Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
I've got a question I've always had about spacing for inner Heims on fixed-spacing control arms.
Whenever I fabricate my suspension arms utilizing inner Heims, I always provide adjustability of the arm itself, for the centerline-to-centerline spacing so that there is never any preload on the inner race when assembled. Yet I see many examples where the fixed-width arm user is relegated to finding the correct washers/shims (and in some examples, not even shims) to get the Heim inner race preload to it's minimum. My observation has been that even being a couple of thousanths off of ideal spacing can lead to more stiction and wear on the joint itself.
What enlightening practice can you guys provide me, that would allow me to feel good about going forward with lighter and simpler fixed-width control arms (with or without bearing preloading)? Am I overly concerned about this preload issue, even though I know it is not an optimal practice?
Whenever I fabricate my suspension arms utilizing inner Heims, I always provide adjustability of the arm itself, for the centerline-to-centerline spacing so that there is never any preload on the inner race when assembled. Yet I see many examples where the fixed-width arm user is relegated to finding the correct washers/shims (and in some examples, not even shims) to get the Heim inner race preload to it's minimum. My observation has been that even being a couple of thousanths off of ideal spacing can lead to more stiction and wear on the joint itself.
What enlightening practice can you guys provide me, that would allow me to feel good about going forward with lighter and simpler fixed-width control arms (with or without bearing preloading)? Am I overly concerned about this preload issue, even though I know it is not an optimal practice?
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