When it comes to bad actor cars, most gearheads are all about making power and going quicker and faster. That places major emphasis on horsepower and torque but this also leads to the more challenging question of how to manage all that power and convert it into traction. This story will outline a basic understanding of the various rear suspension designs. Many enthusiasts gloss over these systems or merely follow whichever system seems to be currently popular.
As a true enthusiast, it’s important to understand how each of these systems function, what makes them different, and which one offers the best approach based on the performance goal. An optimal drag race rear suspension would be a crippling disadvantage trying to find bite coming off an autocross turn or on a road course.
We will look at the popular rear suspension designs with a simple overview of each. Because we must cram all these systems into a single story, this means we are forced to leave out a mountain of details. Think of this story as a smorgasbord or an ice cream taste test where you can quickly sample all the different flavors and then decide which offers the best one that suits your particular taste. You can then launch into a more detailed search into the system that best meets your goals.
LEAF SPRINGS
We’ll start with the simplest rear suspension that literally can be traced back to the 1700s when
