About Turn....

[richard sprint]

From some earlier posts about rear wishbones/driveshafts/half shafts on my elan sprint I've gone from one thing to another - I've now decided to fit the rotoflexes and keep the shafts and wishbones as standard.

Rightly or wrongly I've made the decision on two points

1) If one stiffens one part my thinking is that stresses will move on to the next weaker point which could be the diff (in fitting the all metal drive shafts) also they appear quite overwhelming on size.

2) The car is simply for high days and holidays so do I need to be fitting items that are never going to be put under a heavy load (as in ultra fast road or track use).

3) The system was designed as a whole and with what I feel will be greater compliance with the rotoflexes the ride 'should' be smoother and knowing these to have a propensity for cracking I will inspect regularly for deterioration.

Maybe further down the line experience will tell me otherwise....

[trw99]

Richard

I do side with you on this, but I have to admit to preferring originality! Each to his own, I know.

I have lifted this section from my web site, which I think says a good deal about the issue as of 1970/1. I appreciate that rubber compounds have had to change in the intervening years.

'Tony Rudd was reported on his investigation into Rotoflexes in a 1971 Motor Sport article ?When I visited Lotus some months ago I spent quite a while discussing the relative merits of Rotoflex couplings and sliding spline and universal joints in the rear drive shafts with Tony Rudd, the firm?s Director of Engineering. Rudd had been dubious of the Rotoflex or doughnut coupling before he joined Lotus and agreed that the diabolical surge they caused had to be cured. To this end various experiments were tried when he joined the firm, one of which was the use of the more conventional u/js. However, for some reason, concerned with the elasticity of the doughnuts, the handling undoubtedly deteriorated considerably using the metal joints. So Rudd did quite a lot of research on Rotoflex couplings and after a couple of improvements has now come up with one that almost entirely eliminates the wind up. These are naturally somewhat more rigid and perhaps, because of this, the ride seems to be a little harder than on the earlier and exceptionally smooth riding Elans.? [Copyright Motor Sport]/

Tim

[trw99]

Oh, hello, there's an echo in here. I have posted this to the other longer running version.