DYI trailing arms?

[blackout_89t]

I think any 6061 is not suitable for this application. Steel or chromoly IMO. I may just go look up some info on this as well.

Duane

Loead tested is a plus

Yea that is why I was asking.

Typically Aluminum is way to ductile for something of this nature, some being in the 30% elongation area, not something you want.

Chromoly would definetly be ideal. Compared to carbon steel it is stronger, lighter, and corrosion resistant. Just harder to weld (no harder than aluminum though).

 

[supra87t/t4]

I'm not trying to pick on you, but that is all pretty much 100% wrong. Ductility is good, would you rather they just break instead of bend? Just because it is ductile doesn't mean it bends easily, just that it bends before it breaks. Chromoly would be ideal, you got that part right. Chromoly steel isn't significantly lighter than any other steel, they are all pretty much the same density. Chromoly isn't significantly more corrosion resistant than any common steels. Chromoly isn't any harder to weld either. I just want to correct some of this misinformation before the herd mentality I'm seeing around here takes it too far from the truth.

I'm no fan of the original LIPP bars, cast stainless steel seems like about the worst material choice possible, cast aluminum would be a step up since it won't be so heavy, and that's what the upper control arms are made of. I don't think 6061 is really a castable alloy, but I don't know alot about casting alloys. There is no reason that any material can't be made to work here, you can't say that "aluminum isn't strong enough" or something like that because different shapes and sizes are going to have as much effect on the strength as the material properties.

Glen

Yea that is why I was asking.

Typically Aluminum is way to ductile for something of this nature, some being in the 30% elongation area, not something you want.

Chromoly would definetly be ideal. Compared to carbon steel it is stronger, lighter, and corrosion resistant. Just harder to weld (no harder than aluminum though).

 

[blackout_89t]

I'm not trying to pick on you, but that is all pretty much 100% wrong. Ductility is good, would you rather they just break instead of bend? Just because it is ductile doesn't mean it bends easily, just that it bends before it breaks. Chromoly would be ideal, you got that part right. Chromoly steel isn't significantly lighter than any other steel, they are all pretty much the same density. Chromoly isn't significantly more corrosion resistant than any common steels. Chromoly isn't any harder to weld either. I just want to correct some of this misinformation before the herd mentality I'm seeing around here takes it too far from the truth.

I'm no fan of the original LIPP bars, cast stainless steel seems like about the worst material choice possible, cast aluminum would be a step up since it won't be so heavy, and that's what the upper control arms are made of. I don't think 6061 is really a castable alloy, but I don't know alot about casting alloys. There is no reason that any material can't be made to work here, you can't say that "aluminum isn't strong enough" or something like that because different shapes and sizes are going to have as much effect on the strength as the material properties.

Glen

Yea ductility is good, to a point.

I was always under the impression that chromoly is lighter, but upon looking it up it has the same density as your average 1020 steel. Interesting.

Personally I have not welded chromoly but have been told by one of my technologists that it is harder to get perfect penetration than your typical carbon steel.

But I stand corrected. I blame it on my teachers! Bastards are on strike so I can't be in class learning!

 

[Reign_Maker]

They will go for less and will have the rubber or poly for the same price.

Greg/LIPP

Hmmm... Well, Greg, if you or SupraSportJack feel like donating a set to me, I would be glad to test thier limits in a real world setting... :biglaugh: I should have the car back up and at the track in about 2 months, that should give you guys plenty of time to think it over... :icon_razz I can let you know if they'll take an 800hp beating...

 

[outofstep]

Somebody better go tell all the folks in Nascar, F1, and Top Fuel to stop running 6061-T6 because it isn't suitable for their cars.

Load tolerances for T6 are far in excess of what you will ever subject your car to short of a catastrophic accident. Even then it still might hold up. Trainwreck spun his car at speeds in excess of one hundred miles an hour, speeds that would trash the stock bars, his A1 stuff was perfect.

A1 still remains the only company to have their parts NHRA/IDRA certified.

 

[blackout_89t]

^ Su = 45ksi/310MPa Nothing really exceptional in the land of metals (your weakest carbon steel is stronger than it), but for an Aluminum that is high.

But it is all in the design...

 

[bigal0043]

hmm this turned out to be a very interesting thread... i may just go with the a1 and not the new ones because of all this new discussion and the fact they really havent been tested

*edit* now i wish an admin would change the title so DIY would be spelt right... though there are a lot of posts in here where people didn't spell alot of things right