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clutch center spring

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 10:41 am
by Duke
Ok everybody, what exactly does this spring do? I just changed the driven parts on my 96 Elite 50 to 2000 rpm clutch springs and a blue center spring of unknown strength , it came with an SA50 I bought a while back. And I added the awesome Taz speed variator. Wow, my little AF16 has maxed out the speedo now , I need to GPS verify but it is definitely better than 40mph. Those 2k springs are too much tho, it revs out hard on takeoff but seems to overpower the clutch , feels like its slipping somewhat. I guess this could be due to the center spring. Does this spring have any effect on top speed?
These simple changes have added at least 5mph to my top end but maybe more :rock: :rock:

Re: clutch center spring

Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 12:14 pm
by Wheelman-111
Greetings:

The center spring keeps grip tension on the drive belt and working against the variator rollers, it helps determine the RPM at which the belt starts its migration from "Low gear" to "Overdrive" - AND All speeds in between. Continuously Variable Transmissions do NOT have only two speeds, but the balance keeps the engine operating within a narrow RPM band through a wide-range of Groundspeeds.

+2K Triplet Springs probably are too stiff for a stock-ish engine. Takes off with a * or cooks the clutch - causing the slippage you describe - before it's moving. Another source of slippage is a worn belt; if it gets too narrow, the front pulley is a loose fit even with the belt riding all the way to the rim of the rear pulleys.