FT-86 SpeedFactory LCA by Verus - Lightest LCA for the Twins - Development Thread

[eric6]

Originally Posted by Turdinator

@eric6 any thoughts on doing a light weight upper control arm? From the reports I have seen they are rather heavy.

Not yet. Will look into it.

Originally Posted by Calum

CNC ported heads with a naturally aspirated goal.

A means if adjusting camber via an offset bolt/bushing on the rear LCA.

And adjustable stock size or only slightly larger sway bar set.

That's all I can think of.

Well we're working on one of those.

Originally Posted by JDLAutoDesign

Arms look great! I have function7's on my car now and curious to see if these end up lighter.

Thanks. I didn't realize function7 had a set out yet. Theirs do look light and have some nice features to it! Any idea what weight it is?

[Calum]

Originally Posted by eric6

Not yet. Will look into it.



Well we're working on one of those.



Thanks. I didn't realize function7 had a set out yet. Theirs do look light and have some nice features to it! Any idea what weight it is?

I had a feeling. I can't wait to see the results!

Any chance you guys would be willing to look at the adjustable camber bushing? Whiteline had one a while ago but they discontinued it when they brought out their control arms.

There are a few of us that like the factory arms as they'll break before needing to pull a frame back to shape. It might seem like competing markets but to me it really isn't.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Calum

There are a few of us that like the factory arms as they'll break before needing to pull a frame back to shape.

Yeah, this is the reason I still have oem front lca (with aftermarket bushes).
The idea of having an adjustable super rigid arm appeals for handling but the consequence of having a body bending off keeps me away.

[eric6]

Originally Posted by Calum

I had a feeling. I can't wait to see the results!

Any chance you guys would be willing to look at the adjustable camber bushing? Whiteline had one a while ago but they discontinued it when they brought out their control arms.

There are a few of us that like the factory arms as they'll break before needing to pull a frame back to shape. It might seem like competing markets but to me it really isn't.

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Yeah, this is the reason I still have oem front lca (with aftermarket bushes).
The idea of having an adjustable super rigid arm appeals for handling but the consequence of having a body bending off keeps me away.

This unit was built with the sole focus on weight. While it is stronger then the OEM LCA, it is just strong enough to last a long time at heavy race loads. Just figured I'd throw that out there .

[eric6]

Originally Posted by dem00n

Different shock mounting point for more travel and the other mounting point for adjustable stiffness.

It seems that the people using the SPL LCA's compete in a lot of motorsports so that extra fine tuning means a lot to them.

So we've given this a bit of thought:

Unless we are mistaken, different damper mounting points will only change allowable travel if the holes are vertically integrated (SPL's are horizontally). Horizontal adjustment will change the wheel motion ratio but we feel the stock location is adequate and are not sure why you would want to change this. We will continue to discuss though.

ARB mounting points that are horizontally adjustable (like SPL's) can be used to change the stiffness of the rear ARB. However, adjustable endlinks may be necessary. Not sure. Another thing we will continue to discuss until production begins.

Originally Posted by s2d4

Guess self leveling sensor allowance would be a good differentiation.

You have PM.

[Jonsey]

SPL's arms have adjustability both horizontally and vertically now. They revised them a few weeks ago, just FYI.

Originally Posted by eric6

So we've given this a bit of thought:

Unless we are mistaken, different damper mounting points will only change allowable travel if the holes are vertically integrated (SPL's are horizontally). Horizontal adjustment will change the wheel motion ratio but we feel the stock location is adequate and are not sure why you would want to change this. We will continue to discuss though.

ARB mounting points that are horizontally adjustable (like SPL's) can be used to change the stiffness of the rear ARB. However, adjustable endlinks may be necessary. Not sure. Another thing we will continue to discuss until production begins.



You have PM.

[Talus1]

How about a camber adjusting LCA that doesn't put a bending load on a rod end shank? I know everybody does it and mostly gets away with it but it is still a fatigue crack waiting to happen.

[NissanGuy]

These aluminum arms are meant to be lighter than SPL's titanium? If so, props.

[eric6]

Originally Posted by NissanGuy

These aluminum arms are meant to be lighter than SPL's titanium? If so, props.

Yes, they are. Also, SPL's aren't titanium, they're 6061 aluminum to my knowledge. Only the hardware is titanium.

To our knowledge, these are the lightest on the market. We don't know of another LCA that weighs less than three pounds, and these are quite a bit lighter.

[NissanGuy]

Originally Posted by eric6

Yes, they are. Also, SPL's aren't titanium, they're 6061 aluminum to my knowledge. Only the hardware is titanium.

To our knowledge, these are the lightest on the market. We don't know of another LCA that weighs less than three pounds, and these are quite a bit lighter.

Hahaha that shows how much I know, and I bought the damn things. All I know is they feel light, and they reduce camber excessively.

[eric6]

Figured it about time to update the thread . So we started development with a few overall goals and then capitalized on them with extensive FEA analysis. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) uses a numerical, computer based technique to solve complex scenarios. A variety of scenarios can be predicted, such as stress, heat transfer, vibration, fatique, and other physical effects. The power of FEA lies in the ability to solve problems that would be extremely difficult or impossible to solve by hand. Similar to CFD, FEA partitions the structure into a finite number of elements. These elements form standard shapes, such as triangles, quadrilaterals, hexagons, etc. The use of these standard shapes allows the development of a governing equations that can related stresses and displacement within the element. Please keep in mind that FEA is a tool, and in the wrong hands, it can be like shooting a target blindfolded. You need accurate inputs for an accurate output.


Close up of the mesh.

We tested the component with three loads placed on the LCA simultaneously. 1.7G lateral acceleration, 3.5G bump acceleration, and 0.75G longitudinal acceleration. This is a heavy turn, while hitting a track curb, while accelerating. These loads are race car loads, think large slicks, quite a bit of aero work, and 350+ hp. We tested various other cases, but found this to be the most damaging to the model, so we designed around it.


Stress in tension. When we say tension, we are speaking about the lateral acceleration. If we think briefly about how the lateral acceleration affects the inside or the outside wheel, you will understand where we get tension and compression from. The inside wheel’s LCA is seeing a tensile lateral acceleration, while the outside wheel’s LCA is seeing a compressive load. The tensile load is less than that of the compressive load due to weight transfer while going around a corner.


Deformation in tension.


Stress in compression.


Deformation in compression.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We will be testing these units off car soon, which should let us know how well our FEA analysis lines up with real world results. Then... onto some race cars .

[eric6]

Here are some non-professional photos taken by myself. These do not do them justice. I'm sure Jeremy will help us out there when he snags us a few.





And a hint for what is to come .

[Calum]

That's strain gauge isn't it? But that part of the assembly will have threads all the way through it which will throw off your readings by a good margin. And, wouldn't you want another one perpendicular to that one to account for temperature variation?

[Hyper4mance2k]

So... When do I get my prototype for street testing? I'm the perfect candidate; I commute 128 miles per day.