
Dimension
Specifications:
These Del-Sphere pivot joints can be used to replace spherical rod ends
on custom built or any brand suspension part that has 3/4"-16 left
hand threads. The thread length is 2.50", the width of the housing is
1.50", the diameter of the housing is 2.25", the width of the spherical
ball is 1.3425" and has a
0.75" through hole. You can bush down the through hole and utilize
spacers on each side of the ball to mount these Del-Sphere pivot joints
on any application. The Del-Sphere pivot joint comes complete with a
jam nut, grease fitting and allen wrench.
The suspension bushings on your vehicle have a significant
impact on your vehicle's ride, comfort, handling, acceleration, noise
and vibration. When the vehicle leans (rolls) in a turn, one side of
the chassis moves up relative to the rear axle and the other side moves
down. The suspension's arms must twist to allow for the axle to
articulate, this causes the bushings to bind. If this bind
becomes excessive, it will raise the wheel rate and produce
sudden and uncontrolled changes in handling such as snap oversteer.
The factory minimizes this suspension bind by using compliant rubber bushings. These soft bushings help accommodate the necessary motion of the suspension's arms during body roll. However, the rubber bushings do not provide much in the way of forward and aft support which can cause wheel hop during hard acceleration and braking.
It is common to replace the stock
rubber bushings with polyurethane bushings to resolve
the shortcomings of the factory's soft rubber bushings. Polyurethane
bushings eliminate wheel hop, reduce axle deflection, and
improve straight line traction. However, the downside
of polyurethane bushings is they prevent the
necessary movement of the suspension's arms during body roll, which in
turn produces significant binding in the suspension when the vehicle is
cornering. The polyurethane bushings also place high stresses
on the suspension arm mounts on the vehicle. Polyurethane bushed
suspension arms do not allow for rotation of the arm during
cornering because of the stiffness of the bushings.
Del-Sphere
Pivot Joints:
The Spohn Performance Del-Sphere pivot joint solves the shortcomings of the factory rubber and aftermarket polyurethane bushings. Our Del-Sphere pivot joint incorporates a spherical ball which is surrounded by delrin bushing cups. This combination allows the control arm to articulate like a spherical rod end (28 degrees of available rotation) during cornering but the spherical ball does not allow the bushing to deflect during acceleration. This provides for great straight line traction like polyurethane bushed control arms but remains completely bind free like a spherical rod end during cornering for predictable traction in the corners.
Think of the Del-Sphere pivot joint as a Delrin bushed spherical rod end. After over a year of R&D testing here at Spohn Performance on a streetable spherical joint the Del-Sphere pivot joint is the final result. Designed and manufactured exclusively by Spohn Performance, we have taken street suspension performance to the next level. Our Del-Sphere pivot joint features a one piece forged and heat treated chrome moly housing, a heat treated and chrome plated chrome moly spherical ball, Delrin bushing cups, heat treated retainer washer and snap ring, heat treated and chrome plated chrome moly threaded adjuster ring, an external grease fitting and a beautiful silver zinc plated housing finish.
The Delrin bushing cups absorb shock
and road noise so you get the quiet and smooth ride of a bushing as
well as 28 degrees of rotation! Our Del-Sphere pivot joints will always
ship to you fully assembled, however, we also offer an optional
adjusting tool that will allow you to do two things. First, you can
disassemble the Del-Sphere pivot joint for cleaning, inspection, etc.
Second, you can adjust the amount of friction on the spherical ball. Do
you want a very low friction pivot joint or a very tight pivot joint?
It's up to you, the amount of tension can be easily adjusted
by using our optional adjustment tool
to tighten or loosen the end retainer ring. What that also means is if
over time and miles the tolerances open up you can simply re-adjust the
retainer ring and have your pivot joint as tight as it was the day it
was brand new. We doubt you'll ever need to replace the Delrin bushing
cups, but they certainly can be. Unlike a spherical rod end,
the Del-Sphere pivot joint is 100% rebuildable.
What is
Delrin, and why did you choose
to use it?
Delrin is an acetal homopolymer made by DuPont. It is
characterized as having an excellent combination of physical properties
that make it suitable for numerous applications. With extremely low
moisture absorption and a low coefficient of friction
(self-lubricating), Delrin is uniquely tailored for wear applications
in high humidity or moisture environments. Delrin will maintain
constant physical properties under high moisture conditions and
out-perform nylon or polyurethane under these conditions. Delrin has a
10,000 psi tensile strength and a 120 Rockwell Hardness rating making
it ideal for our Del-Sphere application.