Webinar Part1 PDF

Kinematic Webinar
Part 1
“Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will

move the Earth"
- Archimedes
shivam.popli021991@gmail.com
Introduction
OptimumG – Vehicle Dynamics Solutions 2 Licensed to: shivam.popli021991@gmail.com

Agenda
• Kinematic definitions
– 20 important parameters
• What does kinematics affect?

– Performance
– Driver feel
– Tires
– Compliances
• How to design a suspension from scratch?
• Case Study: Formula Ford!

Chassis Movements
Heave:
Due to: Bumps, downforce, changed mass
Roll Pitch:
Due to: Braking/accelerating, downforce, changed mass,
grade
Roll:
Due to: Lateral acceleration (cornering), banking
Steer:
Steer Steer Due to: Driver input, heave, pitch, roll
Pitch
Heave
Up: (droop/rebound)
OptimumG – Vehicle Dynamics Solutions 4 Licensed to: shivam.popli021991@gmail.com Down: (bump/compression)
Wheelbase and Track
Rear Track
Front Track
Wheelbase

Camber
Negative Camber Angle Negative Camber Angle
Static camber:
- What is measured on the car when it is sitting on the setup pad.
Dynamic camber:
- What the actual camber angle between tire and ground is out on the track.
- Changes constantly on track due to chassis movements and compliance.
- Kinematics plays a big role in controlling the dynamic camber.
Camber
The camber will change constantly as the car is

driving. The goal is to have the tire positioned
so that the tires can generate as much grip as
possible in the desired direction.
Camber changes with:

Heave, roll, pitch, steer

Camber / Inclination Angle
When dealing with tire models, we do not talk about “Camber” but about “Inclination Angle”
Inclination Angle sign depends on the used convention.

Toe
Toe IN Toe OUT

Caster Angle / Caster Trail
The red line is the axis around which the wheel is steered.
Caster Angle
Caster Trail
Caster Trail is also called “Mechanical Trail”.

KPI Angle / Trail
The red line is the axis around which the wheel is steered.
KPI Angle KPI Angle
KPI Trail KPI Trail
KPI Angle KPI Angle
KPI Trail KPI Trail

OptimumG – Vehicle Dynamics Solutions 11 KPI is short for “King Pin Inclination”.
Licensed to: shivam.popli021991@gmail.com
Virtual Swing Arm Length
Front
FVSAL : Front Virtual Swing Arm Length – Front Left Wheel

Virtual Swing Arm Length
Side
SVSAL : Side Virtual Swing Arm Length – Rear Left Wheel

Instant Center
Instant Center (IC)
- The “hinge” around which one corner of the wheel rotates.

Roll Center
Double A Arm
SAE defines roll center as: The point in the transverse vertical plane through any pair of wheel
centers at which lateral forces may be applied to the sprung mass without producing
suspension roll.
We can think of it as the “hinge” around which the chassis rotates. This is a simplification of
reality, but is still valid for basic calculations.
Roll center/Instant centers determine how much of the weight transfer is reacted through the
springs and how much is reacted through the

Roll Center
Double A-Arm
Two ways to have the roll center at the same height.
Wheel instant center inboard of wheels.
Roll Center @ 50mm high

Roll Center
Double A-Arm
Two ways to have the roll center at the same height.
Wheel instant center outboard of wheels
Roll Center @ 50mm high

Roll Center
McPherson
In the case of a McPherson suspension, what was the upper A-Arm plan is now a plane
normal to the damper passing through its upper pickup point.

Pitch Center

Pitch Center

Anti-Dive
IC
Inline Weight Transfer

Forces are applied at the front tire contact patch center if brakes are
outboard (in the wheel/upright).

Anti-Dive
IC
B
A
Anti-Dive (%) = %Front Brake Force* Tan A / Tan B
tan 𝐴 = 𝑆𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑉𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑆𝐴𝐿 𝑆𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑉𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑆𝐴𝐿
tan 𝐵 = 𝐶𝐺𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑊𝑕𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒

Anti-Squat (solid axle)
IC B
Anti-Squat [%] = 100 x Tan A / Tan B

Angle A = Fn. (Instant suspension geometry, wheel radius)
Angle B = Fn. (Inline Weight Transfer)
Forces would be applied at the tire contact patch center in case of a solid axle.
Considerations about pitch, suspension deflection and strain gauges are similar to the
ones made for Anti-Lift.

Ackermann
Inside wheel turning more Outside wheel turning
than the outside one more than the inside one
Pro Ackermann Anti-Ackermann

Pro Ackermann Geometry

Anti Ackermann Geometry

Motion Ratio
The motion ratio of a mechanism is the ratio of the displacement between
two elements of the system.
D = 100 mm
d = D/2 = 50 mm

Motion Ratio
The motion ratio of a mechanism is the ratio of the displacement between
two elements of the system.
𝑊𝑕𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐻 𝐻
𝑀𝑅𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 = = =
𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑕 𝑕2 − 𝑕1
h1 h2
H
What does kinematics affect?
• Performance
• Driver feeling
• Tire wear
• Durability/strength

Kinematics – Performance
Slip Angle
 - Slip Angle
Lateral “Grip”

The shape of this curve depends on:

Vertical force, slip angle, slip ratio, camber angle (and much else)
Vertical force  MR, Roll Center

Slip angle  Toe, ackermann, steering
Camber angle  IC center location
Kinematics matter!
Toe Angle - Slip Angle
Rear Toe IN
Creates a “Pre-load” on rear tires and increases the stability at corner entry.
Bump Steer
Bump Steer is a toe variation.
Rear Right wheel front view
No motion Heave down

Bump Steer
Bump Steer is a toe variation.
Rear Right wheel top view
No motion Heave down

Bump Steer
To avoid bump steer, both the A-Arms and the tie rod need to have the same instant
center and the same trajectory at any moment!
Trajectory
Instant center

Bump Steer
Tie Rod attached to the chassis
If the tie rod has the same instant center and trajectory as the upper and lower A-Arms then,
there is no bump steer.
//
In this example, the upper and lower A-Arms are parallel.

Bump Steer
Tie Rod attached to the chassis
Now if we raise the inboard tie rod pickup point (attached to the chassis) by only 10mm,
the tie rod’s instant center is not anymore the one of the upper and lower A-Arms!
//
For 10mm we went from no bump steer to almost 1.2deg of bump steer over 60mm of
heave down.
Bump Steer
Tie Rod attached to the upper A-Arm
If the tie rod is attached to the upper A-Arm, the tie rod become the upper A-Arm
//

Camber Change

Camber Change in roll
Motion: 3deg of Roll
RC Height: 100 mm
FVSAL: 10 000 mm
Camber change: 2.832 deg
RC Height: 100 mm
FVSAL: 700 mm

Camber Change in roll
Camber = 1.8deg Camber = -3.8deg
FZ = 8 000N FZ = 2 000N
FVSAL: 10 000 mm
FY Total = 15 617N
FY = 10 929N FY = 4 688N
Camber = -0.75deg Camber = -1.25deg

FZ = 8 000N FZ = 2 000N
FVSAL: 700 mm
FY Total = 16 344
FY = 12 081N FY = 4 263N
Camber Change
Motion: 80mm of Heave (down)
RC Height: 100 mm
FVSAL: 10 0000 mm
RC Height: 100 mm
FVSAL: 700 mm

Camber Change in heave
FZ = 7 000N FZ = 7 000N
FVSAL: 10 000 mm
FX Total = 18 858N
FX = 9 429N FX = 9 429N

FZ = 7 000N FZ = 7 000N
FVSAL: 700 mm
FX Total = 17 668N
FX = 8 834N FX = 8 834N
Wheelbase - Track
Weight Transfer
𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 × 𝑔 × 𝐶𝐺𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑕𝑡 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 =
𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡𝑕

Wheelbase - Track
Weight Transfer
𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 × 𝑔 × 𝐶𝐺𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑕𝑡 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 =
𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡𝑕
1300mm 2000mm
At equivalent CG height and lateral acceleration, there is 54% more weight transfer on a Go Kart!
Wheelbase - Track

Wheelbase - Track
Inertia
Inertia Stability
Response
Response
Inertia
Stability
Kinematics – Driver Feel
Steering torque
In Corner
Contact patch
Lateral tire force

Steering torque

Steering torque
Under Braking
Front View

Steering torque
Under Braking
Front View

Kinematics - Tire
Front View IC Vertical location
Bigger Vertical VSAL creates bigger

track and camber variation
IC
IC
Vertical component of the

Front view Virtual Swing Arm Length

Kinematics - Tire
Front View IC Lateral location
Bigger Lateral VSAL induced lower

track and camber variation.
IC
Horizontal Component of the Front View Virtual Swing Arm Length
IC

Kinematics – Tire
Roll Center 200mm

12.691mm
2.276mm Roll Center 0mm
- Large track width changes can help increase tire temperature (and wear).
- High RC also increases Geometric WT which helps build tire temperature (Webinar 3)
Kinematics – Tire
Wear

Kinematics – Durability/Strength
Compliances

Kinematics – Durability/Strength
Compliances

Designing from scratch
Rocker Axis
Wheelbase
Spring/Damper
F/R Track
ARB Position
Steering Caster
Rack Angle
Position KPI Angle
Inboard Outboard
Toe Link Pickup
Position points
Pitch
Ackermann
Center
Bump Steer
SVSAL
F/R Roll Outboard

Center Toe Link
F/R VSAL Position
Designing a Suspension
Wheelbase - Track
• Regulation : Minimum and maximum length?

• Race Track Style : High/Low speed?, Slalom?
• Inertia : More stability or more response?

Designing a Suspension
Suspension Type
?
?
McPherson Double A-Arm
Simple to design/manufacture Stiffer

Cheaper Less Inertia
Packaging Flexible Camber, Caster, FSAL Setup…
More Inertia More complex to design/manufacture
Worse compliance Packaging
Limited Camber/Caster setting
Constrained camber variation
Double A-Arm
Inertia
𝐼𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠 = 4 × 3[𝑘𝑔] × 1.3 2 [𝑚]

= 20.3 [𝑘𝑔. 𝑚2 ]

McPherson
Inertia
𝐼𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠 = 4 × 3[𝑘𝑔] × 1.612 2 [𝑚]

= 31.2 [𝑘𝑔. 𝑚2 ]
54% more inertia!
In this example, we assumed the damper’s weight to be

the same for a pushrod or McPherson actuation. The
McPherson damper are generally heavier!

Caster Torque
Steering Torque
In Corner
Inner Outer
Max FY 500N 2800N
Max MZ* 5Nm 35Nm
𝑇𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒 + 𝑇𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 × 𝑀𝑒𝑐𝑕𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙

𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒 = × 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙
𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝐴𝑟𝑚 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙
Mechanical Trail 0 mm 5 mm 10 mm
Steering Torque 12.5 Nm 17.7 Nm 22.8 Nm
By experience the steering torque should not exceed 15 Nm! Power steering can help this.
OptimumG – Vehicle Dynamics Solutions 63 *: Tire self aligning torque

Licensed to: shivam.popli021991@gmail.com
Caster – KPI
Camber Change
Positive Steering Angle
Camber var. in steering = KPI Angle x (1-cos(Steering angle))- Caster angle x Sin (steering angle)
KPI Angle [deg] 6.00 9.00 12.00
Caster Angle [deg]
6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00
Steering Angle [deg]
-20.00 2.41 3.10 3.78 4.47 5.15 2.59 3.28 3.96 4.65 5.33 2.78 3.46 4.14 4.83 5.51
-18.00 2.15 2.77 3.38 4.00 4.62 2.29 2.91 3.53 4.15 4.77 2.44 3.06 3.68 4.30 4.91
-16.00 1.89 2.44 2.99 3.54 4.09 2.00 2.55 3.11 3.66 4.21 2.12 2.67 3.22 3.77 4.32
-14.00 1.63 2.11 2.60 3.08 3.57 1.72 2.20 2.69 3.17 3.65 1.81 2.29 2.78 3.26 3.74
Inside
-12.00 1.38 1.79 2.21 2.63 3.04 1.44 1.86 2.28 2.69 3.11 1.51 1.93 2.34 2.76 3.17
-10.00 1.13 1.48 1.83 2.17 2.52 1.18 1.53 1.87 2.22 2.57 1.22 1.57 1.92 2.27 2.61
-8.00 0.89 1.17 1.45 1.73 2.01 0.92 1.20 1.48 1.76 2.04 0.95 1.23 1.51 1.79 2.07
-6.00 0.66 0.87 1.08 1.29 1.50 0.68 0.89 1.09 1.30 1.51 0.69 0.90 1.11 1.32 1.53
-4.00 0.43 0.57 0.71 0.85 0.99 0.44 0.58 0.72 0.86 1.00 0.45 0.59 0.73 0.87 1.01
-2.00 0.21 0.28 0.35 0.42 0.49 0.21 0.28 0.35 0.42 0.49 0.22 0.29 0.36 0.43 0.50
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
2.00 -0.21 -0.28 -0.35 -0.42 -0.48 -0.20 -0.27 -0.34 -0.41 -0.48 -0.20 -0.27 -0.34 -0.41 -0.48
4.00 -0.40 -0.54 -0.68 -0.82 -0.96 -0.40 -0.54 -0.68 -0.82 -0.95 -0.39 -0.53 -0.67 -0.81 -0.95
6.00 -0.59 -0.80 -1.01 -1.22 -1.43 -0.58 -0.79 -1.00 -1.21 -1.41 -0.56 -0.77 -0.98 -1.19 -1.40
8.00 -0.78 -1.05 -1.33 -1.61 -1.89 -0.75 -1.03 -1.30 -1.58 -1.86 -0.72 -1.00 -1.27 -1.55 -1.83
Outside
10.00 -0.95 -1.30 -1.65 -1.99 -2.34 -0.91 -1.25 -1.60 -1.95 -2.29 -0.86 -1.21 -1.55 -1.90 -2.25
12.00 -1.12 -1.53 -1.95 -2.36 -2.78 -1.05 -1.47 -1.88 -2.30 -2.71 -0.99 -1.40 -1.82 -2.23 -2.65
14.00 -1.27 -1.76 -2.24 -2.72 -3.21 -1.18 -1.67 -2.15 -2.64 -3.12 -1.10 -1.58 -2.06 -2.55 -3.03
16.00 -1.42 -1.97 -2.52 -3.08 -3.63 -1.31 -1.86 -2.41 -2.96 -3.51 -1.19 -1.74 -2.29 -2.84 -3.39
18.00 -1.56 -2.18 -2.80 -3.41 -4.03 -1.41 -2.03 -2.65 -3.27 -3.89 -1.27 -1.88 -2.50 -3.12 -3.74
20.00 -1.69 -2.37 -3.06 -3.74 -4.43 -1.51 -2.19 -2.88 -3.56 -4.25 -1.33 -2.01 -2.70 -3.38 -4.06

Wheel – Brake
Packaging
Brake cooling perspective

Steering Rack
Steering Ratio
Wheelbase
Corner Radius
𝑊𝑕𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒
𝛿 = atan( )
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠
Caution: This will underestimate the steering you need. But it gives you a first idea!
Actuation
Direct
Simple.
More Inertia, more NSM.
Aero drag
Hard to achieve high MR

Actuation
Pull Rod
Lower CG, lower inertia, less NSM.
Reliable, a rod is always stronger

in tension than in compression
(Buckling).
Reduce the non suspended mass.
Difficult to reach dampers/springs

Actuation
Pushrod
Lower inertia, less NSM.
High CG than pullrod

Actuation
In Line
Pushrod/Rocker/damper remain in the

same plane, good for high amplitudes.
Less compliance (Damper push each

other in the opposite direction)
Actuation
Mono
Less mass, less inertia
Cheaper
Roll damping difficult (but not impossible)

Bump Steer
Rear Axle Bump Steer Z = +10mm
Response
Z = Baseline
Stability
Z = -10mm
Droop Bump

Bump Steer
Rear Axle Bump Steer Y= +122mm
Response
Y = Baseline
Stability
Y = -183mm
Power Braking

Bump Steer
Rear tie rod inboard pickup point
Up
Braking U/S
Power O/S
Power U/S Power O/S

Outboard Baseline Inboard
Braking U/S Braking O/S
Braking O/S
Power U/S
Down
Roll Center
Migration in Roll
This will affect how the weight transfer takes place during cornering
This will change how the weight transfer happens as the car is rolling
Roll Center
Migration in Heave
This will affect how the weight transfer takes place during cornering
Keeping the distance between RC and CG constant is desirable
Roll Center
Migration
FVSAL = 930mm ; RC = 30mm
RC

Roll Center
Migration
For 3 deg of roll
RC
• The roll center moves a lot!
• The roll center migrate toward the inside, which stiffen the inner wheel and soften
the outer one.

Roll Center
Migration
FVSAL = 930mm ; RC = 30mm
200mm 200mm
RC

Roll Center
Migration
For 3 deg of roll
RC
• The roll center is more stable.
•The roll center migrate toward the inside, which soften the inner wheel and stiffen the
outer one

Adjustability
Anti Roll Bar
Stiff 3 pickups point position that adjust

Medium the ARB motion ratio.
Soft
Stiff
Soft “Blade type arb” that adjust the

stiffness by modifying the inertia.

Adjustability
Anti Roll Bar
“Continuous” adjustment
of the ARB motion ratio.

Adjustability
Roll Center
The ball joint can move up or down

within the bracket, by moving/changing
the spacers.
Control arm adjustment

Adjustability
Roll Center
Inboard pickup points

can adjusted up and
down.

Adjustability
Camber
Changing one of the A-Arm length by

moving the ball joint.
Spacer thickness.

Adjustability
Ackermann
Different pickup points

on the pitman arm

Adjustability
Recommendations:
- Adjustability will increase design/manufacturing complexity of components
- Adjustability will reduce stiffness/increase weight of suspension components
- Adjustability increases the risk of setup mistakes (5x5x5x5x2 = 1250)
+ Adjustability allow you to improve/develop setup on-track
 Understand which parameters that are the most important

 Understand how to
 If possible, de-couple the adjustments to make it easier/quicker to work with

Let’s built a Formula Ford!

Regulation - Track
Regulation Eurocup tracks
Overall max width 1900mm Brands GP, UK
Minimum Wheelbase 2700mm SPA Francorchamps, Belgium
Minimum Track 1200mm Zandvoort Masters, Netherland
Nurgurgring GP, Germany

Track Analysis in OptimumLap
Modelling of the Formula Ford on SPA, Nurburgring and Brand Hatch give us an idea of
the average speed.
SPA Francorchamps
Nurburgring
Brands Hatch

Wheelbase - Track
1500mm
1500mm
1200mm
1800mm
1200mm
1800mm
The season’s tracks are big with medium average speed but still some low speed corners.
We would need higher inertia for stability in the high speed corners, but low inertia for
agility in the hairpins.
Making the car wider means a larger frontal area which increases drag. The Formula Ford is
underpowered, so it would be good to reduce drag to maximize top speed.
Suspension/Actuation Type
McPherson
This option is really not appropriate for single seat car especially with narrow body as
for a Formula Ford.

Direct
This option with double A-Arms is way more competitive but the damper are directly in
the air flow. This would increase the drag too much, it could also reduce the airflow
through the side pods, which in turn would require a larger radiator.

Pushrod
This option offers less inertia and reduces the non suspended mass.
It also allows us to cover the dampers by the body and reduce the drag.

Pullrod
This last option is even better than the previous one since it lower the center of gravity.
For this reason, this is the suspension we are going to choose for the front axle.
The pushrod solution will fit the rear axle.

Front Caster Angle - Trail
• Caster Angle : 0deg

0deg • Caster Trail : 0mm
• Steering Torque : 5N.m
0mm
With no caster, we would not take advantage of the camber gain in in steering.

13mm
With 8deg/13mm we would have too much steering torque and we do not want to
add power steering which would consume engine power and add weight

6mm
5deg/6mm for a steering torque of 10N.mm is a good compromise.

Rear Caster Angle - Trail

13mm
Since the rear axle does not steer (we hope so), caster angle doesn’t help us to generate
dynamic camber. Caster trail will increase forces in the suspension components, which will
increase compliance, so we don’t want any caster trail.
Rear Caster Angle - Trail

0mm
For this reason we choose no caster angle and no trail. Note: Most important is caster
trail!
OptimumG – Vehicle Dynamics Solutions 100 Licensed to:shivam.popli021991@gmail.com
Front KPI Angle - Trail
KPI Angle 0deg

KPI Trail 0mm
KPI Angle 6deg

KPI Trail 3mm
KPI Angle 12deg

KPI Trail 6mm

Left Turn Inner

KPI 12deg
KPI 6deg Wheel
KPI 0deg
KPI 12deg
KPI 6deg Outer
KPI 0deg Wheel
Advantage of the caster angle is that it tends to create positive camber on the inside.
With 12deg of KPI we cancel the negative camber on the inside and gain 0.9deg on the
outside.
KPI Angle: 12deg

KPI Trail: -12mm
Front View
The KPI trail give an information about the right/left grip to the driver (bumps/one wheel
locking)
With a negative KPI trail/Scrub radius like this, the steering wheel would want to turn to
the side in with a lack of grip. This is counter-intuitive for the driver and not desirable.

KPI Angle: 12deg

KPI Trail: +10mm
Front View
Now the steering feedback would make more sense.
The KPI trail has be just big enough to give the feedback to the driver.
Too big the driver would struggle to handle it.
Too small he would not feel it.
As we did for the caster on the rear, we do not want rear KPI trail to avoid compliances.
Ackermann
1 2
Pro Ackermann Anti Ackermann
In the theory Ackermann is used to maximize the cornering force:
For some tires, the optimum slip angle (Peak Fy) decreases as the vertical load increase (Case
1), and in some other cases it is the contrary (Case 2).
In case 1 you need Pro Ackermann, in case 2 you need Anti Ackermann.
If you do not have tire data, you need to keep adjustable. Pro-Ackermann by far the most
common.
Ackermann
++ Anti Ackermann
+ Anti Ackermann
Pitman
arm
Pitman arm
The Ackermann sign and amount

is mainly a function of the pitman
+ Pro Ackermann arm angle.
++ Pro Ackermann
Roll Center
Roll Center Height Front : 120mm Roll Center Height Rear : 75mm
Typically, the front RC should be lower than the rear. Why?
Higher roll center means faster weight transfer (geometric weight transfer) (Webinar 3)
More weight transfer on an axle means less total grip on that axle.
If the front has more grip than the rear, it will help to turn the car into the corner.
Roll Center
This is a better, with the front RC being lower than the rear.
However with 120mm and 175mm it is probably too high. A large part of the weight
transfer will be geometric (go through the control arms).
It will make the car very reactive and probably too difficult to control for the driver. It
will also the springs, dampers, and anti roll bars less powerful adjustment tools
Roll Center
Now we have a correct overall altitude and slope.
We should consider making the roll center adjustable in at least 3 steps on the front
and the rear.

Roll Center - Heave
In this example, the front and rear roll center vertical migration in heave is asymmetric.
This would change the balance in heave, which could make it difficult to drive!
Although, it could be desirable on an aero car!
Roll Center - Heave
In this example, the front and rear roll center migration almost have the same slope so the
balance in heave is constant  That’s what we want!

Pitch Center
For the pitch, its longitudinal position should be close to the middle of he wheelbase in order
to keep a good control on both front and rear axle.
The height of the PC will determine the amount of anti-effects you will have. Generally, you
want to avoid running more than 30% of any anti-effect.
FVSAL
With the FVSAL we mainly control the camber gain in heave and roll.
If we assume our car will roll 1.1 deg (discussed in Webinar 3), we can calculate how
much camber we will have.
With a long FVSAL, we have only 0.35deg of camber change in heave and 1deg in roll.
However our series run on permanent track, which means low bumpiness. In this case we
should focus on camber change in roll.
Front & Rear FSAL = 13 000mm

Roll Heave
Camber change = 1deg Camber change = 0.35deg

FVSAL
Now we dramatically reduced the FVSAL to 1300 we have only 0.5deg of camber change
in roll but we also have 2.75 of camber change in heave which is way too much!

Roll Heave
Camber change = 2.75deg
Camber change = 0.5deg

FVSAL
With a FVSAL of 3000mm we have a good compromise between the camber change in
roll and in heave.

Roll Heave
Camber change = 0.8deg Camber change = 1.2deg

Steering
Ratio
The steering ratio is the

amount of steering you
have at the wheel for
the amount of steering
you have at the steering
wheel.
Steering ratio: [deg/deg]

Steering
Ratio ϴ1
ϴ2
The steering ratio mainly depends on:

• The steering rack ratio
• The Pitman arm length
d1
d1
Pitman arm length
Steering rack ratio

[mm/revolution]

Steering
The tightest corner during the

season is “La Source” in Spa.
20m for 2cm

Normal trajectory radius 3.2cm  32m
Overtaking trajectory Radius 2.5cm  25m

Steering
From the inboard cam

of Nico Rosberg driving
at “La Source” in 2011,
we can see that the
steered angle is about
120 deg, more would
be too uncomfortable.
According to our basic formula, the steering angle at the wheels should be at least:
Atan(2.7/27) = 6.2 deg Let’s take 7 deg for a margin.
To achieve 7 deg of steering @ the wheel while having 120 deg at the steering wheel, the
steering ratio should be : 120/7 = 17.2 or less!
Actuation
In this example rockers are not in the plan of the pullrod and the damper.
This configuration would create compliance by bending the rocker axis and hysteresis in
the motion ratio.

Actuation
In this example dampers are not in the plan of the pullrod and the rocker.
This configuration would also bend the rocker axis and create hysteresis and non-linearity
of the motion ratio.

Actuation
To minimize the compliances, you need to have Pullrod-Rocker-Damper in the same plan!

Motion Ratio
We also want the MR to be as constant
as possible.
For this case we have the front

suspension that go softer in bump and
the rear that goes stiffer in bump.
To tend toward a linear motion ratio,

we should have a rocker with a 90deg
angle for (Pushrod, Pivot, Damper).
The more rotation of the rocker, the

more non-linearity we will have.

Motion Ratio
Now the motion ratio are more
constant.
The relationship between available

damper travel and desired suspension
travel will dictate your MR.
In order to decrease the motion ratio,

we need to increase the length of the
red edge and/or decrease the length of
the blue edge.

Motion Ratio
Now we have constant motion ratios of 0.8 on front and 0.9 on rear.
Anti-roll bar and 3rd springs MRs are defined the same way.
Refine the Loop
Rocker Axis
Wheelbase
Spring/Damper
F/R Track
ARB Position
Steering Caster
Rack Angle
Position KPI Angle
Inboard Outboard
Toe Link Pickup
Position points
Pitch
Ackermann
Center
Bump Steer
SVSAL
F/R Roll Outboard

Center Toe Link
F/R VSAL Position
Summary
Front Rear
Wheelbase 2750mm
Track 1500mm 1500mm
Actuation Pullrod Pushrod
Caster Angle 5deg 0deg
Caster Trail 6mm 0mm
KPI angle 12deg 8deg
KPI Trail 10mm 0mm
Ackermann 0% (Adjustable)
RC 50mm 75mm
FVSAL 3000mm 300mm
Steering Ratio 17.2
Damper Motion Ratio 0.8 0.9
ARB Motion Ratio 0.3 0.4

Summary
• Kinematics influence performance, driver feeling and reliability.
• You can not have an optimum suspension at first try.

– You need to understand the performance of your current suspension
– You need to make your suspension adjustable
– It is an iterative process
• Designing and setting up kinematics is about making the best

compromises

Thank you!
• Next webinar is on Thursday same time (46 hours from now!)
• Make sure to do the online exercise before the next webinar:

http://www.optimumg.com/kinematics-webinar-pt-1-exercise/
• Any questions, please feel free to contact me:

henning.olsson@optimumg.com

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Kinematic Webinar

“Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will

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• What does kinematics affect?

• How to design a suspension from scratch?

• Case Study: Formula Ford!

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The camber will change constantly as the car is

Camber changes with:

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Caster Trail is also called “Mechanical Trail”.

KPI Angle KPI Angle

KPI Trail KPI Trail

KPI Angle KPI Angle

KPI Trail KPI Trail

FVSAL : Front Virtual Swing Arm Length – Front Left Wheel

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SVSAL : Side Virtual Swing Arm Length – Rear Left Wheel

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Instant Center (IC)

- The “hinge” around which one corner of the wheel rotates.

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Two ways to have the roll center at the same height.

Wheel instant center inboard of wheels.

Roll Center @ 50mm high

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Two ways to have the roll center at the same height.

Wheel instant center outboard of wheels

Roll Center @ 50mm high

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Inline Weight Transfer

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Anti-Dive (%) = %Front Brake Force* Tan A / Tan B

tan 𝐵 = 𝐶𝐺𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑊𝑕𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒

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Anti-Squat [%] = 100 x Tan A / Tan B

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Pro Ackermann Anti-Ackermann

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The shape of this curve depends on:

Vertical force  MR, Roll Center

Rear Right wheel front view

No motion Heave down

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Rear Right wheel top view