splcrazy

a new clutch bell is on the market and is being sold a DDM , this is an aluminium bell with a steel insert , my question is how is the steel insert gripping onto the bell ? is there a chance the steel insert can come loose and spin around on itself when the clutch engages ?

Lunar Wolf

If the steel liner was cold when fitted to a hot alum C-bell it will hold on its own, since the steel liner will be warmer then tha alum cb during use. For extra security they might have used some epoxy as well but who knows.

Shame they didn't vent the bell though, let some of the heat out...

DIABLOTAC78

stick with the steel cb and buy a billet alu clutch carrier instead , or a modifier clucth cover if you only want the looks.

Lunar Wolf

maybe he's after a reduction in rotating mass for faster spool up, neither of those items wil hep with that.

badz

My Feedback: (1)

The steel insert I believe they are talking about with that clutch bell is a helicoil for holding the bolt

DIABLOTAC78

ah i didnt understand that sorry. there is a vented steel cb thats more lighter than the nonvented steel cb.

Lunar Wolf

no there's actually a steel liner where the clutch shoes engage the bell.

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

Unless the steel liners were pressed in while cold with knurl marks on them that would hold them into the aluminum as well

MONAROMAN

The alu bell needs to be heated to get the liner in, as well as the liner chilled with liquid nitrogen and a bonding agent is also added. Allanach racing makes these, I have one and its very light, lighter than any bell on the market and his test mule has lasted in excess of 1 year without the shrink fit - it was just bonded so you will have no issues with these babies

mradlin

I'm curious also, so I guess time will tell how well the bell holds up.

DIABLOTAC78

heat makes aluminum weaker bealive me in the long run it will not work just like the aluminom spur gear.

Lunar Wolf

Not really sound logic though. 'Heat' also makes steel weaker, thats why clutch springs break and why we have vented bells. Your engine is mostly aluminium and that holds up pretty well.

I all depends on the application, aluminium has a much lower density then steel and has an abrasive quality. That will mean the teeth on an alum spur gear will wear faster then a steel one, right material for the job. Plastic has a low friction quality and will help a plastic spurgear to last longer, unless it melts...

...and thats where steel spurs come in.

FastEddy

My Feedback: (1)

Brings us full circle back to rotating mass.

What are you after?
Quickest spool-up time? Parts that may not last as long is the price you pay.
Bullet proof? Price to pay is weight / spool-up time.

Need to decide what your focus is and match the parts up to fit you needs.
Let us know what you decided and how it works out for you.

Lunar Wolf

Indeed, thats why i don't run one. As long as you make sure your clutch isn't slipping then you'll be fine with plastic.

Something to consider with increasing the weight with so-called bulletproofing parts is they often cause things like clutches to wear quicker, dog bones to break easier etc. You can up the strength & weight of one part only to put another under more stress.

lt250dave

I've been running the Turtle Aluminum bell with an Elcon clutch for over 3 gallons now in all different types of terrain, sand included. the Elcon shoes still look perfect with only a few small scratches and the bell has very minimal wear.....like maybe .005" to .008". When i was using the stock style CY and Zenoah clutches, generally i could expect around 1-2 gallons life cycle out of the stock clutches and only about 2 tanks life cycle out of the stock clutches in the sand, that was using the stock HPI steel bell

I have thought about picking up one of these new bells to give it a try though, it looks VERY light

MONAROMAN

Heres a comparison of weights measured by myself

Stock HPI bell (non ventilated style): 87 grams (with a snapped pinion bolt still in it)
Turtle alu bell (improved version): 55 grams (no pinion bolt)
Allanach steel lined alu bell: 51 grams (with pinion bolt)

wan6176

these ppl/company must have reason for doing so not for juz the sake of making money..every individual part definitely been tested for its strength & durability.they dun juz produce make parts for nuttin..

Lunar Wolf

*gets out enigma machine*

If i've decoded your post correctly, your saying that you don't believe any company would ever release a poorly designed or untested product? That any product we buy can't possibly be unfit for purpose?

wan6176

theres alway negative & positive point.its up to individual to chose.we r here to give opinion too in negative n positive..i cant be always rite & i cant be alwaoys wrong..it apply to all ppl in forum too...some ppl like rice some ppl like noodles..

Lunar Wolf

[sm=what_smile.gif]

Dave ESPI

Aluminum and steel expand and contract at different ratios.

I'd really be curious how the 2 parts are put together.

lt250dave

I'm not 100% for sure but i thought they said it was a press fit and as a safety measure, they added a coating of high temp epoxy

badz

My Feedback: (1)

the aluminum will dissipate the heat faster so it won't expand as easily as the steel will and when the steel expands that tiny fraction it'll just stay tighter, at least in theory

Lunar Wolf

Actually the ability of aluminium to dissipate heat is no different to steel, its thermal resistance is much lower so its ability to initially conduct heat is higher then steel. Once a material has absorbed a given amount of heat energy its ability to get rid of it purely lies with its surface area and a medium passing by it to carry the energy away. Steel will also absorb more heat energy then aluminium and this can give the illusion that it is taking longer to dissipate heat but infact it has stored more energy to begin with which it has dissipate then aluminium of equal size & structure.

Aluminium is an effective heat carrier/dissipator only if it is designed in such a way as to be able to act as such, since the design of this bell not significantly different from a stock bell in this regard it will be no better at dissipating heat, also since the first layer where the friction occurs is steel then the aluminium cannot possibly be a higher temperature then the steel liner and will be slightly lower then the interface material, although the steel will be slighly hotter this may not be enough to prevent the aluminium from expanding at a rate (about double that of steel per degree) to prevent seperation.

Anyway its a case of try it and see, as long as the temp dosn't get too high there should not be a problem, and if the epoxy is good and not too efficient a heat conductor then it will insulate the aluminium component, although this would be a bad thing in terms of keeping the clutch shoes & spring cool.

wow i waffled on didn't i...


/tangent

brice_arnold

My Feedback: (6)

Actually that was a very good explanation. I agree with everything you said.