Suspension Design: Types of Suspensions

[igor@af]

SUMMARY: <span style="FONT-SIZE:12pt; FONT-FAMILY:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>This article will provide a basic overview of just about all of the different types of front suspensions that have been used on production and racing vehicles since the inception of the automobile.<span>&nbsp; </span>While some of the older styles are obsolete it is still important to learn about them because it provides valuable insight into why the cutting edge suspensions of today perform so much better.&nbsp; </font>
<p class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt"><strong><font size=2><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Part 1 of 2 (<span style="FONT-SIZE:12pt; FONT-FAMILY:'Times New Roman'">Front Suspension)</span></font></font></strong></span></p>

View full article

What do you think about this story? Post your comments below.

[J2X]

Excellent articles on front and rear suspensions!
What is your assessment of an independent rear suspension with inboard Wilwood brakes. The unit has a lower A-arm, a vertical strut with coil-over shocks, but their is no upper A-arm. This means that the universal joint connected to the wheel acts as one of the supports. If this U-joint fails, the wheel will tip in at the top and you have a major problem on your hands.

Is there a way to prevent this from happening? See the Kugel and Heidt' IRS to see what I mean.