Miltec Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Quick question what is the most power a ital axle will cope with? VX 1600 Live Axle T440LKK rFactor: caterham.miltec.biz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Smith Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 IMHO I don't think its a question of power; more torque and abuse (i.e. hitting kerbs on track). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltec Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Ok how much torque would it put up with? I tend not to abuse my axle too much if I can avoid it. I'm thinking about upgrading the engine and don't want to over do it. VX 1600 Live Axle T440LKK rFactor: caterham.miltec.biz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guilleracing Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Hi, In my experience, any more than 100lbs torque and proper tyres and the taper lock fitting between the shaft and the hub will start to fail. The original axle was never intended to put up with more than a 4.5J wheel so once you put sticky rubber on the car the bending loads exceed the design limits of the unit. A Ford Escort Mk 1 or 2 axle is the way to go if you want anything other than the original power, torque,tyres arrangement. Greg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Smith Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I've run sticky tyres on track without any halfshaft issues. 100ftlbs of torque sounds very low - that's what the standard VX1600 puts out. Off the top-of-my-head, I'd have thought there shouldn't be any issues (more than usual...) with 130bhp?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted March 19, 2009 Area Representative Share Posted March 19, 2009 Problems start occuring once you get above 160bhp; this is empirical evidence based on conversations with others. Of course abuse plays a really significant part. Democratic dissent is not disloyalty, it is a positive civic duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 My axle was fine with the standard supersprint engine 135bhp/122lbft until I did a day at Brooklands and slid round the slalom course and hit a pothole. Next thing I knew, the axle needing shimming. Been alright since - but purely road use and no kerbs.... Cheers, Graham ------ Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnitzel Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Grüß Gott, my car runs with with zetec-power 185 Ps on the rolling road here in germany, since the the engine is in i have done 46.000 km. The only thing what is change is LSD from Quaife, wheel are 6x13 with 185/60/13 and 1,5 liter oil in the axel case. Florian Beschleunigung ist wenn die Tränen der Ergiffenheit waagrecht vorbei fliegen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 don't bother fitting an escort axle, get an SP components axle Fitted one in my LA car, fantastic. LSD, Grp1 halfshafts and disc brakes. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMorris Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 And the cost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 *arrowup*hoping you wouldn't ask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltec Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 come on Jonathan share VX 1600 Live Axle T440LKK rFactor: caterham.miltec.biz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnitzel Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 i see now reason to change from morris to escort, only if you want to spent money and time. It is still fine with any state off tune and x-flow. But if anybody wants to more then 190 PS, you will get problems with the morris axel. tschüs Florian Beschleunigung ist wenn die Traenen der Ergriffenheit waagrecht vorbei fliegen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMarc Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Jonathan, What was involved with fitting the SP axle? If your car originally run with an Ital axle, did you still have to do all the typical English axle modifications (transmission tunnel, prop shaft, wheels etc)? You have set me thinking... 😬 Marc Yellow flares and a X-flow - who said the 70's are over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Changed Ital axle as it was unlikely to survive many planned track days. Shimming the axle masks the problem not fixes it. Axle is physically same size as ford axle. Used exsisting damper & a-frame mountings. Had to open out rear of transmission tunnel and get prop shortened. Axle was supplied with ford pcd hubs, I wanted new alloys anyway so converted front hubs to ford ones. I had an alloy diff case, quaife grp1 halfshafts (atlas spline - alot stronger), disk brakes and tranx LSD. Axle casing is manufactured by SPC linky. The one on his website is now in my 7 😬 Not going to post cost on here as Mrs Q102 might see it I have some photos on webshots here Markymarc, will be at next penn7's if you want to have a look Jonathan Edited by - Q102 on 19 Mar 2009 21:56:06 Edited by - Q102 on 19 Mar 2009 21:57:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cskip Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 There are plenty of things you can do to improve the longevity of the Ital Axle. 1. Have the Shimming done to stop the bearings moving on the halfshaft 2. Install a LSD 3. Get an uprated CWP from Jigsaw. 4. Overfill with oil to stop oil surge. Replacing the axle will result in adding weight. The replacement axles are more robust and thus have more weight. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Skip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cskip Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Quote: "Can be bracketed for virtually any car, the pictured example is for a Caterham . Axle Kits from £1250 + VAT" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMorris Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 The "from" should be in BIG BOLD LETTERS - preferably red and flashing. I've seen one up close and they do look REALLY NICE though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 *arrowup*Double that and your close for mine. Then add in new alloys.......braided brake hoses......rear bias valve....shame it's hidden under the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Fox Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 My Escort axle has an alloy nose around £300, Tran X LSD around £400, Burton CWP £250, casing mods at Arch, cost unknown. I've still got crappy drum brakes and standard half shafts which break if abused. Even at the figures quoted this looks like the ideal live axle solution to me, definately what I would do if I was starting again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revin Kevin Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Don't believe the hype, Ital axles are not as bad as everyone makes out. If built properly with the correct components, See the list CSkip suggested and the hubs are lapped and new hub nuts used they will take 180lbs of torque and sticky tyres. The one thing they really don't like and without a major upgrade (read lots of money) is kerb jumping on track, the answer to this is don't do it. A well built ital axle will do what is required of it at a cost substancially less than an English axle. Ultimately if you are going for big horse power you will need an English axle but they have there own issues with shafts, bearings and oil surge and cost big money. Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Willoughby Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 As if to prove Kevin's point, one day of kerbs at Curborough resulted in a broken halfshaft for me in February. I'll steer further clear of them in the future. Edited by - Matthew Willoughby on 21 Mar 2009 12:36:54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revin Kevin Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Matthew, Just out of interest was your wheel bearing shimmed or tack welded to the shaft. If it was tack welded, was that where the shaft broke?, which is often the case. Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboylaw Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I have the English axle on mine. Advantages are cheaper replacement parts and upgrades. Replacement diff is about £50 on ebay, halfshafts at about £20 a pair, easy upgrade to rear disks (SPC do a cracking kit) and also the LSDs are around £500 ish. An alloy diff nose is about £350 and saves about 5Kg and ultimately you can upgrade to the SPC set-up that is a well designed piece of kit, internal baffles to reduce oil starvation on the crown wheel. If you are happy with the Ital set up and have no intentions so put more torque through it then fine, but if you want to upgrade the engine and get the maximum out of it then the axle should be looked at. Jonathan... Can you let me know where you got your handbrake cable from? I am about to order the SPC read disk conversion. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezky Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Jon YHM Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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