dale,
somewhere i read instructions on how to decrease the tension of the cali per springs, and it involved bending each side an equal distance using a hammer and punch. but i wonder if that really does anything for the tension. my non-engineer mind thinks that the only thing that would accomplish, is chang e the outermost position of the spring arms. wouldn't tension in the springs be
determined primarily by the gauge of the metal? so even if you move them in, the tension wouldn't change.
engineers, what say you?
ray dobbins miami florida
Ray;
I've got no formal training in engineering, but I believe that the tension o f a spring is nonlinear... it takes less force to compress a spring a given distance when it is nearly relaxed, and the amount of force required increas es as the spring is compressed. Therefore, stretching the spring so that it is already partially compressed when the brake is at rest would increase the tension. And bending the spring the other way, so that it is nearly uncomp ressed when the brake is at rest would decrease the tension. This is the way the zero adjust on a bathroom scale works... when you turn the little wheel it partially compresses or decompresses the spring so that more or less weight is required to bring the cursor to a given point on the dial.
Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA