Suspension Systems

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 Purpose of Suspension Systems

• isolate passengers from pot holes & bumps

• support the weight of the vehicle and its’

load

• maintain tire contact with road surface

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Suspension System Components

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 Suspension Springs

• springs sit between the frame or body and the axles

• the spring absorbs irregularities in the road surface

a) torsion bars
b
b) coil springs

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 Types of Suspension Springs

c) leaf springs
 oldest form of suspension spring
 can be multi-leaf c
 or single, fiberglass “mono-leaf”

d) air bags
 now obsolete in automotive use
 “hot rods” & custom cars often use air bags
 used on many tour buses and highway trucks & trailers
d

d
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 Control Arms
• control arms act as pivot points for the steering knuckle
• control arms or strut rods also prevent fore/aft movement of the tire during braking,
acceleration and turns
• the inner end of the control arm mounts to the frame or body
 mounted via a rubber or urethane bushing
• the other end is attached to the steering knuckle through a ball joint

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 Shock Absorbers
• shocks are dampers
• springs actually absorb shock
• shocks DO NOT support the weight of the vehicle
• without shocks, springs would compress & rebound many times
• spring oscillations are slowed by forcing hydraulic fluid through tiny passages
 this is the principle of fluid displacement

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 Gas Charged Shocks

• gas charging is not a required part of a shock absorber

• gas charging is an improvement to a conventional shock

• gas charging minimizes aeration of the hydraulic fluid

• nitrogen gas compresses the hydraulic fluid

• this prevents the oil and air from mixing and creating foam

• foam affects performance because air can be compressed - fluid cannot

• with aeration reduced, the shock is able to react faster and more predictably,
allowing for quicker response time and helping keep the tire firmly planted
on the road surface

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 Adjustable Shocks

• some aftermarket shocks can have the orifice size adjusted

• this adjusts how easily the fluid can move from one chamber to
the other
• this alters the shock’s dampening rate
• this adjustment can be done electronically or manually

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 Anti-roll Bars
• anti-roll, stabilizer or sway bars help limit body roll during cornering
 made of spring steel
• can be used on the front only, or front & rear suspension

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 Front Suspension System Types

• suspension pivot points, springs & shocks can be arranged in various

configurations…

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 Short-long arm suspension aka “double wishbone”

• uses upper & lower control arms

• used on many rear-drive domestic cars
• equal length arms would cause tires to scrub across the road

Coilover suspension

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 Twin I-Beam suspension

• rugged construction, high unsprung weight

 sprung weight: everything supported by the spring
 unsprung weight: everything below the spring
 used on many Ford trucks

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 MacPherson strut
• compact, light, low unsprung weight
• very popular suspension design
• used with unibody construction

• modified strut
 used by Ford

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 Torsion Bar suspension
• one end fixed to the frame or body structure
• other end fits into the lower control arm
• torsion bar twists with control arm movement causing control arm to return to its original
position
• ride height is adjustable – not possible on coil or leafs

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• torsion bar suspension…

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 Multi-link Suspension

• variation of the double wishbone suspension

• each arm of the wishbone can pivot independently
• helps to keep the tire tread planted on the road

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Rear Suspension System Types

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 Solid Axle Suspension
• may utilize one of the following spring arrangements…
• coil springs with control arms (figs. a & b)
 pan hard bar prevents left-to-right axle movement
 what happens to one tire is transmitted to the other tire

a d

• leaf springs suspension (figs. c & d)

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 Solid Axle Suspension
• air spring suspension
 lighter than a coil spring = lower unsprung weight
 no friction
 has also been used on front suspension
 used on transit and tour buses and many semi trailers

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 Semi-Independent

• axle beam flexes to minimize movement from one side to the other over bumps & holes in
the road
• used with MacPherson struts
 used on some front wheel drive vehicles
 improved ride & handling over solid axle suspension

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 Independent – Trailing Arm Suspension

• no tire scrubbing – arms positioned front to back

• takes up a lot of space

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 Independent Long-Short Arm Suspension

• short-long arm suspension with coilovers

 used on some rear drive performance vehicles

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Suspension System Repair

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 Shocks

 check for oil leaks

 bounce test car on the ground

 should bounce once or twice, then stop

 age of vehicle & # of km?

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 Sway Bar Bushings

• check sway bar mount bushings & outer link kits for wear
 worn bushings will lead to clunking noises

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 Control Arm & Strut Rod Bushings
• visually inspect bushings for deterioration
• use a pry bar to check for looseness

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 Testing Ball Joints
• check ball joint sockets for wear
 follow specific inspection procedure in Mitchell
 does the vehicle have lower joint only or upper & lower?
 they can break & cause tire to “kick out”
 leads to loss of control & vehicle damage
• when replacing ball joints, they can be…
 threaded into the control arm
 pressed into the control arm
 riveted to the control arm

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 Broken Springs
• coils, leafs or torsion bars that are weak or broken will cause the vehicle to sag on the
affected corner

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 Removing/Replacing Springs
 follow proper spring removal procedures!
 use proper spring compressors
 spring’s stored energy can injure or kill!

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 Compressing McPherson Strut Springs
• NEVER loosen/remove the nut at the top of the strut until spring tension has been
released by the coil spring compressor!!!

• the spring should rotate freely when compressed before the nut is removed

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