is longtravel eigelijk wel beter?
Geplaatst: ma 15 aug, 2005 09:20
voorheen heb ik altijd begrepen dat longtravel beter is dan gewone vering maar de laatste tijd kom ik verhalen tegen en hoor ik op andere fora ook dat longtravel niks beter is dan gewone vering mist je normale veren goed staan afgesteld.
dit verhaal heb ik van de site van hydro dynamics ik plaats het omdat ik vind dat er wel een goed verhaal achter zit.
Now available...
All of us at HydroDynamics USA, Inc. are pleased to present to you a complete line of ATV front suspension components. As I’m sure you have concluded by the announcement of our lifetime warranty, we are 100% confident in the quality and performance of all of our products. You will soon see in the following pages that we have taken a very logical and scientific approach to suspension which is why some of the components you see may look different than popular trends produced by other manufacturers. We truly believe that suspension should not be a “black art” or difficult for the average enthusiast to grasp. I think you will come to appreciate “suspension made simple”. To make things even easier, we are offering ATV’s first truly complete front suspension system. Never again ask
the questions: “Will these shocks work with that arm” or “where do I find brake lines for my new front end”. HDUSA has assembled what we consider to be the very best suspension products in the world, all in one kit. The kit includes everything from shocks and a-arms to specialty tools and instructional DVD’s. We hope you enjoy the simplicity and convenience.
Our ATV Suspension Philosophy
"Long Travel Arms"
Let me now take the time to explain some of our design characteristics and at the same time perhaps dispel a few myths. First, if you’re into quads, which I’m sure you are, you’re familiar with the term “long travel arms”. This popular design incorporates the use of a “long shock”. This does not in any way mean that the front suspension will have more travel. If the ATV frame hits the ground when bottoming, your probably at max travel don’t ya think? What good is 14” of travel when 4” of it’s underground? We jokingly refer to this as “sub terainial travel”. This type of set up should be called the “long shock”. There are also other limiting factors at play such as ball joint angles, etc. So, does the so called “long travel arms” have any benefit if it doesn’t really increase travel? In many cases, yes. The motion ratio or leverage ratio can be, and often is, manipulated to offer better performance. The leverage ratio is the relationship of the wheel movement vs. shock shaft movement, a critical factor in suspension design. Also, the long shock design is a larger shock which contains more oil. More oil means less oil contamination issues and better heat dissipation. Which is a good thing since the shock is mounted so close to the wheel that shaft velocities are greatly increased requiring more dampening which creates a much greater amount of heat! But, we won’t go there. The point here is not to discredit anyone. Many of these long shock designs work well and win races. However, can technology offer us solutions to these problems without the use of heavy and expensive “long shock” front ends? Absolutely. What I believe is most important here is not the motion ratio or leverage ratio rather the leverage ratio curve. The leverage ratio curve, commonly referred to as the wheel force curve, indicates the progression of force that is required to move the tire through the entire span of travel. Basically, you want your front end to get stiffer before it bottoms right? The problem is, a linear leverage ratio curve, as found stock on most ATV’s will offer little bottoming resistance unless the shock is valved and/or sprung abnormally stiff. Unfortunately, this stiff shock will be harsh on smaller wheel deflections. So, how do you get the suspension plush on top, firm on bottom? Run a larger percentage leverage ratio curve. This has everything to do with the geometry of the suspension components and can be accomplished without a “long shock” as we have proven through data acquisition. This takes care of the progression in both valving and spring.
Data Acquisition
Wheel force Curve - Stock YFZ450 VS iShock (red)
Suspension Kinematic Analysis
"Multi rate springs"
Speaking of springs, yet another fad, multiple spring rates. Here again, shock manufactures attempt to create a more progressive wheel force curve to keep the ride on top plush yet maintain bottoming resistance. The multiple spring rates also make it easy to achieve a desired ride height. This does work. Unfortunately, In my opinion, it is very dated technology and merely a band aid for an underlying problem in the leverage ratio curve which can easily be solved by implementing some basic engineering parameters to both a-arm and spring design. In the early 1930’s, before spring manufactures had computer aided drafting and CNC winders, it was very common to find multi rate springs in numerous applications. With the technology we now have at our disposal, this is an unnecessary added expense that you the customers pay. Here again, this is not my speculation but proven with repeated testing and factual numbers from data acquisition.
Bent "Gull Wing" style arms
If that’s not enough for you, how about a-arms with the bend or “gull wing” look. Some claim a plusher ride! Unless my schooling has failed me, the tubes on an a-arm could do loops from one end to the other and as long as the pivot tubes, shock mount location, and the ball joint boss are all in the exact same position, you will have the exact same geometry – period! What about strength issues? I personally believe a straight tube is stronger than a pre-bent one. And ground clearance? I think the closer to the ground the arms are the less ground clearance you have. But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. How about that design? Well, it sure looks cool! Not exactly a “black art” after all is it?
+1 forward arms
You want another? OK then, let’s talk about +1 forward arms. Listen people, bigger is not always better! A-arm manufacturing 101 says to first find the CG (center of gravity) of the machine. Check the squat and dive characteristics of the machine which include chain forces, calculate weight transfer, and then, only then, make a logical, calculated, decision based on sound engineering principles confirmed by rider input. We have found only one model of ATV that actually had improved performance with the tires moved forward. This is the Yamaha Banshee. Guess what, our Banshee arms are +1 forward. Try this little maneuver with the Honda TRX 450 and find yourself looped out right off the gate! If you see a manufacture with a complete line of +1 forward arms… ask why.
Again, I apologize if I sound like I am trying to discredit the competition. This is simply not the case. My goal is to help you the consumer understand that suspension is not a “black art” but a science of common sense. Most suspension guys don’t want you to know how simple suspension really is, we do. We make suspension simple.
dit verhaal heb ik van de site van hydro dynamics ik plaats het omdat ik vind dat er wel een goed verhaal achter zit.
Now available...
All of us at HydroDynamics USA, Inc. are pleased to present to you a complete line of ATV front suspension components. As I’m sure you have concluded by the announcement of our lifetime warranty, we are 100% confident in the quality and performance of all of our products. You will soon see in the following pages that we have taken a very logical and scientific approach to suspension which is why some of the components you see may look different than popular trends produced by other manufacturers. We truly believe that suspension should not be a “black art” or difficult for the average enthusiast to grasp. I think you will come to appreciate “suspension made simple”. To make things even easier, we are offering ATV’s first truly complete front suspension system. Never again ask
the questions: “Will these shocks work with that arm” or “where do I find brake lines for my new front end”. HDUSA has assembled what we consider to be the very best suspension products in the world, all in one kit. The kit includes everything from shocks and a-arms to specialty tools and instructional DVD’s. We hope you enjoy the simplicity and convenience.
Our ATV Suspension Philosophy
"Long Travel Arms"
Let me now take the time to explain some of our design characteristics and at the same time perhaps dispel a few myths. First, if you’re into quads, which I’m sure you are, you’re familiar with the term “long travel arms”. This popular design incorporates the use of a “long shock”. This does not in any way mean that the front suspension will have more travel. If the ATV frame hits the ground when bottoming, your probably at max travel don’t ya think? What good is 14” of travel when 4” of it’s underground? We jokingly refer to this as “sub terainial travel”. This type of set up should be called the “long shock”. There are also other limiting factors at play such as ball joint angles, etc. So, does the so called “long travel arms” have any benefit if it doesn’t really increase travel? In many cases, yes. The motion ratio or leverage ratio can be, and often is, manipulated to offer better performance. The leverage ratio is the relationship of the wheel movement vs. shock shaft movement, a critical factor in suspension design. Also, the long shock design is a larger shock which contains more oil. More oil means less oil contamination issues and better heat dissipation. Which is a good thing since the shock is mounted so close to the wheel that shaft velocities are greatly increased requiring more dampening which creates a much greater amount of heat! But, we won’t go there. The point here is not to discredit anyone. Many of these long shock designs work well and win races. However, can technology offer us solutions to these problems without the use of heavy and expensive “long shock” front ends? Absolutely. What I believe is most important here is not the motion ratio or leverage ratio rather the leverage ratio curve. The leverage ratio curve, commonly referred to as the wheel force curve, indicates the progression of force that is required to move the tire through the entire span of travel. Basically, you want your front end to get stiffer before it bottoms right? The problem is, a linear leverage ratio curve, as found stock on most ATV’s will offer little bottoming resistance unless the shock is valved and/or sprung abnormally stiff. Unfortunately, this stiff shock will be harsh on smaller wheel deflections. So, how do you get the suspension plush on top, firm on bottom? Run a larger percentage leverage ratio curve. This has everything to do with the geometry of the suspension components and can be accomplished without a “long shock” as we have proven through data acquisition. This takes care of the progression in both valving and spring.
Data Acquisition
Wheel force Curve - Stock YFZ450 VS iShock (red)
Suspension Kinematic Analysis
"Multi rate springs"
Speaking of springs, yet another fad, multiple spring rates. Here again, shock manufactures attempt to create a more progressive wheel force curve to keep the ride on top plush yet maintain bottoming resistance. The multiple spring rates also make it easy to achieve a desired ride height. This does work. Unfortunately, In my opinion, it is very dated technology and merely a band aid for an underlying problem in the leverage ratio curve which can easily be solved by implementing some basic engineering parameters to both a-arm and spring design. In the early 1930’s, before spring manufactures had computer aided drafting and CNC winders, it was very common to find multi rate springs in numerous applications. With the technology we now have at our disposal, this is an unnecessary added expense that you the customers pay. Here again, this is not my speculation but proven with repeated testing and factual numbers from data acquisition.
Bent "Gull Wing" style arms
If that’s not enough for you, how about a-arms with the bend or “gull wing” look. Some claim a plusher ride! Unless my schooling has failed me, the tubes on an a-arm could do loops from one end to the other and as long as the pivot tubes, shock mount location, and the ball joint boss are all in the exact same position, you will have the exact same geometry – period! What about strength issues? I personally believe a straight tube is stronger than a pre-bent one. And ground clearance? I think the closer to the ground the arms are the less ground clearance you have. But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. How about that design? Well, it sure looks cool! Not exactly a “black art” after all is it?
+1 forward arms
You want another? OK then, let’s talk about +1 forward arms. Listen people, bigger is not always better! A-arm manufacturing 101 says to first find the CG (center of gravity) of the machine. Check the squat and dive characteristics of the machine which include chain forces, calculate weight transfer, and then, only then, make a logical, calculated, decision based on sound engineering principles confirmed by rider input. We have found only one model of ATV that actually had improved performance with the tires moved forward. This is the Yamaha Banshee. Guess what, our Banshee arms are +1 forward. Try this little maneuver with the Honda TRX 450 and find yourself looped out right off the gate! If you see a manufacture with a complete line of +1 forward arms… ask why.
Again, I apologize if I sound like I am trying to discredit the competition. This is simply not the case. My goal is to help you the consumer understand that suspension is not a “black art” but a science of common sense. Most suspension guys don’t want you to know how simple suspension really is, we do. We make suspension simple.