Watt Link

[Garret_Volden]

I've recently just found out the joyous australian v8 supercar series and love watching them there is not any other racing quite like it in north america and am glad i found out about them. i have been hearing lots about watt links breaking and disabling the cars.i am from canada so our dialect is a little different in comparison to yours so i might already know what the part is but,all i wanna know is

what the hell is a watt link.thanx

[~R33AzzA~]

Hi mate i have found a brief description of the Watts linkage for you. The actual linkage used by the v8 supercars is similar.

If the Watt link is broken the diff will move freely from side to side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_linkage

Hope this anwered your question,

Aaron

[grigor]

I didn't know they still ran Watt's links but with these cars you never know.

The link is an old 70's idea to locate the rear diff. rather than a Panhard rod. (This is for a live axle, not independent rear end)

The idea was a rod ran from one side of the body to the lower side of a crank mounted on the diff housing. Another rod runs from the opposite body side to the upper side of the crank. So the body can't move sideways relative to the diff, but the diff can still move up/down within the limits of the rubbers etc in the link/crank ends.

Edited January 7, 2008 by grigor

[Garret_Volden]

awesome guys thanks alot i recognize that from school its just a different name then im used to

cheers!

[Duncan]

yeah you might find them holding the back of dinosaurs together lol

[zebra]

yeah you might find them holding the back of dinosaurs together lol

Haha Leaf Springs And Ladder Bar Rear ends FTW

(if your going drag racing that is...)

[djr81]

I didn't know they still ran Watt's links but with these cars you never know.

The link is an old 70's idea to locate the rear diff. rather than a Panhard rod. (This is for a live axle, not independent rear end)

The idea was a rod ran from one side of the body to the lower side of a crank mounted on the diff housing. Another rod runs from the opposite body side to the upper side of the crank. So the body can't move sideways relative to the diff, but the diff can still move up/down within the limits of the rubbers etc in the link/crank ends.

The V8's have a Watts linkage, but it could more correctly be referred to as a "reverse" linkage. Rather than the centre pivot being attached to the back of the diff & the outside ones to the chassis, the V8's locate the centre link on the chassis & the two outside ones to the axle.

This then allows them, via a single bolt, to adjust the height at which the centre linkage acts on the chassis. This is what you always hear Crompton etc banging on about with roll centre adjustments. The height of this link is the height of the rear roll centre.

As an aside given the supposedly antiquated nature of the set up there is actually a good deal of technology & engineering involved in the rear axle set ups for these cars. But lets not let that get in the way of a good story.

[Stinky Rooster]

aside given the supposedly antiquated nature of the set up there is actually a good deal of technology & engineering involved in the rear axle set ups for these cars. But lets not let that get in the way of a good story.

my sentiments exactly. It may appear to be quite old, but when it works as well as it does, then why f**k with it? V8 Supercars are far from the only racing series to use it too.

[djr81]

my sentiments exactly. It may appear to be quite old, but when it works as well as it does, then why f**k with it? V8 Supercars are far from the only racing series to use it too.

Well it doesn't work particularly well, but it has been made to work better than what could reasonably be expected.

If you look at the different techniques used for supporting the pinion/crown wheel, the barrel gears in the axle to allow -ve camber, the Watts linkages (some of which will live with a side impact from a wall/other competitor) the different ways the axles & the housings themselves are manufactured....

The is a lot of very good engineering that goes into them.

[avrahan]

they are a shit idea for lowering

if you lower say an old vh then youll need to replace the rear panard rod for an adjustable one.

otherwise the body site off center to the diff, vise versa

they suk

there i said it.....

[djr81]

they are a shit idea for lowering

if you lower say an old vh then youll need to replace the rear panard rod for an adjustable one.

otherwise the body site off center to the diff, vise versa

they suk

there i said it.....

A Watts linkage ensures the axles moves in a vertical plane - unlike a Panhard rod. Which is why they are inherently superior.