I saw my first set of TI A-arms on a DS today. (Pics on the On-Dunes forum) I held one up next to a chromoly drag A-arm. The titanium was about 1/3 the weight. The Ti was thinner and stronger according to the builder.

Amazing! I think Sandbomber's DS will be under 300 lbs for 4sws.......who'd a thought![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]


Ti A-arms

 

Check out the carbon fiber tie rod!

 

are these a drag only item???

 

These are 1 of a kind. A second set will be made. I think the rare type of titanium that these are, the material alone is about $1000.

The only way to get these would be to have about $2k and custom shop that knows how to weld and bend Titanium. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I would think that a drag setup would be ideal for Ti arms. The stuff is real light, but it is also brittle so you really don't want to pound them too much for as much as they cost, you don't want to have to replace them.

My father in law, a former Indycar driver and now a mechanic/machinest on all types of race cars said the use of titanium is very specialized and only works for certian applications.

Same thing applies with carbon fiber, it is ridgid but prone to puncture, breakage and has poor friction durability (Why it's used for skidplates I'll never know) Idealy you would want more kevlar with maybe CF to give it ridgidity. That's why we are working on maybe making kevlar skids for my Rhino, then maybe quads. Done right its darn near indestructible.

TPR

 

I would love to learn more about the applications where Ti is appropriate. I am just learning about it and it would be a shame to sink $15k into a chassis that won't hold up[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] lol

I have a Ti framing hammer from the old days that was very expensive but helped keep tendonitis at bay, lol

TPR - You ought to get some information from your father-in-law about some applications on ATV chassis that he would be cautious about using Ti. For things like this, Google will give you two different stories from so-called experts, lol. An inside source would be much more credible.

No pressure [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Thanks for the input.

 

TPR will come though. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Ti is a fickle thing. It can be used for frame building but really isn't the best because it is brittle. I'll ask him what Titanium is best for and what the drawbacks are.

Here is an example for you. He was working on a race car recently and the owner wanted to have his alternator bracket made from Ti. My dad told him that it probably not last long if even they were able to get it mounted and tightened, he would do better with aluminum. So he made the bracket anyway, and as they tightened the belt...ping, it was too much stress. So they made it out of aluminum and it works fine.

His recipe for a lightweight vehicle is to make anything you can motorwise out of Ti, chassis out of the thinnest chro mo or kevlar reinforced CF etc. He generally limits Ti to non structural, stressed things.

Again, if the person making the part is an expert with the material, it should last a while...just with those arms you don't want to try any 60' doubles....

TPR

 

sure would hate for that thing to snap with 222 on it LOL look at wicked zulu drag chassis complete titanium

 

Thanks TPR. Good info. It is strange that the stuff is so brittle, yet if it is thin enough to bend back and forth, you can do that almost indefinitely. Most metal will break on the 3rd or 4th bend, Ti just keeps going back and forth and if you straighten it back out, it hasen't really lost any strength.

I have to be honest, the stuff makes my scratch my head.......