle box for years with a locked diff on grass, wheelspin saved the day.
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12a RX-7
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 09:39 PM |
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ah the magic word ... locked diff
without that wheelspin will grenade the gears in the diff pretty quickly
Wheelspin can be pretty destructive if you end up with the rear wheels hopping as they spin, the shock loads will kill lots of things pretty quickly
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bilbo
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 09:40 PM |
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Thanks for the quick responses guys. Rampant wheel spin is certainly something I do a lot of in my current kit car 
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Mr G
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| posted on 27/3/06 at 10:06 PM |
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http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=40585
Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a
car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes
and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
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NS Dev
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 12:52 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jon Ison
That would be my answer too, wheelspin will be a problem 1st, of course you can break it with abuse but that's true of everything, I ran a RV8
mated too an VW beetle box for years with a locked diff on grass, wheelspin saved the day.
thred hijack but this one always puzzles me Jon! I see supposedly weak boxes lasting no probs on grass, and F20 vauxhall boxes which cope with 200hp
on tarmac no problem simply shatter their gears on grass standing starts!!
I've also seen loads of std sierra loboro shafts sheared clean off on grass but they last fine on tarmac!!!
very strange!
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 06:23 AM |
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Know what you mean, used a Audi box on the same engine, (why I didnt use a Renault like every one else i don't know) and was forever breaking
shafts, got an old pic of the gearbox stripped out in the middle of a field too, will dig it out,
I'm seem too remember 2nd gear is the prob on the F20 box, is that the one ?
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britishtrident
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 07:33 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bilbo
I'm still at the planning stage of my build, but I'm still undecided about the rear end configuration. Does anyone have a good idea of how
much power you can put through a standard escort (english) live axle?
This was answered only last week do a search, the answer is on tarmac it will take 175 bhp BUT any english axle you get is 30 years old and the
halfshafts will have already seen a fair number of fatigue cylcles.
The Escort Salsbury type is a good bit stronger but the best bet is a Cortina or Capri axle with 9" brakes as this normally indicates the the
axle is the heavier duty version fitted to some 1600 and all 2 litres.
If you intend going for real power fit a Capri V6 axle or a \Sierra rear end.
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bilbo
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 08:17 AM |
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Thanks again for all your replies. Am I right in thinking , though, that an Atlas axle off a cortina/capri is a good 4" wider than the english?
If so, is this something I can get away with on a book chassis, or would I have to go with one of the wider chassis designs? Or do I look for a
'Baby' atlas of an escort?
And sorry, another connected question. If I decided to go with a De-dion configuration instead, would I need to shorten the standard sierra
driveshafts to fit a book chassis? (I'm guessing yes)
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britishtrident
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 11:39 AM |
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The Escort axle is well on the narrow side anyway --- use a Cortina axle if you want to narror track use Sierra wheels.
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Marcus
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| posted on 28/3/06 at 11:41 AM |
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ISTR the Capri axle is about 2" narrower than the Cortina one, this is the one I'd use.
Marcus
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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