Dr.

Walid Abdelghaffar
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 FRAMES

™To provide a rigid structural foundation for

the vehicle body and a solid anchorage for
the suspension system, a frame of some
type is essential.

™There are two basic frames in common

use today.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Conventional Frame Construction

™ The frame is the vehicle's foundation.

™ The body and all major parts of a vehicle are attached to
the frame.
™ It must provide the support and strength needed by the
assemblies and parts attached to it.

™ The frame is an independent, separate component

because it is not welded to any of the major units of the
body shell.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Unibody Construction

™This type of construction has no separate frame.

™The body is constructed in such a manner that

the body parts themselves supply the rigidity and
strength required to maintain the structural
integrity of the car.
™The unibody design significantly lowers the base
weight of the car

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 SUSPENSION SYSTEM
COMPONENTS

™Most automotive suspension systems

have the same basic components and
operate similarly.
™Their differences are found in the method
in which the basic components are
arranged.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Springs
™ The spring is the core of nearly all suspension systems.
™ It is the component that absorbs shock forces while
maintaining correct riding height.
™ If the spring is worn or damaged, the other suspension
elements shift out of their proper positions and are
subject to increased wear.
™ Various types of springs are used in suspension systems
coil, torsion, bar, leaf (both mono and multi-leaf types)
and air springs.
™ Springs are rubber mounted to reduce road shock and
noise.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Springs

™ Automotive springs are generally classified by the amount

of deflection exhibited under a specific load. This is
referred to as the spring rate.

™ A force (weight) applied to a spring causes it to compress

in direct proportion to the force applied.

™ When that force is removed, the spring returns to its

original position if not overloaded.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Springs

™ The springs take care of two fundamental vertical

actions: jounce and rebound.

™ Jounce occurs when a wheel hits a bump and moves

up. When this happens, the suspension system acts to
pull in the top of the wheel, maintaining an equal
distance between the two front wheels and preventing a
sideways scrubbing action as the wheel moves up and
down.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

A upward
B downward

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Springs

™ The spring goes back and forth from jounce to rebound.

™ Each time jounce and rebound become smaller and smaller.

This is caused by friction of the spring's molecular structure
and the suspension pivot joints.

™ A shock absorber is added to each suspension to dampen

and stop the motion of the spring after jounce.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Springs
™ All of the vehicle's weight supported by the suspension
system is known as sprung weight.
™ The weight of those components not supported by the springs
is known as unsprung weight.
™ The vehicle's body, frame, engine. transmission, and all of its
components are considered sprung weight.
™ Under-car parts classified as unsprung weight include the
steering knuckles and rear axle assemblies (but not always
the differentials).

™ The lower the ratio of unsprung weight to sprung weight, the

better the vehicle's ride will be.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Coil Springs

™ Two basic designs of coil springs are used:

™ linear rate

™ variable rate.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Linear Rate Spring

™ Linear rate springs characteristically have one basic

shape and a consistent wire diameter.
™ All linear springs are wound from steel rod into a
cylindrical shape with even spacing between the coils.

™ As the load is increased, the spring is compressed and

the coils twist (deflect).

™ As the load is removed, the coils flex (unwind) back to

the normal position.
™ The amount of load necessary to deflect the spring 1
inch (25.4 mm) is the spring rate.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Linear Rate Spring
™ On linear rate springs this is a constant rate, no matter
how much the spring is compressed.

™ For example, 250 pounds (112 kg) compress the spring

1 inch (25.4 m) and 750 pounds (340 kg) compress the
spring 3 inches (76.2 m).

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Linear Rate Spring
™ Heavy-duty springs are designed to carry 3 to 5%
greater loads than regular duty springs, they are
somewhat different.

™ On heavy-duty springs, wire diameter can be up to 0.100

inch (2.5 mm) greater than the regular duty spring for the
same application.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Variable Rate Spring

™Variable rate spring designs are characterized

by a combination of wire sizes and shapes.
™The most commonly used variable rate springs
have a consistent wire diameter, are wound in a
cylindrical shape, and have unequally spaced
coils.
™This type of spring is called a progressive rate
coil spring.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Variable Rate Spring
™ The design of the coil spacing gives the spring three functional
ranges of coils: inactive, transitional, and active.

™ Inactive coils are usually the end coils and introduce force into
the spring.

™ Transitional coils become inactive as they are compressed to

their point of maximum load-bearing capacity.

™ Active coils work throughout the entire range of spring loading.

Theoretically in this type of design, at stationary loads the
inactive coils are supporting all of the vehicle's weight.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Variable Rate Spring
™ Another common variable rate design uses tapered wire

™ In this design, the active coils have a large wire diameter

and the inactive coils have a small wire diameter.

™ Unlike a linear rate spring, a variable rate spring has no

predictable standard spring rate. Instead, it has an average
spring rate based on the load of a predetermined spring
deflection.

™ Variable rate springs, however, handle a load of up to 30%

over standard rate springs in some applications.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 front suspension
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Servicing Coil Springs
™ A technician must know how to check and replace coil
springs, select the proper replacement, and recommend the
proper size and type of spring to the customer.

™ The first step in coil spring selection is to check for the

original equipment part number.

™ This is usually on a tag wrapped around the coil.

™ In many instances, this tag falls off before replacement is

necessary.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Servicing Coil Springs

™ If a set of aftermarket springs has been installed, the part

number might be stamped on the end of the coil.

™ Check to see what type of ends the coil springs have.

™ There are three types of ends used in automotive

applications: full wire open, tapered wire closed, and pigtail.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Servicing Coil Springs
™ Springs with full wire open ends are cut straight off and
sometimes flattened or ground into a D or square shape.

™ Tapered wire closed ends are wound to ensure

squareness and ground into a taper at the ends.

™ Pigtail ends are wound into a smaller diameter at the

ends.

™ The final step is to check the application in the catalog.

To do this, it is necessary to know the make, year,
model, body style, engine size (number of cylinders),
and if the vehicle is equipped with air-conditioning.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Servicing Coil Springs
™ In some cases, it is also good to know the type of
transmission, seating capacity, and other specifics that add
extra weight to the vehicle.

™ In most catalogs, springs are listed by vehicle application in

two sections: front and rear.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™ Although leaf springs were the first type of suspension spring

used on automobiles, today they are generally found only on
light-duty trucks, vans, and some passenger cars.
™ There are three basic types of leaf springs: multiple leaf,
monoleaf, and fiber composite.

™ Multiple-Leaf Springs consist of a series of flat steel leaves

that are bundled together and held with clips or by a bolt
placed slightly ahead of the center of the bundle.
™ One leaf, called the main leaf, runs the entire length of the
spring. The next leaf is a little shorter and attaches to the
main leaf.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™ The next leaf is shorter yet and attaches to the second

leaf, and so on.

™ This system allows almost any number of leaves to be

used to support the vehicle's weight.

™ It also gives a progressively stiffer spring.

™ The spring easily flexes over small distances for minor

bumps.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf spring

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Rear suspension with a live axle

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs
™ Multiple-leaf springs have a curve in them.
™ This curve, if doubled, forms an ellipse.
™ Thus, leaf springs are some- times called semi-elliptical or
quarter-elliptical.
™ The semi or quarter refers to how much of the ellipse the
spring actually describes.
™ The most majority of leaf springs are semi-elliptical.

™ Leaf springs are commonly mounted at right angles to the

axle.
™ In addition to absorbing blows from road forces, they also
serve as suspension locators by fixing the position of the
suspension with respect to the front and rear of the vehicle.
™ A centering pin is frequently used to ensure that the axle is
correctly located.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™ If a spring is broken or misplaced, the axle might be

mislocated and the alignment impaired.

™ The front eye of the main leaf at either end of the axle is
attached to a bracket on the frame of the vehicle with a bolt
and bushing connection.

™ The rear eye of the main leaf is secured to the frame with a
shackle, which permits some force and aft movement in
response to physical forces of acceleration, deceleration,
and braking.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™Monoleaf or single-leaf springs are usually the tapered

plate type with a heavy or thick center section tapering off at
both ends.

™ This provides a variable spring rate for a smooth ride and

good load-carrying ability.

™ Single-leaf springs do not have the noise and static friction

characteristic of multiple-leaf springs.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Monoleaf Spring

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™ Fiber Composite Springs: While most leaf springs are still

made of steel, recent years have shown the fiber composite
types increasing in popularity.
™ Some automotive people call them plastic springs in spite of
the fact that the springs contain no plastic at all.

™ They are made of fiberglass, laminated and bonded together

by tough polyester resins.
™ The long strands of fiberglass are saturated with resin and
bundled together by wrapping (a process called filament
winding) or squeezed together under pressure (compression
molding).

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Leaf Springs

™Fiber composite leaf springs are incredibly

lightweight and possess some unique ride control
characteristics.

™Conventional monoleaf steel springs are real

heavyweights, tipping the scale at anywhere from
25 to 45 pounds (11 to 20 kg) apiece.

™Some multiple-leaf springs can weigh almost twice

as much. A fiber composite leaf spring is a
featherweight by comparison, weighing a mere 8 to
10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5 kg).

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Advantages of fiber composite
springs
™ A quieter ride.

™ A smoother ride. Because fiber composite springs use a

one-piece monoleaf design, there is no rubbing friction
like there is between the leaves in a multiple-leaf steel
spring.

™ No spring sag. All steel springs sag with age, whether

leaves or coils. Spring sag affects ride height, which in
turn alters wheel alignment, handling, steering, and
braking.

™ Less body roll. In applications where the leaf springs are

mounted sideways (transversely), the spring also acts
like a sway bar to limit body sway and roll when
cornering
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Air Springs

™ An air spring, is used in an air-operated microprocessor-

controlled system that replaces the conventional coil springs
with air springs to provide a comfortable ride and automatic
front and rear load leveling.

™ The air springs are located in the same positions where coil
springs are usually found.

™ Each spring consists of a reinforced rubber bag pressurized

with air.
™ The bottom of each air bag is attached to an inverted piston
like mount that reduces the interior volume of the air bag
during jounce.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Air Springs

™ This has the effect of increasing air pressure inside the spring
as it is compressed, making it progressively stiffer.

™ A vehicle equipped with an electronic air suspension system

is able to provide a comfortable street ride, about a third softer
than conventional coil springs.

™ At the same time, its variable spring rate helps absorb bumps
and protect against bottoming.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Air Spring

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 An Air spring added to the normal suspension system
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Torsion Bar Suspension System
™ Torsion bars serve the same function as coil springs.
they are often described as straightened-out coil
springs.

™ Instead of compressing like coil springs, a torsion bar

twists and straightens out on the recoil.

™ That is, as the bar twists, it resists up-and-down

movement.
™ One end of the bar-made of heat-treated alloy spring
steel is attached to the vehicle frame.

™ The other end is attached to the lower control arm.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Torsion Bar Suspension System

™ When the wheel moves up and down, the lower control

arm is raised and lowered. This twists the torsion bar,
which causes it to absorb road shocks.

™ The bar's natural resistance to twisting quickly restores it

to its original position, returning the wheel to the road.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Torsion Bar Suspension System

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Torsion Bar Suspension System
™ When torsion bars are manufactured, they are prestressed to
give them fatigue strength.
™ Because of directional prestressing, torsion bars are
directional.

™ The torsion bar is marked either right or left to identify on

which side it is to be used.

™ A shock absorber is connected between the lower control

arm and the frame to damp the twisting motion of the torsion
bar.
™ Many late-model pickups use torsion bars in their front
suspensions.
™ They are primarily used in this type vehicle because they can
be mounted low and out of the way of the driveline
components.
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Shock Absorbers
™ Shock absorbers damp or control motion in a vehicle.

™ If unrestrained, springs continue expanding and contracting

after a blow until all the energy is absorbed.

™ Not only would this lead to a rough and unstable- perhaps

uncontrollable-ride after consecutive shocks, it would also
create a great deal of wear on the suspension and steering
systems.

™ Shock absorbers prevent this.

™ They actually dampen spring movement instead of absorbing
shock.
™ In England and almost everywhere else but the United States,
shock absorbers are referred to as dampers.
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Shock Absorbers

A without shock Absorber

B with shock absorber

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
™ Today's conventional shock absorber is a velocity
sensitive hydraulic damping device.
™ The faster it moves, the more resistance it has to the
movement .
™ This allows it to automatically adjust to road conditions.

™ A shock absorber works on the principle of fluid

displacement on both its compression (jounce) and
extension (rebound) cycles.

™ A typical car shock has more resistance during its

extension cycle than its compression cycle.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Shock Absorbers

•The extension cycle controls

motions of the vehicle body spring
weight.

•The compression cycle controls the

same motions of the unsprung
weight.

•This motion energy is converted into

heat energy and dissipated into the
atmosphere.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
™ Shock absorbers can be mounted either vertically or at
an angle.

™ Angle mounting of shock absorbers improves vehicle

stability and dampens accelerating and braking torque.

™ Conventional hydraulic shocks are available in two

styles: single-tube and double-tube.

™ The majority of domestic shocks are double tubed.

™ While they are a little heavier and run hotter than the
single-tubed type, they are easier to make.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers

™ The double-tube shock has an outer tube that completely

covers the inner tube. The area between the tubes is the oil
reservoir.

™ A compression valve at the bottom of the inner tube allows

oil to flow between the two tubes.

™ The piston moves up and down inside the inner tube.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Monotube

Twin tube

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
™ In a single monoshock, there is a second floating piston
near the bottom of the tube.

™ When the fluid volume increases or decreases, the second

piston moves up and down, compressing the reservoir.

™ The fluid does not move back and forth between a reservoir
and the main chamber.

™ There are no other valves in a single-tube shock besides

those in the main piston.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
™ The second piston prevents the oil from splashing
around too much and getting air bubbles in it.

™ Air in the shock oil is detrimental.

™ Air, unlike oil, is compressible and slips past the piston
easily.
™ When this happens, the result is a shock that offers poor
vehicle control on bumpy roads.

™ In addition to these conventional hydraulic shocks, there

are a number of others the technician may encounter.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

SHOCK-ASSIST SHOCK ABSORBERS
™ Shock-assist shock absorbers can be used to increase the
load-carrying capacity of the springs.

™ They are available for the front or rear suspension and

resemble a conventional shock absorber with a coil spring
fitted to it.

™ An upper spring mount is fastened to the upper shock tube

and a lower spring mount is attached to the lower shock
tube.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
™ The spring is under some tension in its normal curb height
position and compresses when the shock absorber
compresses.

™ GAS-CHARGED SHOCK ABSORBERS On rough roads, the

passage of fluid from chamber to chamber becomes so rapid
that foaming can occur.

™ Foaming is simply the mixing of the fluid with any available

air.
™ Since aeration can cause a skip in the shock's action,
engineers have sought methods of eliminating it.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Shock Absorbers
Gas-pressure damped
shocks operate like
conventional shocks. Gas is
used to keep oil pressurized,
which reduces oil foaming
and increases efficiency
under severe conditions.
A gas charged shock for
strut
B conventional style gas-
charged shock
C gas charged, self-leveling
shock
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Shock Absorbers
™ As the piston rod moves downward in the shock
absorber, oil is displaced, just as it is in a double-tube
shock. This oil displacement causes the divided piston to
press upon the gas chamber. The gas is compressed
and the chamber reduces in size.

™ When the piston rod returns, the gas pressure returns

the dividing piston to its starting piston. Whenever the
static pressure of the oil column is held at approximately
100 to 360 psi (6.90 to 24.82 kPa) (depending on the
design), the pressure decreases behind the piston and
so, cannot be high enough for the gas to escape from
the oil column.
™ As a result, a gas-filled shock absorber operates without
aeration.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Concentric coil spring
around the strut itself

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Electronically Controlled Shock Absorbers

™ Electronically adjusted shock absorbers are one step above

manually adjustable shocks.
™ They are basically remote control shocks that allow the
driver to select a soft, medium, or firm ride by pressing a
button on the instrument panel.
™ When activated, variable shock damping is accomplished by
varying the size of the metering orifices inside the shock
absorber.
™ This is done by rotating a control rod inside the shock using
a small electric actuator motor mounted on the tip of the
shock.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 Electronically Controlled Shock Absorbers

™ This control rod varies the size of the metering orifices,

which, in turn, change the shock rate from firm to medium to
soft.

™ The speed at which this occurs is usually less than half a

second.
™ This type of electronically controlled shock can be used
alone as a driver-controlled device or it can be part of a
computer controlled suspension system.

™ In a computer controlled system, the shock is activated

based on, input from various vehicle sensors.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED
SUSPENSIONS

™ All of the suspension systems covered up to this point is

known as passive systems.

™ Vehicle height and damping depend on fixed nonadjustable

coil springs, shock absorbers, or MacPherson struts.

™ When weight is added, the vehicle lowers as the springs are

compressed. Air adjustable shock absorbers may provide
some amount of ride height and ride firmness flexibility, but
there is no way to vary this setting during operation.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED
SUSPENSIONS
™ Passive systems can be set to provide a soft, firm, or
compromise ride.
™ Vehicle body motion and tire traction vary due to road
conditions and turning and braking forces.
™ Passive systems have no way of adjusting to these
changes.
™ Advances in electronic sensor and computer control
technology have led to a new generation of suspension
systems.
™ The simplest systems are level control systems that use
electronic height sensors to control an air compressor
linked to air-adjustable shock absorbers.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED
SUSPENSIONS
™ More advanced adaptive suspensions are capable of
altering shock damping and ride height continuously.

™ Electronic sensors provide input data to a computer.

™ The computer adjusts air spring and shock damping

settings to match road and driving conditions.

™ The most advanced computer-controlled suspension

systems are true active suspensions

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Typical electronic air suspension system
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED
SUSPENSIONS
™ These systems are hydraulically, rather than air controlled.

™ They use high pressure hydraulic actuators to carry the

vehicle's weight rather than conventional springs or air
springs.

™ The unique feature of an active suspension is that it can be

programmed to respond almost perfectly to various
operating conditions.

™ For example, by raising the height of the outside actuators

and lowering the inside actuators when going around a
curve, the vehicle can be made to lean into a curve.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED
SUSPENSIONS
™ Active systems using hydraulic actuators are presently
used on a limited number of high-performance vehicles.
™ Most manufacturers are introducing various adaptive
suspension systems that rely on pneumatically actuated
springs and dampers.
™ Some late-model pickups offer air suspension systems.
These systems are added to existing leaf spring
suspensions.
™ The air spring is positioned between the center of the
leaf spring and the frame of the truck. The air spring
serves as an adjustable and additional spring at each
end of the axle.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Check the shock absorbers for signs of fluid leakage

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

SEMI-INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
™ This system is used on many front-wheel-drive models.

™ On some, the suspension position is fixed by an axle

beam, or cross member, running between two trailing
arms.

™ Although there is a solid connection between the two

halves of the suspension because of the axle beam, the
beam twists as the wheel assemblies move up and
down.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

SEMI-INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION

™ The twisting action not only permits semi-independent

suspension movement, but it also acts as a stabilizer.

™ Frequently, a separate shock and spring trailing arm

system is also used.

™ In either an integrated or separate shock system, each

rear wheel is independently suspended by a coil spring.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 A semi-independent rear suspension spring
Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
™ Independent suspensions can be found in large numbers on
both FWD and RWD vehicles.

™ The introduction of independent rear suspensions was

brought about by the same concerns for improved traction
ride that prompted the introduction of independent front
suspensions.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION

™ If the wheels can move separately on the road, traction

and ride is improved.

™ Independent coil-spring rear suspensions can have

several control arm arrangements.

™ For example, a shaped control arms are sometimes

employed. When the wide bottom of a control arm is
toward the front of the car and the point turns in to meet
the upright, they are called trailing arms

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Trailing arms are often used with independent rear
Suspension System
suspensions Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar
 INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION

™ When the entire shaped control arms are mounted at an

angle, they are known as semi trailing control arms or multi-
link suspensions.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION

™ This design is used on many sports cars.

™ Coil springs are used between the control arm and the
vehicle body.

™ The control arms pivot on a cross member and are

attached at the other end to a spindle.

™ A shock absorber is attached to the spindle or control

arm.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 Vehicle Alignment
™ Aligning a vehicle with an electronic suspension system is
essentially.
™ Curb height is an important dimension because it affects the
other alignment angles.
™ Caster is the most obvious one that is affected, but front
camber and toe can also be included.
™ Curb height is especially critical when checking rear camber
and toe on independent rear suspensions.
™ With electronic suspension, the ride can vary depending on
various circumstances.
™ The only way to guarantee the suspension at curb height is
to preset it.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 CASE STUDY
™ An eight-year-old vehicle is brought to the shop.
™ The customer states the vehicle runs well, but the ride has
become so bouncy he wants the shock absorbers replaced.
™ The work order is written and the technician replaces the
shock absorbers that afternoon. .
™ The following day, the customer returns complaining of only
a slight improvement in ride and handling.
™ He states the shocks must be defective or mismatched to
his vehicle. Faced with an angry customer, the technician
now takes the time to do what he should have done the
previous day.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

 CASE STUDY
™ He takes the vehicle on a road test and performs a complete
inspection.

™ On checking the ride height of the vehicle, he finds the

vehicle is riding extremely low.

™ This is a sure sign the coil springs are severely weakened.

™ Showing the customer the ride height measurement and the

factory specification for that measurement convinces the
customer of the need for new coil springs.

™ With new coil springs and shock absorbers, ride and

handling improve dramatically.

Suspension System Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar

Dr. Walid Abdelghaffar