What is a car suspension?
Content
Car suspension is one of the most important elements. chassiswhose main task is to ensure a stable and safe connection between the roadway, wheels and the car body. The functions performed by each type of suspension are three:
- connects the wheels to the car body;
- absorbs vibrations arising from the interaction of tires with the road surface;
- provides mobility of wheels relative to the car body to ensure a smoother and more comfortable ride.
The main components that make up the suspension
The suspension of a car is a system consisting of several main components. Among them:
- Leading elements;
- Elastic elements;
- Shock absorbers;
- Stabilizing rods;
- Fasteners.
Driving or energy distribution elements
These elements provide the connection and transmission of forces to the car body and determine the movement of the wheels relative to the car body. The leading elements are all types of levers: longitudinal, transverse, double, etc.
Elastic elements
These are elements that serve as a kind of buffer between the irregularities of the road surface along which the car is moving and the car body. They are the first to perceive the roughness of the road and transfer it to the body. The elastic elements of the suspension include coil springs, torsion springs, leaf springs, pads and others.
Shock absorbers
The main task of shock absorbers is to reduce the vibrations caused by the wheels in contact with the roughness of the road, to provide a comfortable ride for passengers in the car and to make the movement and braking as smooth as possible.
There are basically two types of shock absorbers - oil and gas. Read about their difference in a separate article.
Stabilizer rods
In short, these are parts whose task is to connect two wheels of the car on one axis. Stabilizing rods are mounted using supports.
Fasteners
Fasteners include metal bushings, ball bearings, silent blocks, etc.
The main types of suspension
There are several types of pendants. Consider the features of those used in modern cars.
Dependent suspension
In a dependent suspension system, the wheels on both sides of the vehicle are connected by a beam and work together. Typically, this type of suspension includes a solid axle that is located across the entire width of the car frame. Two wheels are connected by this axis, which means that they work like a couple and perform the same movements.
Dependent suspension is extremely strong, but not very suitable for cars. As a rule, such a suspension is used on heavy trucks, full-fledged SUVs. Such vehicles are more often used for cross-country driving.
Independent suspension
In systems with independent suspension, there is no axis that would connect the wheels in pairs. Instead, each wheel reacts differently to road bumps. This means that if one wheel hits an obstacle or gets into a hole, it will not affect the other wheel.
In contrast to the dependent suspension, which is much stiffer and not very suitable for urban conditions, independent provides pretty good comfort to passengers in the car. This is the main reason why most modern cars are equipped with independent suspension.
The main types of independent suspension
McPherson
This is one of the most common suspension systems in cars. The design of the MacPherson strut is very simple and, as a rule, is a combination of a shock absorber and a coil spring that work synchronously.
This type of suspension was first used in Ford vehicles in the 1950s and later became one of the most widely used in modern vehicles. Although the MacPherson strut can also be mounted on the rear suspension, it is generally used primarily on the front of the machine.
The MacPherson rack system owes its popularity to features such as simple design, low manufacturing costs, excellent service, less volume, and more.
Double wishbone suspension
A feature of this type of suspension is that on each side of the axis there are two longitudinal arms that are combined with transverse elastic suspension elements.
The advantages of a double-A-arm suspension are its compactness and the comfort it provides to passengers in the car. Its disadvantages are that it has a relatively large mass, which increases the weight of the vehicle. In the event of a collision with an obstacle, longitudinal movement is possible, due to which the system may break.
Swing Axle Suspension
This type of independent suspension uses two axles instead of one stable. Each axis is attached to the chassis via a hinge. A feature of this type of suspension is that in the event of an obstacle, the wheel always maintains its position perpendicular to the axles. The swing axle suspension is mainly used for the rear of rear-wheel drive cars.
The advantages of this type of suspension are its simplicity of construction, low maintenance costs and low price. The disadvantages are large fluctuations and poor steering if the speed increases above 60 km / h.
Multi-point suspension
Multi-point suspension is a type of vehicle suspension that has three or more side arms and one or more trailing arms. This type of suspension is quite popular as it provides excellent wheel stability and excellent cornering stability. Multi-point suspension can be mounted on the front axle, but is most often used in the rear of the car.
On double wishbones
This type of suspension is divided into several subtypes (spring, pneumatic, hydropneumatic) depending on the elastic elements used. A common feature of all subtypes of this suspension is the presence of front levers, which, with their outer ends, are movably connected to the body or frame of the car, and the inner ones are connected by hinges.
The advantages of this type of suspension are both structural and functional. Its design is unique in that all its elements can be attached to a special crossbar, which allows you to quickly remove the entire suspension during repair.
Its functional advantage lies in the fact that it allows you to change its geometry and modernize. This type of suspension is most often used in sports and racing cars, as it contributes to better driving.
Five signs that it's time to check the suspension
Increased stiffness while riding
If during driving you begin to feel that with every small hit on the road there are hard shocks to the body, this means that there are problems with shock absorbers.
The car "pulls" in a bend
The suspension is not all right if you feel that the car is “pulling” in the corners. This means that the shock absorbers can no longer maintain the stability of the car body during centrifugal loads generated during cornering. This increases the risk of losing control and tipping over.
Auto "dive with the nose"
When the shock absorbers wear out, pressing the brakes stops the machine, leaning forward excessively. This is quite dangerous, since the process of driving a car is complicated due to the swinging, which can lead to an accident.
Uneven tire wear
If you notice that one of the tires is worn out more than the others, this is usually a sign of malfunctioning the vehicle's suspension. Also, this occurs when the alignment or balancing of the rims is disturbed.
Oil stains appeared under the machine
If you find oily spots on the asphalt under your car, this may indicate a malfunction in the suspension and problems with shock absorbers. However, this factor is not required. Other causes of oil leakage can be read. here.
How to check if the suspension is OK?
The easiest way in this case would be to visit a service center and ask specialists to carry out suspension diagnostics. But such a check can be performed independently.
How to check the front suspension?
When checking the front suspension, you should first pay attention to the anthers and rubber parts. More often than not, they are the first to fail. Carefully check the rubber seals - they should not be damaged, torn or worn.
Pay attention to shock absorbers when checking for oil leaks or wear. To be absolutely sure that there are no problems with them, you can try to swing the car a little. If after you stop pushing the car it stops swinging, this means that everything is in order with the shock absorbers. Otherwise, replacement is required.
Inspect the racks well. In the event of severe wear, they sag and the car becomes lower, which is a sure sign that the springs and shock absorbers require replacement.
How to check the rear suspension?
Since most components are concentrated in the front suspension, the rear is much easier to check. If the car is equipped with an independent suspension, its device is a little more complicated, but in this case, diagnostics can be carried out independently. Particular attention must be paid to supporting and movable elements.
If you are not completely sure that you can handle the suspension test, you should contact a specialized service where the mechanics have the necessary diagnostic equipment and can perform complete diagnostics of the front and rear suspension, as well as if it is necessary to replace any of their elements.
Questions and answers:
What does the car suspension include? It consists of guides (levers) and elastic (springs, silent blocks, shock absorbers, torsion bar - depending on the modification) elements, supports, fasteners.
What is the car suspension for? Its purpose is to ensure the safety of the position of the wheels when driving on uneven roads. Also, its parts smooth out shocks and ensure constant contact of the wheels with the road surface.
What types of suspension are there? Modern serial cars use MacPherson strut, double wishbone, multi-link, torsion bar, independent rear, semi-independent rear, De Dion suspension.
How does the suspension work in a car? The levers set the specific direction of the vertical movement of the wheels. When hitting a bump, the shock absorber softens the impact, and the spring quickly presses the wheel against the road.
