Front

GENERAL
- The inboard end of the axle shaft is connected to the transmission via a constant velocity joint Double Offset Joint (DOJ) which provides flexible capabilities in the longitudinal direction while the outboard end is supported by taper roller bearings located inside the housing via a Bell Joint (BJ) which features a large operating angle. Since the drive shaft employs constant velocity joints, it provides smooth, even rotation of the drive wheels without any vibration.
- The bearing utilizes a preloaded, non-adjustable tapered roller unit design. The hub is fitted to the tapered roller bearing inside the housing.
- The BJ's spindle is "serration-fitted" to the hub and is clinched to it with axle nuts.
- The disc rotor is an external mounting type. It is secured together with the disc wheel using hub bolts to facilitate maintenance of the disc rotor.





DRIVE SHAFT
- For the constant-velocity joint on the transmission side, the Double Offset Joint (DOJ) and the Free Ring Tripod Joint (FTJ) are adopted. DOJ slides in the axial direction and also provides the maximum operating angle of 23°. FTJ slides in the axial direction and also provides the maximum operating angle of 20°.
- For the constant-velocity joint on the wheel side, the BJ is adopted. The maximum operating angle of BJ is 47.5°.





CONSTRUCTION OF FREE-RING TRIPOD JOINT
The FTJ is an improved version of the Tripod Joint (TJ) to minimize sliding resistance. In the previous TJ design, the roller rotated only in the axial direction. When the joint was subjected to a "bending" angle in the sliding direction, the roller slipped causing resistance. In the new FTJ design, the outer surface of the roller is provided with a free ring to minimize roller slippage, greatly reducing sliding resistance.