AutomotiveSuspension

Systems

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Thepurposeofthesuspensionistoprovide
thevehiclewiththefollowing:
1.Asmoothride
2.Accuratesteering
3.Responsivehandling
4.Supporttheweightofavehicle
5.Maintainacceptabletirewear

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

FRAMECONSTRUCTION
Theframeofavehiclesupportsalltherunning
gearofthevehicle,includingtheengine,
transmission,rearaxleassembly(ifrearwheel
drive),andallsuspensioncomponents.
Therearemanytermsusedtolabelordescribethe
frameofavehicle,includingthefollowing.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

LadderFrame

Aladderframeisacommonnameforatypeofperimeterframewherethe
transverse(lateral)connectingmembersarestraightacross.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

PerimeterFrame

Aperimeterframeconsistsofweldedor
rivetedframemembersaroundtheentire
perimeterofthebody.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

StubTypeFrames
Astubframeisapartialframeoftenusedonunitbodyvehiclestosupportthe
powertrainandsuspensioncomponents.Itisalsocalledacradleonmanyfront
wheeldrivevehicles.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

UnitBodyConstruction
Unitbodyconstruction(sometimescalledunibody)isadesignthatcombinesthe
bodywiththestructureoftheframe.Thebodysupportstheengineanddriveline
components,aswellasthesuspensionandsteeringcomponents.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Theareaseparatingtheengine
compartmentfromthepassenger
compartmentiscalledthebulkhead.The
heightandlocationofthisbulkheadpanel
toalargedegreedeterminestheshapeof
therestofthevehicle.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Thetrackofavehicleisthedistancebetweenthe
wheels,asviewedfromthefrontorrear.Awide
trackvehicleisavehiclewithawidewheelstance;
thisincreasesthestabilityofthevehicle,especially
whencornering.
Thewheelbaseofavehicleisthedistancebetween
thecenterofthefrontwheelandthecenterofthe
rearwheel,asviewedfromtheside.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

UNSPRUNGWEIGHT
Asuspensionsystemhastobedesignedtoallowthewheels
tomoveupanddownquicklyoverbumpsanddipswithout
affectingtheentireweightofthecarortruck.Thisweight
iscalledunsprungweight.Forbesthandlingandride,the
unsprungweightshouldbekeptaslowaspossible.
Sprungweightisthetermusedtoidentifytheweight
ofthecarortruck,whichdoesnotmoveupanddownand
issupportedorsprungbythesuspension.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

TYPESOFSUSPENSIONS
Earlysuspensionsystemsonoldhorsewagons,buggies,andoldervehiclesuseda
solidaxleforfrontandrearwheels.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Mostvehiclestodayuseaseparatecontrolarmtypeofsuspensionforeachfront
wheelwhichallowsformovementofonefrontwheelwithoutaffectingtheother
frontwheel.Thistypeofsuspensioniscalledindependentfrontsuspension.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Springs
Asuspensionspringservestwopurposes.First,it
actsasabufferbetweenthesuspensionandframeto
absorbverticalwheelandsuspensionmovement
withoutpassingitontotheframe.Second,each
springtransferspartofthevehicleweighttothe
suspensioncomponentitrestson,whichtransfersit
tothewheels.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SpringMaterials.Mostspringsare
madeofatemperedsteelalloyknownas
springsteel,usuallychromesiliconor
chromevanadiumalloy.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

COILSPRINGS
Coilspringsaremadeofspecialroundspringsteel
wrappedinahelixshape.Thestrengthandhandling
characteristicsofacoilspringdependonthe
following.
1.Coildiameter
2.Numberofcoils
3.Heightofspring
4.Diameterofthesteelcoilthatformsthespring

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Thelargerthediameterofthesteel,the
stifferthespring.
Theshortertheheightofthespring,
thestifferthespring.
Thefewerthecoils,thestifferthe
spring.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Springsaredesignedtoprovidedesiredrideandhandlingandcomeinavarietyof
springends.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SpringRate
Springrate,alsocalleddeflectionrate,
isavaluethatreflectshowmuchweight
ittakestocompressaspringacertain
amount.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Aconstantratespringcontinuestocompressatthesameratethroughoutits
completerangeofdeflection.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Avariableratespringmaycompressoneinchundera100poundload,butonly
compressanadditionalhalfaninchundera200poundload.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Beforeaspringisinstalledonavehicleoranyloadisplacedonit,itisatits
uncompressedlength,orfreelength.Onceinstalled,theweightofthecornerof
thevehiclerestingonthespringiscalleditsstaticload.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

CoilSpringMounting
Coilspringsareusuallyinstalledinaspringpocketorspringseat.Hardrubber
orplasticcushionsorinsulatorsareusuallymountedbetweenthecoilspringand
thespringseat.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SpringCoatings
Allspringsarepaintedorcoatedwith
epoxytohelppreventbreakage.A
scratch,nickorpitcausedbycorrosion
cancauseastressriserthatcanleadto
springfailure.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Insteadofcuttingspringstoloweravehicle,thereareseveralmethodsavailable
thatarepreferredifthevehiclemustbelowered:
1.replacementsprings
2.replacementspindles

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

LEAFSPRINGS
Leafspringsareconstructedofoneormorestripsoflong,narrowspringsteel.
Thesemetalstrips,calledleaves,areassembledwithplasticorsyntheticrubber
insulatorsbetweentheleaves,allowingfreedomofmovementduringspring
operation.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Theendsofthespringarerolledorloopedtoformeyes.Rubberbushingsare
installedintheeyesofthespringandactasnoiseandvibrationinsulators.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Theleavesareheldtogetherbyacenterbolt,alsocalledacenteringpin.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Oneendofaleafspringismountedtoahangerwithaboltandrubberbushings
directlyattachedtotheframe.Theotherendoftheleafspringisattachedtothe
framewithmovablemountinghangerscalledshackles.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Reboundorspringalignmentclipshelppreventtheleavesfromseparating
whenevertheleafspringisreboundingfromhittingabumporriseintheroadway.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Singleleafsteelsprings,calledmonoleaf,areusedonsomevehicles.Asingleor
monoleafspringisusuallytaperedtoproduceavariablespringrate.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Toprovideadditionalloadcarryingcapacity,especiallyontrucksandvans,
auxiliaryorhelperleavesarecommonlyused.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

CompositeLeafSprings
Fiberglassreinforcedepoxyplasticleaf
springshavebeenusedonproduction
vehicles.Using70%fiberglasswith30%
epoxycomposite.
Leafspringrateincreaseswhenthethickness
increases,anddecreasesasthelength
increases.
Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e
By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

TORSIONBARS
Atorsionbarisaspringwhichisalong,round,hardenedsteelbarsimilartoa
coilspringexceptforastraightbar.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Oneendisattachedtothelowercontrolarmofafrontsuspensionandtheother
endtotheframe.Whenthewheelshitabump,thebartwistsandthenuntwists.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SUSPENSIONPRINCIPLES
1.Transverse(orsidetoside)wheelsupport.
Transverselinksarealsocalledlaterallinks.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

2.Longitudinal(fronttoback)wheelsupport.
Somesuspensiondesignsuseanadditionalmembertocontrolforwardback
movement.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

STEERINGKNUCKLES
Asteeringknuckleishardtoclassifyeitheraspartofthesuspensionoraspartof
thewheel.Aknuckleservestwopurposes:
Tojointhesuspensiontothewheel
Toprovidepivotpointsbetweenthesuspensionandwheel

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

TheonlyknucklethatusesakingpinisasteeringknuckleonanIbeamortwinI
beamfrontsuspension.Thesteeringaxisistheverticalcenterofthekingpin.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

CONTROLARMS
Acontrolarmisasuspensionlinkthatconnectsaknuckleorwheelflangetothe
frame.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

BALLJOINTS
Balljointsareactuallyballandsocketjoints,similartothejointsinaperson's
shoulder.Balljointsallowthefrontwheelstomoveupanddown,aswellasside
toside(forsteering).

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Ifthecoilspringisattachedtothetopoftheuppercontrolarm,thentheupper
balljointiscarryingtheweightofthevehicleandiscalledtheloadcarryingball
joint.Thelowerballjointiscalledthenonloadcarryingorfollowerballjoint.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Ifthecoilspringisattachedtothelowercontrolarm,thenthelowerballjointis
theloadcarryingballjointandtheupperjointisthefollowerballjoint.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

BallJointDesign
Therearetwobasicdesignsofball
joints:compressionloadedand
tensionloaded.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Aballjointthatdoesnotsupportthe
weightofthevehicleandactsasa
suspensionpivotisoftencalleda
followerballjointorafrictionball
joint.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

STRUTRODS
Somevehiclesareequippedwithroundsteelrodswhichareattachedbetweenthelower
controlarmatoneendandtheframeofthevehiclewithrubberbushings,calledstrutrod
bushings,attheotherend.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Strutrodsarealsocalledtensionor
compressionrodsorsimplyTCrods.
Somevehiclemanufacturerscallthestrut
rodadragrodbecauseitwasattachedin
frontofthewheels,andthereforeacted
onthelowercontrolarmasiftodragthe
wheelsbehindtheirattachmentpoints.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Ifastrutrodhasanutonbothsidesofthebushings,thenthe
strutrodisusedtoadjustcaster.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

STABILIZERBARS
Mostcarsandtrucksareequippedwithastabilizerbaronthefrontsuspension,
whichisaround,hardenedsteelbar(usuallySAE4560or4340steel)attachedto
bothlowercontrolarmswithboltsandrubberbushingwasherscalledstabilizer
barbushings.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Astabilizerbarisalsocalledanantiswaybar(swaybar)orantirollbar(roll
bar).Astabilizerbaroperatesbytwistingthebarifonesideofthevehiclemoves
upordowninrelationtotheotherside,suchasduringcornering,hittingbumps,
ordrivingoverunevenroadsurfaces.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Stabilizerlinksconnecttheendsofthestabilizerbartothelowercontrolarm.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SHOCKABSORBERS
Shockabsorbersareusedonallconventionalsuspensionsystemstodampenand
controlthemotionofthevehicle'ssprings.Withoutshockabsorbers(dampers),
thevehiclewouldcontinuetobounceafterhittingbumps.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Themajorpurposeofanyshockorstrutisto
controlrideandhandling.Standardshock
absorbersdonotsupporttheweightofa
vehicle. Thespringssupporttheweightof
thevehicle;theshockabsorberscontrolthe
actionsandreactionsofthesprings.Shock
absorbersarealsocalleddampers.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Asawheelrollsoverabump,thewheelmovestowardthebodyandcompresses
thespring(s)ofthevehicle.Asthespringcompresses,itstoresenergy.Thespring
thenreleasesthisstoredenergy,causingthebodyofthevehicletorise(rebound).

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

ShockAbsorberOperation
Thehydraulicshockabsorberoperatesontheprincipleoffluidbeingforced
throughasmallopening(orifice).

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

GasChargedShocks
Mostshockabsorbersonnewvehiclesaregas
charged.Pressurizingtheoilinsidetheshock
absorberhelpssmooththerideoverrough
roads.Thispressurehelpspreventairpockets
fromformingintheshockabsorberoilasit
passesthroughthesmallpassagesinthe
shock.
Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e
By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Somegaschargedshockabsorbersuseasingletubethatcontainstwopistonsthat
separatethehighpressuregasfromtheworkingfluid.Singletubeshocksarealso
calledmonotubeorDeCarbonaftertheFrenchinventoroftheprincipleand
manufacturerofsuspensioncomponents.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

RemoteReservoirShocks
Remotereservoirshockabsorbersareunitsdesignedforheavydutyusethatusea
separatecontainerfortheworkingfluid.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

AirShocks/Struts
Airinflatableshockabsorbersorstruts
areusedintherearofvehiclestoprovide
propervehiclerideheightwhilecarrying
heavyloads.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Airinflatableshocksarestandardshockabsorberswithanairchamberwitha
rubberbagbuiltintothedustcover(top)oftheshock.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

AirSprings
Someelectronicallycontrolledsuspensionsystemsuseairsprings.Abasicair
springconsistsofarubberairchamber,generallyclosedatthebottombyapiston
fittedintoacontrolarm,orbyastrutshockabsorber.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Someairspringsareineffectauxiliary
springsinsideacoilspringstrut.Inthese
designs,thecoilspringsupportsthe
weightofthevehicle,whiletheairspring
raisesorlowersthebodytoadjustride
heightaccordingtoload.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

CoilOverShocks
Acoilovershockabsorberusestheforceofanexternalcoilspringtoboostthe
performanceofthebasicshockabsorber.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

STRUTS
Astrutisasturdyshockabsorberthatis
alsoastructuralcomponentofthe
suspension.Astrutisasuspensionlink
aswellasashockabsorber.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

MacPhersonStruts

TheMacPhersonstrut,whichisnamed
afterEarleS.MacPherson,who
developedthesuspensiondesigninthe
late1940sandpatenteditin1953,isthe
mostcommonlyusedtype.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

ModifiedStruts

UnlikeaMacPhersonunit,amodifiedstrutdoesnotincludeaspringaspartofthe
assemblyandisusedinthefrontonsomevehiclesandontherearofothers.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

BUMPSTOPS
Allsuspensionsystemshavealimit
oftravel.Ifthevehiclehitsalarge
bumpintheroad,thewheelsare
forcedupwardtowardthevehicle
withtremendousforce.
Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e
By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Insteadofallowingthemetalcomponentsofthesuspensiontohittheframeor
bodyofthevehicle,arubberorfoambumperisusedtoabsorbandisolatethe
suspensionfromtheframeorbody.
Thesebumpersarecalledbumpstops,suspensionbumpers,strikeout
bumpers,orjouncebumpers.Jouncemeansjolt.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

SUMMARY
1.Thelighterthewheel/tirecombination,thelowertheunsprungweightandthebetterthe
rideandhandlingofthevehicle.
2.Allspringsincludingthecoil,leaf,andtorsionbartypesshareHooke'sLaw,which
statesthattheforceexertedbythespringisdirectlyproportionaltotheamountthespringis
deflected.
3.Allspringsaresimilartotorsionbars.Asthetorsionbarbecomeslongerorsmallerin
diameter,itbecomeseasiertotwist.Ifacoilspringiscut,theremainingspringisshorter,yet
stiffer.
4.Balljointsattachtocontrolarmsandallowthefrontwheelstomoveupanddown,aswell
asturn.
5.Suspensiondesignsincludeastraightorsolidaxle,twocontrolarmtypecalledanSLA
oraMacPhersonstrut.
6.Allshockabsorbersdampenthemotionofthesuspensiontocontrolrideandhandling.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

REVIEWQUESTIONS
1.Listthetypesofsuspensionsandnametheircomponentparts.
3.Describethepurposeandfunctionofastabilizerbar.
3.Explainthedifferencebetweenaloadcarryingandafrictionballjoint.

Automotive Steering, Suspension, & Alignment, 4/e

By James D Halderman

2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458