Editing Suspension: designs, shapes, sizes
(
diff
)
← Older revision
|
Latest revision
(
diff
) |
Newer revision →
(
diff
)
Jump to:
navigation
,
search
This page is to give examples and explainations of different suspension types found in vehicles =Front suspension= ==McPherson Strut Assembly== ==Over/Under A Arm== ==Leaf Spring & Solid Axle== =Rear Suspension= ==Solid Axle== ===Leaf Spring=== Leaf spring Rear Suspension is much like it is for the front minus the steering linkage and knuckles. Two leaves evenly spaced off center which attach at their ends to the body both at the front and back are then attached ===4 Link=== Two straight lower control arms and two opposingly angeled upper control arms hold the rear end in place horizontally while allowing it to move vertically. This setup allows for the use of coilovers or coil springs and shocks. One disadvantage to this setup is due to the opposingly angled upper control arms binding can occur at the exremes of the axel movement ===3 Link=== 3 Link suspension is a design of rear suspension which has 3 control arms on a solid rear axle connecting it to the body. The two bottom links remain in the their typical location while the top 3rd link is attached to the top of the rear end perfectly center. It is said this type of setup achieves the best handling as the rear end is allowed to tilt from side to side with the roadway, while the rear end is kept centered. This setup must utilize either a panhard bar or watts link for centering the rear axle. The one main disadvantage of this setup is when retrofitting it on old cars the back seat may have to be removed entirly to allow the 3rd control arm to be attached to the body optimally. Coil springs and shocks are used in this setup or a coilover setup can be used ===Ladder Bar=== ===Torque Arm=== A torque arm setup utilizes 2 lower control arms while having a unique arm which attaches near the ceneter of the rear end near the pinion. This third torque arm extends all the way to the transmission tailshaft or crossmember. It can use either coil overs or a coil spring and shock setup. Also this setup like the 3 link requires either a panhard bar or watts link for centering the rear axle. This system is known to be a good handling performer however during lauches the flexing of the tourque arm can change pinion angle undesirably. On solution to this problem is to buy a sturdier aftermarket torque arm. ==Solid Axle Centering Devices== ===Panhard Bar=== A Panhard bar is a diagonal connection between a connection point on a cars body and the opposite end of a solid rear axle. Both connection points are allowed to pivot allowing the vehicles rear axle to move up and down while limiting side to side motion. The primary disadvantage of this system is the small amount of arc that is inhearant when the bar swivels around either pivot point. ===Watts Link=== A watts link obtains centering of a rear differential through 2 rods attached to a plate which pivots on the center of the rear axel. This setup allows up and down motion of the rear end through the rotation of the steel plate while the bars attaching to opposite sides of the rotating plate prevent the rear end from moving side to side as they oppose each others motion ==Traction Devices== ===Traction Bars=== ==Independant Rear Suspension== =Spring Types= ==Coil Spring== A large coil type spring which sits in perches on both the suspension components and the body. These types of springs act like any small coil spring and can have varying spring rates through the use of different treatments ==Leaf Spring== Curved steel "leaves" are packed together to achieve one unified pack of curved leaves which resists being bent further or straightened. With the weight of the vehicle on them this resistance to being straightened is what supports the vehicle and keeps the wheels on the ground when going over bumps. ==Coilover== A coil spring and shock absorber combined in one unit, often made adjustable to allow suspension fine tuning. ==Torsion Bar==
|
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Personal tools
Log in / create account
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
Actions
Search
Navigation
Main Page
Recent changes
Random page
Help
All articles
Start a new article
Hotrodders forum
Categories
Best articles
Body and exterior
Brakes
Cooling
Electrical
Engine
Fasteners
Frame
Garage and shop
General hotrodding
Identification and decoding
Interior
Rearend
Safety
Steering
Suspension
Tires
Tools
Transmission
Troubleshooting
Wheels
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Terms of Use
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Choices
Manage Consent