AT BARNESVILLE ONE CONTESTANT IN A DRY CLUTCH CLASS HAD A HARTMAN CLUTCH WITH SWING ARMS. I ASKED GARY W. ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE RULE SUGGESTED THAT HARTMAN'S WITH SWING ARMS WERE OUTLAWED. HE SAID THE INTENT WAS TO BAN THE LAST ITERATION OF HARTMANS WITH THE "SLIPPER" ADJUSTMENT DEVICE. HE SAID THE ORIGINAL ALUMINUM ARMS WERE OK BUT THE LATER METAL ARMS WERE NOT.
I'M SIMPLY CONFUSED. IT WOULD PROBABLY BE USEFUL TO HAVE VKA CLARIFY WHAT THEIR INTENT IS IN THIS RULE. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I FIRST SAW HARTMAN OIL CLUTCHES BEING RUN DRY. THEY SEEMED TO WORK A LOT BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. LONGEVITY SEEMED UNLIKELY TO BE GREAT.
SMOKEY
smokey,
a hartman clutch with aluminum arms isn't nearly as effective as the later steel arms with the slipper addition.
the aluminum arms can't be adjusted to engage at higher speed and work in the same manner as a regular dry clutch.
the last version of the steel armed hartmans equiped with slipper parts CAN be made to engage at higher rpms.
thus giving those slipper clutches an advantage over other dry clutches.
so to keep things fair vka banned the late slipper arms.
they left the aluminum arms legal to allow people with old hartmans the option to run them.
imho thats fine.
but vka should have some mechanism available for people to challenge a suspect clutch.
a challenge should have suspect clutch opened up to "prove" the aluminum arms are being used to keep cheaters honest.
of course that makes for another rule which complicates trackside fun but it is what it is,
d
The guidelines say vintage style dry clutch and no slipper arms on Hartman clutches. Which means you can use the steel arms but your engagement will be lower because they are heavier. I have tried the Hartman dry with both and the Max Torque is still better and faster especially if you are a heavier driver.I don't know what all the mystery is about...the dry Hartmans have been used for years.