Curious - Suspension Question

[Alfa156Melb 9]

Heya Smaky.... So my sexy new Bilstein B8's have finally arrived from Alfisti.net.. awesome looking pieces of kit... all they need is a bit of lube and....

 

Anyway.. I have a question - why are the rears so gargantuan, compared to the front which are pissy little things. It all seems backwards to me...

 

The only thing that comes to mind is that the rear is a MacPherson strut set up, so the damper is load bearing.. where as the front dampers aren't, given it's a double wishbone set up.

 

Am I on the right track?

 

Also, is the rear technically a MacPherson Strut, a Chapman strut or is it known as something else entirely?

[Smaky 73]

Your right on the money with the reasoning.

 

 

*SIMPLIFIED FOR THE MASSES*

 

They are Macpherson struts, they can't be known as anything else as the connection between the bottom of the shock and hub carrier is fixed geometry, so as the strut compresses the -ve camber of the wheel increases. In the case of a Chapman strut setup, the hub has joints connecting it to the shock and arms so that as the shock compresses the geometry of the wheel remains constant thus no change to the camber occurs which in racing what you want as a consistent geometry during wieght changes through fuel use and such would slowly alter the way the car handles.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Smaky

[Alfa156Melb 9]

Ok, glad we cleared that up.. Cheers

 

So in regards to the rear set up -- alfa took the cheap and cheerful option by the sounds of it..

 

 

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[Smaky 73]

No, light and effective.

[Alfa156Melb 9]

Fair enough

 

 

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[Smaky 73]

You should have sen what I was typing the first time...

[Alfa156Melb 9]

 

What did you type the first time?

 

TBH - I have the impression that MacPherson Struts are mostly used to reduce cost.. That isn't based on any real knowledge, in fact I really don't know why I have that impression come to think of it...

Edited January 28, 2013 by Alfa156Melb

[Smaky 73]

Maccys actually are very good, they are a nice compact unit which if yourracong and need a complete setup change in minutes then they are ideal, plus their strength allows less components to be needed overall.

[Alfa156Melb 9]

Ok,. I can see that..

 

How does it compare to multilink suspension?

 

And, up front, would you choose Maccys over double wishbones? or would it depend on the application?

[Smaky 73]

Suspension is always based on application, after all you wouldn't want leaf springs on an F1 car, far too unpredictable, Chappys (the geometry of the lower joint does change during use) with double wishbone as on the front of 156 etc is acknowledged as one of the best setups ever for road cars, just sub standard parts from some aftermarket suppliers let it down, If I was racing one then I'd replace the upper arms for a Dual turn buckle affair so that caster and camber could be adjustable too.