Panhard bar
 

Ive seen them, and i just kinda wondered what they were for. What is their function?

Wait.... is there only one upper link on a panhard setup? excluding the panhard bar itself?

A panhard rod keeps the axle centered with the chassis, especially handy when the servo is chassis mounted. It's usually one link or rod with one end mounted to the axle housing, the other to the chassis, pivoting at both ends.

Yes, thus the 3-link. Two lower links on the axle, and one upper. Then the panhard bar to center the axle under the chassis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panhard_rod

The panhard bar (aka track bar) is used on solid axle suspensions such as a Jeep with coil springs and a four link set up that isn't triangulated. It keeps the axle from having any lateral motion.

The upper links on a stock SCX10 are triangulated so you don't need a track bar. Even with the four link mod on the SCX10 the upper links are still triangulated enough it's not necessary to have a panhard bar.

If not set up correctly a track bar on a 1:1 or a scale model can be extremely troublesome and cause bumpsteer (and death wobble on a 1:1).

well if you mount your servo on your chassis you for sure need a panhard i promise you no matter if you run 3 or 4 link its a for sure thing

Only if all the links are paralell, as in non triangulated.

what is the reason to mount servo on chassis instead of axle?

it looks more realistic, and i belive it adds scale points for a scale comp.

negative ghost rider...i am running CMS and 4 link with no problems at all. i get full articulation left and right, and full steering lock to lock under articulation. not questioning your call, but my scx10 works fine with no panhard/tracbar.

If you run a panhard bar with a triangulated 3/4 link it will bind the suspension as it moves up and down , and in articulation. The triangulated 3/4 WILL keep the axle from shifting side to side while the panhard bar is trying to pull the axle sideways. If you think of the bar like a circle and the frame is the center of said circle then the axle is the radius of that circle. As the panhard bar moves through its radius it effectivly gets longer and moved the axle sideways.
If you are going to run a panhard you need to run a "parrallel" 3link like the Hand Bros. kit.

Like stick-boy-rick is , Im running a CMS with a triangulate 4 link on my SCX-10. It works great. Yes it does get bumpsteer but its not noticable while Im driving my car.

I'm curious to see what would happen if you ran a triangulated 4 link with CMS and a panhard. Anyone made that mistake? I don't think the suspension would cycle at all.

It will bind up and reduce suspension travel.

4 link holds the axle centered and the panhard actually pushes the axle to one side a little as the suspension is compressed. They will jsut fight each other and bind. A guy a crawl with done this, can't remember his name on here

yeah, I have read plenty threads on the CMS kit and everyone I see either has the three link with panhard bar OR a triangulated 4 link setup. I have never seen a 4 link setup with a panhard:roll:. it just doesnt make sense to do so (IMO).

BTW does anyone know what the CMS stands for if anything??

Chassis Mounted Servo or Steering

Running a 4 link and a CMS will result in inherent bump steer. Probably noticable when you cycle the suspension, but not while driving.

The idea behind the panhard bar is to locate the axle. The triangulated upper links do the same thing. What they do is limit the side to side travel of the axle while the suspension is cycling.

As stated, a lot of Jeeps that have 4-link setups run trackbars because the links are parallel and allow side to side "slop". By triangulating the links (preferably all four), you eliminate the need for the trackbar.

A trackbar vs. triangulated links will cause the path of travel of the suspension to be in two different arcs. That is why you really shouldn't run both. Again, as stated, they will fight against each other and bind.

The trackbar is more scale, plain and simple. It eliminates the servo from the axle, and looks more like a 1:1. As most people will agree, for pure performance, the 4-link will articulate better. So it comes down to what is more important to you: that extra articulation or the better appearance?

Read my post above yours"thumbsup"

Good explaination, it was really more of a retorical(sp)?

I totally agree, a triangulated 4 link will perform better. As far as my scale XJ goes I really wanted CMS so I did it then drove it for a while with a 4 link. Though it was noticeable while driving the whole time. So I created an axle truss that housed my 3rd link mount as well as a a panhard mount. I think it turned out awesome. I get a slight amount of contact between the panhard and the truss. It only limits up travel on one side by about 1/4" but will push thru with enough pressure. Here's a pic of the first setup, I've slightly changed it but overall it's the same.
http://www.nor-calrcrc.com/albums/al.../abo.sized.jpg

Hope the visual helps, also it shows that you can do a CMS setup without running an SCX.