Lightest A-Arms for MX

[korniev]

So guys, who do you think makes the lightest long travel A-Arms for MX that could handle big jumps?
RPM? LSR? Houser? Laeger? or some other?
Could they be titanium?

[44oEX]

LSR made some titanium a-arms...don'T know if they still have them.

anything you can find in TI will be the lightest

[rob-u/21]

ARS-FX makes their mx arms lighter than their XC arms. Give them a call to see how much they weigh.

[Toadz400]

I believe Walsh just came out with some Titanium arms. And getting the titanium springs for your shocks would help also.

[steve26]

Walsh makes Titanium upper arms, also I think he makes Titanium tie-rods (not positive though). www.walshracecraft.com

and yeah... titanim springs from custom axis would be trick. how much weight do you think you will save? 5 pounds or so I'm guessing?

[korniev]

U think titanium parts can handle jumps at all????

[400exstud]

Originally posted by korniev
U think titanium parts can handle jumps at all????

That's what they build the space shuttles out of.:p

Yeah Ti parts are light but they are costly such as the RAD axle for $700 or a-arms that are near double for what chromoly cost.

Originally posted by 400exstud
That's what they build the space shuttles out of.:p

Yeah Ti parts are light but they are costly such as the RAD axle for $700 or a-arms that are near double for what chromoly cost.

also a ti frame is about $7000

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by korniev
U think titanium parts can handle jumps at all????

If you didn't know, titanium is stronger than steel...

[korniev]

RAD does not make ti axles for YFZ! U guys know a company that does???

[zeppelin]

Originally posted by Toadz400
If you didn't know, titanium is stronger than steel...
per pound maybe, but if you want to see weight savings with a ti part it is usualy thinner and a little weaker, and in most cases ( with the exeption of exhaust parts) aluminum is usualy lighter than ti, but not as strong

[44oEX]

well chromo, it toughter then steel, and ti is way stronger then chromo...since almost all the aftermarket a-arms are made of chromo and not steel, I think it's ovious that ti is light and stronger.

[R3Concepts]

Ti flexes more then 4130. The front end will change going down the track, its really not that fun to ride a bike with a Ti front end.

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by 44oEX
well chromo, it toughter then steel, and ti is way stronger then chromo...since almost all the aftermarket a-arms are made of chromo and not steel, I think it's ovious that ti is light and stronger.

Chromoly is steel.

Titanium isn't like aluminum where you have to use so much of it to get the same strength as steel.

Zeppelin, titanium has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel, before and after welding, so you won't need to use more of it to get the same strength as steel. You will use less of it which is the opposite of aluminum.

Here is a good site that explains it, it's a bike frame company but it's basically the same for quads. http://www.vanguardtitanium.com/titanium.htm

[Speed_MDS2]

Ti does have a higher "streignth to wheight ratio" but your forgeting about volume. If you build an a arm out of Ti and make it have the same dimensions (volume) the part will be way lighter but a little weaker. To see true benifits from Ti, the parts dimmensions will have to be reengineered to find the best volmume to streingth ratio. JMO

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by Speed_MDS2
Ti does have a higher "streignth to wheight ratio" but your forgeting about volume. If you build an a arm out of Ti and make it have the same dimensions (volume) the part will be way lighter but a little weaker. To see true benifits from Ti, the parts dimmensions will have to be reengineered to find the best volmume to streingth ratio. JMO

You're thinking of aluminum, where you need to use more of it to get the same strength as steel. That's one of the qualities of titanium, you don't need more of it to have the same strength.

[korniev]

Ok but my question is whether or not titanium can handle jumps! I hear a lot of people use it for drag racing but can it handle MX?

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by korniev
Ok but my question is whether or not titanium can handle jumps! I hear a lot of people use it for drag racing but can it handle MX?

Definately, it's stronger than steel, so why couldn't it? The only thing people have a problem with using titanium for MX is that it flexes more than steel, but there is a certain way that it can be fixed but I can't remember how.

[matt250r21]

It all depends on the grade of the Ti, there is good and bad. I have all of the bolts on my R made of Ti grade 6AI-4V. I belive this is the highest grade of Ti. I have raced A class in distrect 7 for years and have only had a few broken bolts. I dont think Ti is stronger than chromoly but it sure is lighter.

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by matt250r21
It all depends on the grade of the Ti, there is good and bad. I have all of the bolts on my R made of Ti grade 6AI-4V. I belive this is the highest grade of Ti. I have raced A class in distrect 7 for years and have only had a few broken bolts. I dont think Ti is stronger than chromoly but it sure is lighter.

Ti is stronger than steel and there is a certain Ti that doesn't flex as much, and will even flex less than Chromoly steel which is what you would want to use for a-arms.

[korniev]

So anyone of you guys using walsh titanium arms for MX???