Kagama Lee Spring Servo Saver Spring - What you need to know

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Ahh, know it well, lived in Pembs for best part of 10 years when working on the LNG, spent a lot of time in Carms
I spent a year at Pembroke Dock. Nice scenery, but quite a rough crowd! 😝

Where you at now buddy?
 
I spent a year at Pembroke Dock. Nice scenery, but quite a rough crowd! 😝

Where you at now buddy?
Yup, I know a few characters from the docks, I had spells living in Pembroke, Neyland, HarryWest and Milford , both the gfs I had at the time (not at the same time 🤭) were from Carms though.

An back in the south east now, right on the Surrey London border
 
Yup, I know a few characters from the docks, I had spells living in Pembroke, Neyland, HarryWest and Milford , both the gfs I had at the time (not at the same time 🤭) were from Carms though.

An back in the south east now, right on the Surrey London border
Nothing quite like an angry 'Docker! 😝🤣

It's a little known secret, but Pembroke Dock was home to the Millennium Falcon set. Inside a giant hangar.

Wookies can still be seen at large. But in fairness, that's just your typical Docker! 🤣
 
Maybe a cheaper alternative to the Lee spring. So I took the specs of the Lee spring & had a search. The Lee spring is made from music wire( high carbon steel/spring steel) . I found springs on AliExpress of a similar spec but made from 65mn
https://www.theworldmaterial.com/65mn-high-carbon-spring-steel/

Or 304sus
https://www.theworldmaterial.com/sus304-stainless-steel-material/

These are a lot cheaper at less than £5 for 5 springs next time I order of Ali I’ll give them a try unless anyone wants to try them before I do. Can be got in different wire thickness also so might need try couple to find the perfect spec.

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Maybe a cheaper alternative to the Lee spring. So I took the specs of the Lee spring & had a search. The Lee spring is made from music wire( high carbon steel/spring steel) . I found springs on AliExpress of a similar spec but made from 65mn
https://www.theworldmaterial.com/65mn-high-carbon-spring-steel/

Or 304sus
https://www.theworldmaterial.com/sus304-stainless-steel-material/

These are a lot cheaper at less than £5 for 5 springs next time I order of Ali I’ll give them a try unless anyone wants to try them before I do. Can be got in different wire thickness also so might need try couple to find the perfect spec.

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Do we know what the rate is in N/mm? That would be really useful to know, to have some idea if they're actually upgrading the stock spring? 🤞🙏
 
The prototype springs for the Kraton are over £335 for a run of 10. 😬

Obviously once things are in place - we can work on the Kraton springs unit price, but it's crazy expensive getting things started off.
 
Do we know what the rate is in N/mm? That would be really useful to know, to have some idea if they're actually upgrading the stock spring? 🤞🙏
No no rates for it, so would be bit of a gamble to try but as they only a few £££ maybe worth a punt. Stock spring only @14mm probably made in china too from a similar material so would hope 20mm spring in one those 2 materials would be better than stock. But there is a chance they could be too weak or too strong. They in my basket next time I order stuff I’ll find out.
 
No no rates for it, so would be bit of a gamble to try but as they only a few £££ maybe worth a punt. Stock spring only @14mm probably made in china too from a similar material so would hope 20mm spring in one those 2 materials would be better than stock. But there is a chance they could be too weak or too strong. They in my basket next time I order stuff I’ll find out.
It's worth a punt. Having looked into springs for the Kraton in the deepest way possible with an engineer from Lee Spring 🤓, I will say it was materially impossible to create the springs with the same 24n/mm rate that we enjoy with the Corally Lee Spring, even when using Music Wire Spring Steel zinc coated and baked.

So I fully expect the springs from China to be readily available, but with lower rates than the Lee Springs, possibly even lower rates than the stock Arrma springs. 🤞 Here's to hoping.

Thanks for looking into this - I'm not going to lie - finding the prospect of parting with £300 on 10 springs for a rig I don't own a difficult pill to swallow! 🤣

The price of progress.

Could somebody be so kind to show me a picture here of the Arrma steering assembly with the 2 different size springs, please.

It will help in ascertaining where it may be possible to increase material dimensions in a bid to steal some extra N/mm's. 👍
 
It's worth a punt. Having looked into springs for the Kraton in the deepest way possible with an engineer from Lee Spring 🤓, I will say it was materially impossible to create the springs with the same 24n/mm rate that we enjoy with the Corally Lee Spring, even when using Music Wire Spring Steel zinc coated and baked.

So I fully expect the springs from China to be readily available, but with lower rates than the Lee Springs, possibly even lower rates than the stock Arrma springs. 🤞 Here's to hoping.

Thanks for looking into this - I'm not going to lie - finding the prospect of parting with £300 on 10 springs for a rig I don't own a difficult pill to swallow! 🤣

The price of progress.

Could somebody be so kind to show me a picture here of the Arrma steering assembly with the 2 different size springs, please.

It will help in ascertaining where it may be possible to increase material dimensions in a bid to steal some extra N/mm's. 👍
It’s only the 8s Kraton runs dual springs I think & arrma offer a hard spring for the 6s so I wouldn’t put a dime into it. I’d try the AliExpress springs for Kraton 1st give them a go before dropping £300 on Lee springs.
 
It’s only the 8s Kraton runs dual springs I think & arrma offer a hard spring for the 6s so I wouldn’t put a dime into it. I’d try the AliExpress springs for Kraton 1st give them a go before dropping £300 on Lee springs.
Cheers. 💯👍
 
These have come in, both stiffer than stock spring. Not much between them but the 65Mn feels stiffer but gonna try the stainless 1st see how it goes but got other things to do before I start pulling out the servo saver on a rig so probably be wk or so before tackle it. The springs aren’t squared off at the end so I’ll hit them with a grinder before installing.

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I've starte\😅

Here's how the Lee Spring should look correctly fitted:

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I think I need to loosen it up by one thread with the Tomahawk SGT tires I'm currently running I managed to twist the servo arm bend the screw holding the servo link ball on the arm and rip the plastic link off of the turbuckle. The servo did survive though. This after what seemed like a fairly mild bump with a tree root at maybe 20% throttle.

The SGTs are very wide tires compared with the SCT tires I usually run though. Not just the size but they weigh about twice what the SCT tires do and they are low, profile and don't cushion impacts as much.

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I think I need to loosen it up by one thread with the Tomahawk SGT tires I'm currently running I managed to twist the servo arm bend the screw holding the servo link ball on the arm and rip the plastic link off of the turbuckle. The servo did survive though. This after what seemed like a fairly mild bump with a tree root at maybe 20% throttle.

The SGTs are very wide tires compared with the SCT tires I usually run though. Not just the size but they weigh about twice what the SCT tires do and they are low, profile and don't cushion impacts as much.

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I took a 50mph trip into a kerb during wet weather due to a spin - all caught on video - my rig escaped unscathed. Sounds like you had quite a bump. That tree stump clearly targeted your car. 😝

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I'm very curious as to what methodology you're all using to set your server savers so that they still "save".

I clamp the front wheels in workmate bench and articulate the servo, and keep tightening right to the point just before where it looks like it's locked and then back off an 8th. Can be a laborious process, but I want maximum steering with minimum loss of "save"
 
I'm very curious as to what methodology you're all using to set your server savers so that they still "save".

I clamp the front wheels in workmate bench and articulate the servo, and keep tightening right to the point just before where it looks like it's locked and then back off an 8th. Can be a laborious process, but I want maximum steering with minimum loss of "save"
I set mine as per the pictures with the Lee spring.

Your spring can only save if it's got space between the coils.

I wouldn't want to clamp the my wheels and then actually work my servo against a clamped immovable thing - it's inviting magic smoke. 😬

It can be tricky to emulate the type of wallops the steering encounters under typical usage anyway, but suffice to say weedy springs clamped most of they way up don't help people in any kind of way.

The Lee Spring has so much more rate, it just needs to be fitted with the retaining thumbscrew fitted securely onto the threads. The spring works perfectly with minimal preload. 👍

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It's not feasible to adjust this spring once the steering is fitted to the car anyway. Fit and forget.

You'll have much better steering. If you crash, plastic bits may break. Metal stuff might bend. But the cam should give you just enough to avoid burning up your servo.

Between crashes though, you will have steering you can live with. The stock steering was far to vague.
 
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