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Re: Fwd: Spitfire clutch - possible problem

To: Dave Massey <105671.471@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Spitfire clutch - possible problem
From: Bill Kelly <bk54@erols.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 00:59:30 -0500
Cc: "[unknown]" <triumphs@autox.team.net>, "[unknown]" <rsq148h@tninet.se>
References: <200203051656_MC3-F491-1F34@compuserve.com>
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:0.9.8) Gecko/20020130
Actually, experience and theory both indicate that a worn clutch will 
begin slipping in top gear, working its way down to lower gears with 
further wear. Heuristically, the car presents greater rotational inertia 
- countertorque -  to the clutch in higher gears. So at a given engine 
torque (as determined by RPM, throttle, vacuum settings, state of tune, 
alignment of the stars, etc) the total torque on the clutch lining is 
higher in higher gears. Ergo more prone to the clutch cutting loose. 
Compounding the effect is that you are generally going faster in higher 
gears, resulting in higher frictional forces to overcome (wind on body, 
rubber on road), further increasing the countertorque.

I'll be happy to delve into the math with anyone who's interested. Hi, 
Randall :> But let's put the theoretical subject car on frictionless 
rollers so we don't get bogged down in wind resistance profiling and 
tire inflation...

Thomas Westerdahl in Sweden - it's time for a new clutch.

Bill Kelly
Running '62 Herald
Non-running lump of a TR-250

Dave Massey wrote:
> Does your car have overdrive?  If so does it slip in overdrive? not in
> overdrive? Both?  It would seem odd that it would slip in 3rd and 4th and
> not in 1st and 2nd if it were the main clutch.
> 
> Triumphregards - Dave Massey, St. Louis, MO USA

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