Let's Talk - Vehicle Suspension - Part 2

When cornering the forces want to roll your car's body to the outside of the turn. You feel this same force sitting inside the car. The Sway Bar counteracts this force and helps to keep the inside wheel in contact with the ground. Stiffer Sway Bar rates give a firmer ride, but better handling. Some higher end vehicles also have computer controlled sway assist where you don’t even feel the vehicle roll in corners.

Your suspension is designed to move up and down with the road. This is accomplished with control arms which are connected to the spindle by ball joints. They are what they sound like, a ball and socket joint which allows movement in two dimensions.

The spindle/hub serves as the center point for your wheel, and rotor to rotate around. The spindle also connects to the lower control arm and upper control arm or MacPherson Strut. Through the travel of your suspension the spindle should remain as parallel to the road as possible. Suspension geometry is designed to keep as much of the tire in contact with the road as possible.