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| Sunday, 17 August 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Good shock absorbers hard to find by Pelham Juriansz Engineers are constantly on the lookout for effective springs that have minimum stress, which significantly increases the life of a spring very much like a person. For the past 20 years, ARB engineers from ARB corporation (local agents are 4x4 Motors) have been refining spring designs. Another quality of a spring is consistency. ARB designs Old Man EMU suspension systems. When designing a rear leaf spring, Old Man EMU engineers invariably opt for a two-stage leaf pack. Ron Moon, editor of the 4x4 Australian magazine extensively tested LTR's fitted to two Nissan Patrols on a trip through the Simpson Desert in Australia, and this is what he had to say.... "Fifty kilometers west of Poepel Corner we turned around and headed back to Birdsville-the western edge of the desert was closed by floods and we wanted to stay away from the rain for as long as we could ...but we couldn't. For people who want the very best, or for those who carry big loads on the canning or similar outback destinations and want to cruise along unruffled at 60 kph to 80 kph or more, well, this is the shock for you! The unshockable 4x4 Shock Absorber". And the difference for your differentials What's the difference and what's a differential? They are the things that allow a 4 WD to do what it's meant to, but how many people know how a differential really works? As a vehicle corners, its outer wheels travel a greater distance than its inner wheels and must therefore turn faster. This is not a problem with undriven wheels. They turn individually, but if the wheels are rigidly connected by a solid axle, both wheels will attempt to turn at the same speed-so the axle winds up until one or the other wheel slips to release the strain, if neither wheel slips, the axle may break. Further, because the driven wheels attempt to travel equal distances, a vehicle is pulled or pushed, by its drive rain, in a straight line, i.e into understeer. Diffentials (usually abbreviated to 'diffs') apportion driving torque between the driving wheels, and compensate automatically for rotational differences. The latest developments show that manufacturers are increasingly automating "off-road" functions including the use of various sensors to monitor wheel slip etc., and hence lock or semi-lock diffs. (Certain extracts from Australian 4 WD monthly). |
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