Is production car suspenion design considered more science than art in these modern times? 1

[ksw100]

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 to engineer to that subjective target with much less iterative back and forth with the upstream marketing department?

If there is any art left in suspension design, where is the "art" found in car suspension process vertical, if at all anymore?

 

[GregLocock]

It's science.

The marketing team don't set ride and handling targets, we do, by looking at competitors and deciding where we want to be compared with them. For instance there may be a corporate direction that we are to be best in class for vehicle dynamics, or among the leaders, or average, or simply don't care. I suppose that is some top level marketing but the people deciding that aren't called marketing.

However ride and handling is pretty much driven by objective measurements - the hardest part of a development engineer's job is turning a subjective observation into something that can be measured. And if we can measure it then we can model it.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[ksw100]

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" department which deals with product promotion, sales strategies, and distribution.

In the automotive industry, the Upstream Marketing Department must be called somethig different, perhaps something like: "Product Planning Department" or "Product Strategy Department"?

 

[GregLocock]

Also Program Office. But the decision that all product must be BIC for number of cupholders or whatever is from the high muckity mucks.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[CWB1]

QuaNTitative vs quaLitative. Marketing has their own engineers specifying the product definition. Usually the first week or six of project meetings is marketing and design reaching agreement on every detail quaNtitatively, and the design team internally reaching agreement on the project plan/timing.