Powerflex UAE & Oman

15/03/2017

Powerflex Bushings testing

Part of our technical testing shown here

15/03/2017

WHY POLYURETHANE SUSPENSION BUSHES?

Time to do some sums…

WHY POLYURETHANE SUSPENSION BUSHES?Polyurethane has been with us as a specialised plastic for some thirty years. However recent advances have now made it possible to engineer very special properties into this exciting material. Suspension bushes are some of the most highly stressed components fitted to a motor car. They undergo enormous strains and in the most arduous of conditions with no maintenance or lubrication.

The material they are manufactured from is a rubber compound containing natural products which deteriorate with age. It becomes softer and more pliable, resisting the forces placed on it less and less. Therefore allowing more and more movement of suspension components and offering less and less control over the suspension geometry.

This in turn causes accelerated tyre wear, braking instability and poor handling. This is the single biggest reason you can instantly tell the difference driving a three year old car compared to a showroom new one. However even new cars will benefit from POWERFLEX bushes because of their superior design they offer much more effective control of the suspension components to a much greater extent than normal rubber items.

POWERFLEX for prolonged tyre life.With the technological advances in this material it has been possible to overcome the common problem associated with harder bushes which is increased noise. By correctly engineering the polyurethane compound, bushes can be made 25-30% stiffer than new rubber items but with exactly the same noise absorbing properties.

POWERFLEX bushes make sense.
POWERFLEX for improved performance.
POWERFLEX for increased safety.

15/03/2017

IS TOE REFERRING TO TRACKING?

Toe is in angular position of the wheel when viewing from the top expressed in degrees, or more commonly known as the difference in distance between the front and rear of the tyres expressed in inches or millimetres. Toe is also referred to as tracking, and is known as either;

Neutral Toe, where the distance between the front and rear of two opposing wheels is equal, or in other words both wheels are pointing straight ahead.
Toe-in, where the distance between two opposing wheels is greater at the rear of the two wheels, in other words the front of the wheels are closer together then the rear.
Toe-out, where the distance between two opposing wheels is greater at the front of the two wheels, in other words the front or the wheels are further apart then the rear.

Typically, on most road cars toe is set to between neutral and some toe-in. Generally, toe-in improves stability and reduces nervousness, while neutral to toe-out improves turn-in and sharpness.

15/03/2017

I’VE HEARD OF CASTER BEFORE, BUT WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Caster is the backward or forward inclination of the steering axis when viewing from the side of the car. More precisely, it is an angle between upper and lower steering axis pivot points when viewing from the side of the car. In the case of a McPherson strut suspension layout, the respective points are strut mount for the upper pivot and ball joint in the lower control arm as the lower pivot.

Positive (+ve) caster is when the upper pivot is behind of the lower pivot.
Negative (-ve) caster is when the upper pivot is in front of the lower pivot.

The importance of a higher positive caster is quite impressive as the benefits greatly outweigh any detrimental effects. The benefits of increased caster are;

Increased dynamic negative camber in turns
Improved high speed stability
Improved road feel, steering feedback and sensitivity
Increased steering weight, this can be used to overcome some over compensating power steering systems
Improves steering turn-in response during corner entry

15/03/2017

PART 1 – BASIC WHEEL ALIGNMENT TERMS;
There are three main wheel alignment angles, which determine how each wheel is positioned relative to the car, the ground and each other. These are camber, caster and toe. Camber and Toe angles refer directly to the wheel, while Caster on the other hand is a measurement of the suspension geometry.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT CAMBER IS, RIGHT?

Camber is the inclination of the wheel from the vertical relative to the ground when viewing from the front (or rear) of the car.

a) Positive (+ve) camber is when the top of the wheel is laying outwards.
b) Negative (-ve) camber is when the top of the wheel is laying inwards.

Typical camber settings for most road cars are between 0 and -1.0 degree.

In general, an easy way to increase cornering performance along with matching suspension and tyre upgrades, is to dial in some extra negative camber. For most performance road cars, a suitable camber setting is in the range of –1.0 and –2.0 degrees. One advantage of this is that as the centrifugal force during hard cornering causes the body of the car to roll outwards, the outside tyres which take the brunt of the cornering force, will sit more upright relative to the ground maximising the tread to road contact and ultimately resulting in more grip. However, dialing in too much negative camber can have adverse effect not only on the more obvious tyre wear, but also on performance as well as safety, stability and driving pleasure. Therefore, as with any vehicle modifications, even the simplest suspension geometry alterations should be done carefully, and best left to the professionals.