On Thursday, September 16, 1999 12:13 PM, sujit roy
[SMTP:sujitroy@hotmail.com] wrote:
>
> I've seen after market half shafts advertised for the Stag with CV joints
> compared to the Standard UJs' What's the major difference between the two
> types of joints?
As I understand it:
The design of CV joints allows them to operate at high angles (over 40
degrees) - enough to cope with suspension travel and some lateral movement,
while providing a constant velocity to the axle regardless of the operating
angle. The CV joint can be thought of as essentially two universal joints
connected together at an angle. When lateral play is required, this angle
increases or decreases.
On an IRS TR rear axle, the standard u-joints do not allow sufficient
suspension movement without binding. As the rear A-arm drops down vertically
and the dif stays in place, the distance between the dif and the hub becomes
greater - resulting in lateral stress.
To solve this problem, the TR axle is splined to allow the two parts of the
axle to slide back and forth, thus changing the effective length of the
axle. If (or rather "when") the two parts of the axle lock together under
hard cornering, suspension damage is the likely result - sometimes with
catastrophic results. The CV axles do NOT need sliding spline axles.
The Stag CV joint rear axles are, I believe, the same as the ones I've
installed on my TR6.
Jim Hill
Madison
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