The front suspension of a car - its types, their advantages and disadvantages.

Drivers usually know what kind of engine they have under the hood. But they are less likely to know what type of suspension their car has, such as on the front axle.

There are basically two types of suspensions: dependent, independent. In the first case, the wheels of the car interact with each other. This is because they are attached to the same element. In independent suspension, each wheel is attached to separate components.

In modern cars, there is practically no dependent suspension on the front axle. However, it is used in the design of the rear axles of some SUVs. However, independent suspension is widely used and increasingly developed.

There is also a third type of suspension - semi-dependent, in which the wheels on a given axle only partially interact with each other. However, in the design of cars produced today, such a solution in the front suspension is practically absent.

McPherson columns

The most common front suspension design is MacPherson strut. Their inventor was the American engineer Earl Steel MacPherson, who worked for General Motors. Shortly after the end of World War II, he patented the Chevrolet Kadet front suspension model. This building was later named after him.

MacPherson speakers feature a compact, even compact design. At the same time, they are highly efficient, which is why they are the most common solution in front suspension design.

In this solution, a spring is mounted on the shock absorber, and in such an assembly they constitute a fixed element. The damper acts here not only as a vibration damper. It also guides the wheel by connecting the top of the steering knuckle (part of the suspension) to the body. The whole thing is done in such a way that the shock absorber can rotate around its axis.

Read also Shock absorbers - how and why you should care for them. Guide 

The lower part of the steering knuckle, on the contrary, is connected to the transverse transverse lever, which acts as a guide element, i.e. has a great influence on the behavior of the car when cornering.

There are many benefits to using MacPherson struts. In addition to being very compact and lightweight, this design is also very efficient. It also ensures braking stability and parallel steering despite the large suspension travel. It is also cheap to manufacture.

There are also disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the transmission of significant vibrations from the ground and knocking from the steering system. MacPherson struts also limit the use of wide tires. In addition, they do not tolerate improperly balanced wheels, the lateral runout of which is unpleasantly felt in the cabin. In addition, they have a fairly delicate structure, prone to damage when used on a low-quality surface.

Multi-link suspension

The second and most common type of suspension on the front axle is the multi-link suspension. It is used mainly in higher-class cars, where the emphasis is on driving comfort.

As the name implies, multi-link suspension consists of a whole combination of suspension arms: longitudinal, transverse, inclined and rods.

The basis of the design is usually the use of a lower trailing arm and two transverse rods. A shock absorber with a spring is attached to the lower rocker arm. In addition, this unit also has an upper wishbone. The bottom line is to ensure that the toe and camber angles change as little as possible under the influence of changes in the load of the car and its movement.

See also coilover suspension. What does it give and how much does it cost? Guide 

Multi-link suspensions have very good parameters. It provides both precise driving and high driving comfort. It also effectively eliminates the so-called vehicle dive.

However, the main disadvantages of this type of suspension include its complex design and subsequent maintenance. For this reason, such solutions are usually found in more expensive car models.

Opinion of the mechanic

Shimon Ratsevich from Tricity:

- If we compare MacPherson struts and multi-link suspension, then the latter solution is certainly better. But since it consists of a large number of components that work together, it is more expensive to repair. Therefore, even the slightest malfunction of this system must be quickly diagnosed and eliminated. Failure to comply with this further leads to a chain reaction, because, for example, a worn rocker finger will eventually lead to failure of the entire rocker arm, which worsens driving comfort and safety, and increases repair costs. Of course, when operating a car, it is difficult to go around all the pits on the road or other irregularities. But if possible, try to be careful not to overload the suspension unnecessarily. For example, let's carefully drive through the so-called lying cops. I often see many drivers negligently overcoming these obstacles. 

Wojciech Frölichowski