Fabricating Custom Suspension?

[Advancedynamix]

Ah. I tried dropping a magnet between 2 sheets of aluminum earlier after watching that video and it fell like a rock.

[william]

Has to be a rare earth magnet or it won't have enough power to induce an electric field and thus make the slowing effect from the field

[Advancedynamix]

There ya go bringing rare parts into this conversation William. Up until this point I've only mentioned stuff that any average guy would have.

[Advancedynamix]

Since little or nothing is known about the principles involved in magneto reluctance, diagnosing faults can be a problem.

[skeeters_keeper]

I re bored some knuckles for a Ford Lola once... Guy locked a bearing up road racing.
Cast magnesium.... Insanely light! Felt like holding a styrofoam knuckle. Way lighter than 7075.

[Advancedynamix]

They may have been a forged magnesium part. Forged magnesium would be awesome, but the service life isn't nearly as long as a 7075 part. I like to use 7075 when I want a durable component that I can't justify the cost of a forging. If the part is designed correctly, it can be nearly as light as magnesium, but much less expensive and more durable. Magnesium deteriorates faster.

[ryanprins13]

Lol, my attempt at the aluminum and magnet. 1inch diameter rare earth magnet. Very powerful. And aluminum angle.

https://youtu.be/rYcHGsJC0VM

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[skeeters_keeper]

It may have been a forging, i just remember it looked like a casting. Ive never really looked into the strength to weight of mag vs al; while custom billet knuckles etc are within my reach i cant imagine finding them necessary! It would be cool no doubt. Could easily scan an aspire knuckle, shorten the tierod boss to quicken the steering up and lower the lca boss to make a 'drop' knuckle.

[FestYboy]

^ Yes! Yes, all of that!!!

[Advancedynamix]

^ Yes! Yes, all of that!!!

X2!
This ultra light front end would only make sense when combined with a whole list of other similar mods. This would be on a car that was being built to go beyond the scope of any racing class.
Having pushed the limits in an 1800lb 180hp Festiva, I get the chills thinking about what could be done with a 300hp, 1200lb Festiva with a longer TQ curve. This really gets my heart pumping.

[Dragonhealer]

X3!
Call it the Defibulator.
Who was experimenting with titanium foam produced in micro gravity?

[skeeters_keeper]

If such a project were to be undertaken, and you couls have anything you wished, what would you aim for? 1" lower balljoint boss? 25% shorter tierod boss? Anything else that could be changed?
Note that im not looking to start such a project in the near future, but its fun to think about!

[FestYboy]

25% would be a huge difference at the wheel. I've always wondered about the Saturn SL LCA as an option for the Festiva... Just not sure how the chassis would react.

[skeeters_keeper]

I think we could lower the strut mounting by ~1" before running into axle clearance problems as well, which should allow lower ride height without sacrificing strut travel. Could build in a default -3* of camber by moving the upper strut mounting hole slightly, and could widen the hole spacing up to match the VW strut spacing without having to mod them.
How about readily available (and not crazy expensive) light weight brake calipers? Ideally something that would clear a 13" wheel, or at least 14". I'm sure Wilwood or Brembo makes something that would work... on cars this light I don't think we need much more braking force (4+ piston with huge rotors blah blah) but a radial mount opposed piston might be nice, though I don't think we'd have the wheel clearance we need. Radial mounting would allow use of a 9.25" aspire rotor for normal use but simple spacers could move it out for bigger rotors. Main benefit IMO would be reduced weight, you guys probably know better.

I guess we should identify the main goals:
1. allow lower ride height without running into suspension limits or getting out of the suspensions "sweet spot".
2. reduce weight, especially un-sprung weight.
3. quicker steering, even with a manual rack. The festiva power rack is ~30% quicker than the manual rack, that's what I have in my car and it's amazing, but could probably be a bit quicker for track use. By making the knuckle 25% quicker you would have the option of using a manual rack for street use (and still being able to park it without being the hulk) or use a rio or festiva power rack for track use.

[Advancedynamix]

I would alter the design to use a sealed spherical bearing pressed into the knuckle, rather than into the control arm. This allows for lighter control arms that are easier to make and they could even be adjustable.
Also, rather than make the knuckle bolt up to a coilover shock, I'd integrate it into t he strut tube. This saves weight and actually makes the product less expensive, as the threaded strut tube could be welded into the knuckle. 2 12.5" pieces of aluminum tubing with 1 late op is cheaper than a set of MK2 coilovers, and wayyyyy lighter.