This unique book takes a completely different approach to do-it-yourself suspension development. It starts with theory - the natural frequencies of sprung masses, the relationship between static deflection and natural frequency, and how you can use your smart phone to directly measure bounce, pitch and roll frequencies of your car's suspension. Also covered are real and virtual swing-arms, roll centres, and the relationship between roll centre, centre of gravity and body roll. Damping - its function and the two fundamental types - also gets a look-in. All explanations are made using real (rather than theoretical) examples.And the vehicles also aren't confined to just conventional cars. Ultra-light-weight machines - of the sort powered by human legs or a small electric motor - are among the hardest of all machines on which to set up effective suspension. After the theory, it's time for the practice. Three major case studies are used. The first case study involves designing and building from scratch the air suspension system for an ultra-light-weight 3-wheel vehicle... in fact, a vehicle that in total weighed under 20kg. The design decisions were about having sufficient suspension travel, achieving zero bump steer, and having effective roll stiffness.... all with very low weight.Then covered is a front wheel drive car, with special emphasis on the design selection of new springs that provided the correct front/rear stiffness and ride height change. Next is a traditional rear-wheel drive car. In this case, the decision was made to use one company's complete suspension kit for this model - new springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and revised rear axle location. Step-by-step pictures show the complete fitting sequence.Finally, one-off suspension changes are covered - adding a front camber kit, fitting a rear anti-roll bar on a front-wheel drive, and - more complexly - altering the front/rear torque split in an electronically-controlled all-wheel drive car.Whether you're just starting an interest in suspension, or would like to better understand the theory, this book is a must-have for every car enthusiast.
About the Author: Julian Edgar started his working life freelancing for photography magazines. He then worked as a secondary school teacher for eight years, teaching senior humanities, before leaving teaching and becoming a full-time automotive writer. He edited a national Australian automotive print magazine before becoming editor of AutoSpeed, an online car magazine. Along the way he wrote extensively for Silicon Chip, an electronics hobbyist magazine, while contributing articles to technical and automotive publications in Australia, the UK and the US. He has designed and built from scratch suspension systems for Human Powered Vehicles, modified the suspension in a wide variety of cars (including front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive), and has a long-standing interest in vehicle dynamics. Julian lives in a hamlet 80 kilometres north of Canberra, Australia. He spends much of the week playing in his home workshop - for the rest of the time, he works for a company providing training in high-level writing skills.