While driver error is a known factor, what suspension-related (e.g. geometery and dynamics) issues might also be contributing to the frequent crashes of S550 Mustangs when pulling out of parking lots, as seen in many videos?
Thanks for the response! I would guess it's because the forces acting on the strut towers during aggressive cornering are significantly larger than the small preload adjustments made by the strut bar, so the bar's preload doesn't have a noticeable impact compared to the overall chassis flex and...
For a car with MacPherson strut front suspension, such as the FT86, S550 Mustang, or Porsche 911, when installing a strut tower bar with adjustable length, should the preload be set so that:
A. The strut tower bar is slightly longer (in compression) than its neutral length, resulting in a...
I'm aiming to deepen my understanding of how chassis stiffness influences suspension tuning in track-focused cars like the Mazda Miata, Porsche Cayman, and Porsche 911.
Specifically, I'm interested in:
General Guidelines: What are some fundamental principles or rules of thumb regarding chassis...
I'm looking to deepen my understanding of tire engineering, specifically regarding how to determine the optimum camber angle versus lateral force to achieve the highest levels of traction and tire life. I've come across the term 'Mx' in my readings but am unclear on its meaning in relation to...
What are the typical design criteria or requirements for the maximum vertical and lateral impact loads, such as those experienced during a pothole strike or lateral curb impact, that suspension components must endure without incurring damage?
Let's say this is for a typical road car based track...
I am designing a camshaft and lifter system for a slow-moving (100 to 1000 rpm cam speed) valve control system, similar in design to a typical internal combustion engine valve train. What formulas are used to determine if the spring forces and speeds are within the lubrication (oil or grease)...
What is a rule of thumb for or how do we determine the maximum acceptable play (i.e. slop) in a bushing and spherical bearing based suspension system for track car build (like a 1997 Miata ot 2000 Boxster)? This is a hobbyist build, so we have the budget for simple force meters and have a friend...
What are the industry-standard metrics for quantifying oversteer, understeer, and neutral handling?
We often read that a particular car tends to oversteer or understeer but we never hear about it being quantified, at least in consumer automobile publications.
Or is quantification so...
Thank you for your insights.
In other industries I have come across, the "upstream marketing" department focuses on the strategic aspects of product development, such as market research, customer needs assessment, and long-term product planning. This contrasts with the "downstream marketing"...
Is production car suspenion design considered more science than art in these modern times?
For example, if the upstream marketing department says people want X, Y, Z subjective handling characteristics in their next production car, does the chassis and suspension engineering teams know how...
Thank you for the explanations, it will take me time to digest.
In the example numbers you gave for the various cars, I see that the 911s and Cayman all have very high front roll steer numbers. Is that because they have a tendency to oversteer and the large front roll steer is designed in as a...
A few questions:
1. Is there a desireable roll steer range? Or is this an area where the character of the car is purposefully designed? For instance: rear steer, the designer may want to add some roll steer for stability versus agility.
2. What do the positive and negative values indicate? For...
I should have used a better descriptor, by performance street cars, I meant cars like the 911, Cayman, Corvette, Emira etc. for street use as opposured to their track only variants. I'd say being used for spirited weekend canyon carving but not dedicated track use.
Thanks for asking!
Active technologies can essentially eliminate body roll, I'm wondering about the possible advantages of allowing some body roll in performance street cars. What are, if any, the conditions where body roll is beneficial?
Googling around, I've read that one advantage of allowing some body roll is...
Who are the top well known suspension design engineers that are still working or consulting?
Often, it's a small world among industry specific experts.
If the above doesn't really exist, who are some of your favorites?
Do you have any tips how Roll Center analysis should be thought about when considering varying steering angle? When analyzing Macpherson strut and Double Wishbone suspensions (with caster and / or king pin inclination) I imagine that the systems' roll center will be different if the wheel are...
