Over the years I have written articles about different types of suspension and how it has evolved with hydro-pneumatic systems creating a smoother, more luxurious rides for limousines and high end saloons. A new type of suspension is currently under test: electro-hydro-pneumatic. ClearMotion, a US company that was spawned from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in … [Read more...]
Hydro Pneumatic Suspension
Hydro pneumatic suspensions have been available on cars for over 50 years. The concept was to provide a much smoother ride than was available from other forms of suspension. It was an engineer at Citroen in France who developed the original version back in the mid to late 1940s and it hit the showrooms on the Traction Avant model in 1954. The car was unique in its day having … [Read more...]
MacPherson Struts
In this weeks technical article I will discuss the concept and history of the MacPherson Strut – what is now the most popular mode of suspension on cars today – front suspension that is, because it is connected to the steering. The rear suspension is similar but called a Chapman Strut after the founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman, took the concept and reworked it for the … [Read more...]
Twin Chassis Concepts
The Lotus 88 F1 car seems to be the only example of a vehicle running a twin chassis setup although in my research I have come across others who have spoken about building a new car with it, however I haven't seen anything that suggests that one is in existence or about to be launched. In the early 1980s, Ground Effect had been banned by the FIA (the Federation that runs non … [Read more...]