Tech Tip: Crankshaft Technology

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tech tip crankshaft technology

of a wide range of other types of crankshaft in the area of tuning, each


Crankshaft technology of which are optimised for a certain purpose. Flow-optimised flowed and
bell (or mushroom) shaped crankshafts are suitable - as a further develop-
General information ment of the full circle crankshaft - for engines with direct or reed valve
More performance through more torque and/or more engine revs? Per- inlets. The design of the webs does not hinder the inflow of the gas and
formance is equal to torque multiplied by the engine revs at which this creates additional volume in the casing. This means that the pre-com-
torque is generated. How, therefore, do racing engines achieve such high bustion falls slightly as a result, further fresh gas is able to flow in, and a
performances? This only applies if the torque or the revs at which the higher degree of charging is achieved. This interplay enables a wider rpm
torque lies is increased. range and the performance which can be achieved increases.

Disc valve riders, in contrast, prefer using racing-, flowed racing- or long
P=Md * (r) stroke crankshafts. In addition to a clearly extended inlet timing, which
P Performance (kW) has a positive impact on the degree of charging, racing crankshafts also
Md Torque (Nm) have crankshaft webs which have been adapted to improve the flow and
(r) Revs (rad/s) are polished, which reduce turbulence and flow separation. The newer
flowed racing crankshafts for disc valve engines also have the same ad-
Anyone who wants to calculate this formula for their scooter has to round vantages as reed valve flowed crankshafts.
the measurement units down to a denominator. The formula applies if
High quality crankshafts stand out thanks to their fine balancing (see info
the revs are stated in the dimension rad/s. In this context it is necessary
box on the right) and high radial accuracy - meaning they do not impact
to know that one minute lasts 60 seconds and one revolution equals 6.28
in one direction (= directed crankshaft). This makes them especially quiet.
rad. If a maximum torque of 15 Nm is assumed at 6,000 rpm, in this con-
Polished webs or connecting rods offer lower flow resistance. For high-
text the performance totals:
end small frame engines, crankshafts with a flywheel web Ø of 87mm
P = 15 Nm * 6000 rpm * 1 min/60 s * 5,28 = 9420 Nm/s (instead of the original 82mm) are offered. These offer added safety
against distortion, as more material is above the bolt, which means it
1 Nm/s = 1 watt, 1000 watt = 1 kilowatt, which means that at 6,000 rpm, is possible to choose a higher pressing dimension. It is necessary for the
the Vespa engine described here achieves a performance of 9.4 kW *1.36 crankcase to be extended to 88mm, however.
= 12.8 PS.

The torque results, to a greater or lesser extent, from the capacity. Fixed
upper limits are set to the torque, since per cylinder stroke, in the best
case, the full cylinder volume can be charged with a fresh petrol-air mix-
ture and combusted (not taking turbo charging, nitrous oxide or similar
into account). We can only try to ensure that we achieve the best possi-
ble charging of the cylinder through the sound adjustment of all of the
components, and that we make the capacity as big as possible. And this
only occurs through more capacity and a greater interior diameter. More
capacity is possible through long stroke crankshafts and more interior dia-
meter through tuning cylinders.

The revs of the torque output is the other factor on the basis of which it
is possible to increase performance. If this is doubled, the performance is
also doubled. Racing engines rev at such high levels because they have
to combust more cylinder charges in the same period of time. The most
important thing is to rev up the engine as high as possible through lighter
weights and harder counter-pressure springs, since at low revs a combus-
tion engine attains little performance.

The crankshaft webs - the suitable type

For optimum cylinder charging at high revs, it is necessary for the mix to
flow through the transfer ports as quickly as possible, and this occurs in
the best possible way if the pressure in the crank case when opening the
transfer ports is as high as possible. As this pressure becomes higher, the
lower the ratio of the volume of the crankcase between the uppermost
and lowest cylinder position is, the attempt is made to keep the dead
volume (the air volume in the crankcase) as low as possible. This is achie-
ved, among others, through crankshafts with full crankshaft webs which
charge the crankcase as much as possible. It is also possible to
exaggerate the elimination of the dead space, however,
as there is an optimum dimension for the pre-com-
pression. If this is exceeded, negative effects
predominate and the performance capa-
city of the engine is reduced instead
of being increased. in addition
to the full circle crankshaft it 120°
is also possible to make use

original inlet time e.g. 95°


tech tip crankshaft technology

The full balance

When we use the term ‚balanced‘ in the catalogue it means ‚balanced Dynamic balancing would mean that the entire system, together with
at 12 o‘clock‘ or ‚statically balanced‘. With a free and horizontal positi- the pistons and crankshaft were balanced. Unfortunately, this is not
oned crankshaft, the connecting rod eye pivots at 12 o‘clock (above). All possible in practice. The attempt is actually made to balance the pistons
of the rotating gauges are balanced here to 100% through equalizing and crankshaft with each other effectively, as described by the ‚balance
holes. The pistons, rings, bolts etc. are the translating gauges that ‚go factor‘. This describes the weight ratio of the rotating to the oscillating
back and forth‘. The entire system never balances 100%, for this rea- (translating) gauges. Experience shows that a value of approx. 40% pro-
son, no vibration-free 1 cylinder engines are available. This is linked to vides good results.
acceleration and braking in the dead centre and the eccentricity of the
gauges in between. The NIK balance mounting, article no. 15199005, is very effective for
ascertaining and/or adjusting the balance.

The stroke

A longer stroke is achieved when the crank pins are positioned further
away from the rotation axis of the crankshaft. It is possible to achieve this eccentric pin DRT for smallframe
effect with an eccentric pin, for instance. 1 mm further away from the axis part . 4043AD179
means 2 mm additional stroke. The piston then extends 1mm over the top
dead centre, and 1mm under the bottom dead centre. So that the piston
does not collide with the head, it is necessary to install a 1mm thick base
or head gasket. In addition to this, the piston skirt should be shortened
a little underneath, so it does not collide with the casing on the bottom
dead centre. The valve timings change in all circumstances.

Compensation with base gasket: outlet timings become longer, trans-


fer timings become considerably longer. If the outlet is lifted somewhat
further by milling, it is possible to optimise the engine for higher revs.

Compensation with head gasket: outlet and transfer timings are only
lengthened slightly - with the transfer timing changing more than the
outlet timing (= less blow down). Optimisation for more torque at mid
revs.

Original 57mm Long stroke 60mm

Ø con-rod bolt
22mm

Ø bearing seat

Difference between an original stroke crankshaft and a long stroke It is easy to measure the stroke of a crankshaft: you measure the distance
crankshaft (e.g. Vespa PX200): the connecting rod bolt is 1.55 mm further between the external connecting rod bolts and the external bearing seat.
away. Calculating the top dead centre and bottom dead centre together You then subtract half of both the Ø of the connecting rod bolts and bea-
results in 3mm more stroke for the Vespa. This is adjusted with the suita- ring seat, and you then have the difficult-to-measure distance from centre
ble base or head gaskets. This means the valve timings change, however, to centre. The measured value * 2 provides the stroke.
which also has to be taken into consideration.

Gaskets/Spacer:

Spacer POLINI 177 Gasket cylinder base Gasket cylinder base Gasket cylinder head
part no 90783010 part no 92800 part no 13097800 part no 90782300
tech tip crankshaft technology

A bigger bore or a longer stroke? The connecting rod

Long stroke is the more costly, but in terms of more performance, the A longer connecting rod does not change the stroke, but the cylinder has
better method for extending cubic capacity, since 5% more cubic capacity to be raised accordingly. The longer connecting rod offers the advantage
(which can be achieved through 5% more stroke) means 5% square mil- that it is less inclined at half the stroke which means the piston exercises
limetres more port window area if the port timings are left unchanged. less lateral force on the cylinder wall, as a result of which less friction oc-
This means that the cubic capacity and window area increase in the same curs. This advantage comes at the price of a drastically higher crank case
ratio. Contrary to this it is possible to achieve just 2.46% more port window volume, however: It increases by the value of the area enclosed by the
area with 5% more cubic capacity by changing the interior diameter (can inner edge of the base gasket multiplied by its height.
be achieved with 2.46% greater interior diameter because the square of
the interior diameter is used when calculating the cubic capacity). This is The port timings also change with a long connecting rod. Only slightly,
also the reason why grand prix high performance two stroke engines are however, as the piston lift curve changes somewhat.
normally four cylinder (stroke - internal diameter ratio is roughly the same). As the crank webs are held together by the crank pins, a pressing dimensi-
We scooter riders have to tune on the basis of serial engines and are not on that is as high as possible is ideal here in order to prevent a distortion of
free to choose the cubic capacity and the stroke - bore ratio. Exchanging both of the webs. The crank pin on which the connecting rod and bearing
cylinders is the easy and cheap way to achieve additional diameter, which are positioned is pressed into both webs of the crankshaft at high pressure.
means this is the most frequently used approach. Even if you only const- If the drill holes in the webs are too big or the diameter of the crank pin
ruct a short stroke as a result. Very long port timings from the outlet and too small, the press connection is not able to develop sufficient stability
transfer port and high performance are, however, only achieved through and it gives way. This can result in considerable engine damage. For this
the additional displacement of the piston. At the same time, however, reason, with more powerful engines, the decision is often taken to weld
strict limits are set to the possible further stroke due to the screw con- the crank pins with the webs in order to prevent twisting from occurring
nections in the area of crank case, and it is necessary to alter the case, from the start.
meaning drill-finishing, to be able to provide a long stroke crankshaft suf- It is possible to distinguish between standard connecting rods and polished
ficient space in the diameter. Since it is easily possible to achieve a critical connecting rods which are gas flow optimised.
piston speed of 20m/s with eccentric long stroke crankshafts, it is also im-
portant to work very exactingly on the carburettor and ignition settings
in this context. Those who do make the effort, and also optimally adjust
the port timings of the cylinder, will be rewarded with a very powerful
engine, with performances of over 40 PS / 40Nm being easily possible.

The length of the connecting rods is always measured from middle eyelet
to middle eyelet. For high-end small frame engines, special POLINI cranks-
hafts are available, for example, with a 102mm connecting rod length
instead of 97mm.

polished connecting rod standard connecting rod con rod set incl. con rod connecting pin and thrust washers
tech tip crankshaft technology

On the older models of Vespa brass bushing was installed as the connec-
ting rod bearing to minimise the friction. Due to the high proportion
of oil in the mix and the very low revs in earlier times it was possible to
drive reliably with such components. Since modern engines achieve hig-
her numbers of revs and less oil is added, nowadays, needle bearings are
generally positioned at the top and the bottom of the connecting rod.
These sustain higher revs and on the racing crankshafts they are supplied
with mix through additional oil holes or slits. This provides reliable pro-
tection against a bearing running dry, becoming too hot, or seizing up on
piston bolts or connecting rod bolts. With high quality silver bearings the
bearing cage is silver plated which leads to less friction and wear and tear silver bearing
and also leads to a longer lifespan.

Cone, bearings and oil seal housing on the small frame.

As a rule, three different versions are distinguished between on the small


frame crankshafts:

The older small frame models (V50/PV/ET3) are equipped as standard with
a crankshaft with a pointed cone (oil seal Ø 19mm, bearing Ø 20mm) on oil seal seat bearing seat
which the flywheel is positioned. This is not especially durable, however, Ø 24mm Ø 25mm
which means it is easily able to shear off during basic tuning. Considerably
more stable is the cone of the following model: The crankshafts on the
PK XL have a flatter cone with a 20mm oil seal housing (the bearing
housing diameter remains the same), which is not only optimally suitable
for all tuning purposes, but also represents the ideal basis for a conversion
to electronic ignition. The 51mm stroke crankshafts (originally fitted to
the PK125XL/ETS) have the most stable design with a strengthened oil
seal housing (24mm) and a 25mm bearing housing. Perfect for ambitious
tuning projects. They can only be fitted in original V50 and PK50 engine
cases in combination with conversion bearings and oil seals.

In short, there are 3 sizes of oil seal housings and 2 sizes of bearing
housing on smallframe Vespas.

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