What to be afraid of the driver of a car with a rear suspension with steering effect

Rear rudder suspension is now increasingly used on most modern cars, from sedans to heavy crossovers. It has a number of unequivocal pluses, but there are also serious minuses. About what the driver can expect from such a chassis in terms of reliability, the AvtoVzglyad portal tells.

Over the years, automotive suspension has changed little in terms of design. MacPherson is usually placed in front, and an elastic beam or a multi-link scheme in the back. It is the latter that has the so-called steering effect, thanks to which even an ordinary city car is controlled accurately and sharply.

The secret lies in the thrusters, which can operate in both active and passive modes. In the first case, electronic units are responsible for controlling the rear wheels, which deploy them simultaneously with the front ones. And in the second - levers and elastic rods that respond to changes in wheel loads and leveling distortions in handling.

In the first case, the design of the rear suspension is extremely complex and cumbersome. In addition, the more electronics, the greater the likelihood of various "glitches" in its operation or breakdowns. So from such machines you need to run away. It is better to pay attention to cars with a passive chassis scheme. Moreover, now the scheme with elastic elements is most common. But even here not everything is smooth.

The main problem with such suspensions is the rapid wear of elastic elements, and there are many of them. Say, silent blocks can turn over after 50 km of run and the car will start to “eat rubber”. The process is accelerated by the installation of non-standard wheels or tires with a low profile. In all these cases, there is an increased load on the suspension elements, hence its frequent breakdowns.

And if the levers wear out, then the chassis will generally change its characteristics. It may even worsen the controllability of the car, which will lead to an accident. The fact is that worn out elements provoke parasitic withdrawals and distortions. So you need to go to the service to eliminate defects.

By the way, the maintenance of the thruster suspension will be quite expensive, because in such a chassis there are much more rods and levers than in a simpler design with an elastic beam.