quote:
Originally posted by sunruh:
jaybird,
so what do you think of the lube that is INSIDE the rollers on say a DID X-ring chain?
would using a ptfe spray on dry film lube be a good choice for the outside (what i can see) of the chain?
how do you prevent corrision on the outside (hopefully the x-rings protect the inside)?
p.s. currently use a did x-ring and after washing i use wd40 to prevent rust. that's it. typically lasts an entire year of offroad racing.
sunruh,
Ring chains often times use grease for the internal lubricant. Grease is nothing but oil (and hopefully some good barrier adds) whipped together with a soap base to keep it together.
If you look at a worn chain pin, you will notice that only one section of the pin is actually worn. That would be the part that rubs against the bushing. The internal grease must keep this area lubricated.
In time...the protection provided by the grease becomes depleted, and wear begins. The oil, will eventually seep out of suspension from the soap base and can, in theory, continue to protect...as long as it get to the friction point.
IMO, a better choice for a ring chain internal fill is oil. No soap base to take up valuable area. ALL OIL. This alone would, in theory, protect the friction surface longer than the grease could.
There is also no worry about the oil being consumed and leaving nothing but gooey soap base.
The oil should keep protecting as long as there is centrifigul force to keep slinging the oil to the friction point.
I know there are reportedly some chain mfg's using oil instead of grease..but to be honest, I have no idea who these mfg's are. Haven't seen a chain that uses oil instead of grease, but I have heard of it being done. Keep in mind that even if the chain uses oil instead of greae, it is still has a finite lifespan.
Using a water dispersant after washing the chain is usually a good idea, to both drive water out, and to coat the surface, protecting from external corrosion.
PFTE (Teflon)is a polar solid that will adhere to the asperities of the metal surface, which can take up room that corrosion could take place. However, I find that by simply using a dry-film with moly is a better choice. Not only will the solvent carrier act as a water dispersant and drive out water, it will deposit moly, which does a better job at anti-corrosion than PTFE. (from my tests, moly lasts [stays adhered to the asperities]longer than teflon and can carry a greater shock load)
What you are missing when you use nothing but WD-40, is any sort of effective protection from friction. WD-40 may provide a bit of protection by a simple silicon coating, but it is hardly sufficient for lubricating a chain...any chain.
It is simply NOT an acceptable chain lubricant.
What you are doing is letting the rollers wear against the bushings, and at a different rate of wear than the internal parts.
If you use something to help protect the outside of the chain from corrosion, use something that will also lubricate the roller/bushing area, as well as fotify the rings. WD-40 does neither.
And yes, a year seems to be the norm for ring chains. They will last just about anyone who takes even the least bit of care of them, for about a year of hard riding.
BUT...just for comparison...I had a non-ring chain on a 125sx that saw many practice motos, several races, quite a few woods rides, and one arenacross, and was less than 1.5% elongation in 3 years time!
It is a fact that a ring chain has a FINITE lifespan. It can only survive for so long, no matter what you do or how good of care you take of it. Once the factory proviuded lubricant has been depleted, the chain will grow very fast from internal wear. You can't stop it, nor can you replentish the lubricant. It is a dying animal.
The non-ring chain, on the other hand, can very much outlast a ring chain, due to the fact that it can be maintained far past what you can maintain a ring chain.
I know this goes against conventionl wisdom about chains, but the public isn't really doing things properly for the most part. Like I stated earlier, chain lubrication in motorsports is still in the dark ages.
