The main element of the front wheel suspension is the so-called suspension strut, to which the wheel is directly attached and which simultaneously provides shock absorption and damping. An elastically suspended support connects the suspension strut at the top edge to the body. At the bottom, it is flexibly connected by means of a so-called wishbone to the front axle support. The wishbones of an independent suspension do not have a direct connection with the steering, they got their name because shock absorber struts are connected to them on hinges (those. flexibly suspended), and they are located across the direction of motion.
Attached to the suspension struts is a multi-curved round-section rod made of spring steel - the so-called stabilizer. It affects the following factors: when the inner wheel in relation to the turn is straightened during a turn, the stabilizer is twisted. By means of the resulting spring force, the wheel suspension external to the turn is supported and its spring is reinforced to a certain extent. Benefit: The vehicle leans much less when cornering. If the car, for example, when braking, springs evenly in the front, then the stabilizer is inactive.
Negative run-in shoulder
One more design feature of the front wheel suspension should be mentioned: steering kinematics, which stabilizes the direction of movement. For example, it improves safety when braking on uneven roads between the front right and left wheels.
This is achieved through the so-called run-in shoulder, «negative» at Vectra. This can be imagined as follows: connect the upper and lower points of the suspension strut supports with an imaginary line and see where it is (continued down) rests on the ground. On the Vectra, this intersection point is outside the middle of the tires.
Due to this, a return of forces acting on the chassis is achieved. If, for example, there is a defect in the brake of the left front wheel, then the car would pull to the right when braking. This is not the case with the Vectra. The force applied to the wheel acts on the undercarriage to a certain extent in the opposite direction, and the tendency for the vehicle to unintentionally turn around is evened out.
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