Rear Suspension Design with Front Wheel Drive Vehicles

Abstract

A review of the last 20 years of rear suspension design has not shown a dominant position for one type of axle. This indicates a good balance of advantages and disadvantages among rear axles built today. The evaluation scheme described here based on the criteria economy, handling and comfort is therefore helpful when choosing the appropriate axle type for a given purpose. The characteristic features of: rigid axle, trailing arm axle, semi-trailing arm axle, sping strut axle, and trailing arm torsion beam axle are discussed and their suitability for front wheel drive is examined.