Re: All Ti'd up

["Randall C. Markarian" <asenna@accessus.net>]

QSHIPQ@aol.com wrote:
> 
> >>>>>>  Randall, I encourage you to weigh the fuchs, very en-lightening.  A
> buddy just picked up a set for 400USD from QQ last week.  If you are running
> 15's these deserve all the attention before the Ti concept.

I run 16's on the V8 and anyone really serious about losing weight,
would look beyond the Fuch's for wheels.
> 
>  developed in F1, what type of spring was used? Titanium.
> >>>>>  OK.  For the nth weight savings you have a point.  The properties of
> Ti, like brittleness, might make me think twice about it, unless I was
> tearing down a car after every weekend.  Hardly practical for any of the
> "racers" on this list.    F1 translates nowhere into street or even any type
> of "budget" racing.  10/10ths in a long race, unlimited budget, you got it.
>  "hold up best", not sure I buy into that one.
First of all lets make sure we are talking race cars, because I never
said that these would end up on the V8, right.  For street use Ti
springs would have no real world advantage for the type of driving I do,
so good steel springs are adequate.  Titanium is not so expensive that
it cannot be used by regular folks like you and me.  Thats like saying
carbon fibre should be limited to those unlimited budget race teams, but
there are those that work with that darn expensive stuff, right.

Titanium is not brittle, because if it was there would be a lot of
fighter jets going down.  The wing spars are made from Titanium, and the
wings on a plane must flex lest they fracture off during flight.  An
oversimplification I admit, but basically true.  Which brings me to a
neat property of some Titanium alloys called superelasticity(used on
those expesive smiles :).  Look it up.
> Interesting that one.  And sounds like an expensive mouth.  

More than steel.  For example, the spring I use is $1US per inch for a
spring smaller in diameter than the ones in a typical ballpoint pen.  SS
is much less.
> Sure wish someone would post up a cost of spring vs steel.  Might make this
> whole thread a no brainer.
Sorry I have not looked a the commodities page today, my guess would be
that it is not more than double the cost of steel.

Keep trying
-- 

Randall C. Markarian

1990 V8 Quattro
1996 Merc E320

Saint Louis, Missouri