GMness

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

It's as fast or faster than all of those, but it's certainly not as good.  There's more to these cars than just speed.  You have to live with them every day.  The RS is most likely a little too hardcore though.

The R8 is the only one that I would say is a better DD than the Vette. And plenty of Auto Mags have said the Corvette is great as a DD. Most of the guys on the Vette forums that moved up from the Z06 said they prefer the ZR1 as a DD!

[2o6]

Yup. Suspension design is engineering, which takes an enormous amount of time to do right. One also has to remember that the chassis itself is a suspension member, which adds to the complexity of the task.

Then you have to throw in what the clientele wants, and roads of different markets, tires, engine variants, and a lot more stuff.

[Cookie Monster]

Nah man, just throw some variables in matlab and bam you have a competent suspension design. Sporty is always right and obviously those huge car manufacturers don't know what they're doing.

[SVT_Power]

Nah man, just throw some variables in matlab and bam you have a competent suspension design. Sporty is always right and obviously those huge car manufacturers don't know what they're doing.

The sarcasm is strong with this one

[565]

GMness?  Do you mean awesomeness?

[Vinsanity]

How can you say the CTS-V is not a flagship? It's the best performing and most expensive vehicle in Cadillacs line up!

It's not a flagship in the same vein as the Merc S-class and BMW 7, which is the flagship that Cadillac needs in order for them to tell the rest of the luxury world, "I have arrived" (or rather, "I'm back")

[MrH]

For a normal car its not hard at all. Make the springs somewhat soft, keep the low speed damping high to remove floatiness, tune mid + high speed damping appropriately

If you start with a shit chassis theres nothing you can do. But w/a decent chassis (shell, stiffness wise), for something in this class its really not difficult.

You can't be serious.  It's posts like these, I'm convinced there's no way you're an engineer man.  Don't mean to be insulting, but COME ON!

[MrH]

I dont want t sound like MrH, but you can't possibly be saying that.



Otherwise automotive mules and testing would be irrelevant.

Nothing wrong with trying to sound right. 

[2o6]

It took me a month and two other people to get the suspension tuning on one of my Aviva's for Racer. And that's a VIDEO GAME.

[Eye of the Tiger]

It took me a few hours to tune the suspension on my Civic and start winning STS class autocross. That's not fair, though, cuz driver skill...

[280Z Turbo]

You can't be serious.  It's posts like these, I'm convinced there's no way you're an engineer man.  Don't mean to be insulting, but COME ON!

Sounds like someone has never seen an automotive suspension book. I've read Carroll Smith's books (which are watered down for non engineers) and there's a lot going on there.

[280Z Turbo]

It took me a few hours to tune the suspension on my Civic and start winning STS class autocross. That's not fair, though, cuz driver skill...

You didn't even move pivot points.

[2o6]

In other news, I just learned that MacPherson struts turn.

[68_427]

I don't like the new Malibu in pictures, but everytime I see one IRL I'm like Oh that looked really nice!  Especially in black.

[MrH]

Sounds like someone has never seen an automotive suspension book. I've read Carroll Smith's books (which are watered down for non engineers) and there's a lot going on there.

I've read really technical, enginerdy stuff on suspensions, and it's so unbelievably dumbed down in those books.  Real life suspensions are crazy complex and difficult to nail down properly.

[280Z Turbo]

I've read really technical, enginerdy stuff on suspensions, and it's so unbelievably dumbed down in those books.  Real life suspensions are crazy complex and difficult to nail down properly.

Well, that's why they pay you guys more than me.

[SVT_Power]

I've been meaning to read (or try to read) Vehicle dynamics theory and applications and Race car vehicle dynamics. Got both on pdf, just never seem to get around to it.

[GoCougs]

One of the hardest aspects to suspension design is properly modeling the chassis - MatLab ain't going to come close to cutting it - will need something like an uber-powerful ANSYS workstation + experience. (Then of course there's the dynamic modeling of the entire system - chassis + individual suspension elements + wheels + tires all in the context of nearly infinite combination of positions, movements, etc. And then you're onto optimization of that ginormous system. Jesus! Makes my head 'SPIN!)

[Eye of the Tiger]

You didn't even move pivot points.

You can't do that in STS

[280Z Turbo]

You can't do that in STS

Exactly.

[MrH]

One of the hardest aspects to suspension design is properly modeling the chassis - MatLab ain't going to come close to cutting it - will need something like an uber-powerful ANSYS workstation + experience. (Then of course there's the dynamic modeling of the entire system - chassis + individual suspension elements + wheels + tires all in the context of nearly infinite combination of positions, movements, etc. And then you're onto optimization of that ginormous system. Jesus! Makes my head 'SPIN!)

Even then, you still need to build the damn thing and test in as many conditions are you can get to pull real world data.  Compare that to your simulation, tweak, etc.

But seriously, they over think it.  This is all you gotta do:

Make the springs somewhat soft, keep the low speed damping high to remove floatiness, tune mid + high speed damping appropriately

  I don't think anyone knows what that's actually supposed to mean.  Just a bunch of vague, relative terms thrown around to make it sound like he knows what he's talking about.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Exactly.

Civics are perfect, anyway. All it really needed was more than 70 HP.

[280Z Turbo]

Even then, you still need to build the damn thing and test in as many conditions are you can get to pull real world data.  Compare that to your simulation, tweak, etc.

But seriously, they over think it.  This is all you gotta do:

  I don't think anyone knows what that's actually supposed to mean.  Just a bunch of vague, relative terms thrown around to make it sound like he knows what he's talking about.

Yup.

All simulations are wrong, some are useful.

[sportyaccordy]

  I don't think anyone knows what that's actually supposed to mean.  Just a bunch of vague, relative terms thrown around to make it sound like he knows what he's talking about.

I have put together a lot of street setups on mainstream cars and this is what has worked for me

[MrH]

I have put together a lot of street setups on mainstream cars and this is what has worked for me

It just gets better.  Slammed maximas on ebay coilovers don't "work" for OEMs.

[2o6]

I have put together a lot of street setups on mainstream cars and this is what has worked for me

Have you taken them on a track?

[sportyaccordy]

It just gets better.  Slammed maximas on ebay coilovers don't "work" for OEMs.

They weren't Ebay coilovers

And not all of my setups were slammed... the best one was maybe 1-1.5" lower than stock, with springs not much stiffer than stock, but significantly better damping

Maybe for 10/10ths autocross you need MATLAB and all that shit but for a family car on the street? Cmon

Have you taken them on a track?

What would going to a track tell me that real streets wouldn't? No I haven't taken them on a track.