5 replies to this topic

[Kraig]

From my reading, a trailing arm rear suspension as used in most of the bike engined conversions I've seen, is not that great from a handling point of view. I realize a double A-arm setup would be the best. Why does no one at least use a semi-trailing arm rear suspension as a compromise for better handling over the trailing arm setup? Does everyone just make their suspension so stiff that there is no possibility of body roll and nasty camber changes in the suspension? Thanks.

[Monte Busa]

You may want to try out a Z-Cars conversion or Monte Carlo before placing judgment on the trailing arm setup. Sure, trailing arm is not as fancy as a multi-link, semi-trailing arm, DeDion, or double A-Arm, but on the Z-Cars it's truly amazing - I've never seen quite anything like it for "hooking up" off the line in a standing start sprint either and when set up well they handle like they are on rails - the latest TRC magazine quoting the Z-Cars Sprint / Minus as having "Radical levels of grip" in the corners...and of course a Radical has ground effects and a rear wing...

From my reading, a trailing arm rear suspension as used in most of the bike engined conversions I've seen, is not that great from a handling point of view. I realize a double A-arm setup would be the best. Why does no one at least use a semi-trailing arm rear suspension as a compromise for better handling over the trailing arm setup? Does everyone just make their suspension so stiff that there is no possibility of body roll and nasty camber changes in the suspension? Thanks.

Edited by Monte Busa, 29 August 2008 - 01:50 AM.

[R1mini]

Your Monte Carlo should have semi trailing arms anyway hasn't it, that's what I thought

Cheers
David

[Monte Busa]

Yup!

Your Monte Carlo should have semi trailing arms anyway hasn't it, that's what I thought

Cheers
David

[z cars chris]

if you read all the suspension books in the world there are chapters on every type of suspension you can mention then only a page on trailing arms, it seems that for some reason they were dismissed by the academics many years ago
i started building cars with trailing arms in 1995 and over the past 15 years have fitted them to all sorts of cars
we have played around with various settings and designs over this time and developed them to a high level
we do compete against various other cars in the race series that we are in and perform way over the cars class structure
for example if you saw me on the start grid at croft this weekend with a totally standard hayabusa mini with 180 bhp in the pouring rain alongside a 450 bhp subaru impretza both of us on wet tyres who would be first into the corner and what would the lap times be ?
on paper the 4 wd should get away first and have more grip throughout
well it doesnt work like that we had two races on sunday and both times i beat the impretza to the bend and was NINE seconds a lap faster over a 2.1 mile lap
just behind the impretza was a mitsubishi evo 8 with 450 bhp and i was 9.3 seconds a lap faster than him
the design of trailing arm suspension is a mystery to most suspension experts and i am not about to let them into the secrets that ive gained over the past 15 years
i suppose the only way to re assure anyone is for them to visit us for a demo then the grip and balance of the car can be felt rather than guessed about
its fair to say we have been doing very well racing the minis this last two years and i always thought it was on to win an event outright
this can only happen in the wet with my standard engine fitted as the power of the big cars means they can overtake us on the straights
on sunday i managed to win outright and im over the moon with that as a result as there was a very strong field there
chris

[Kraig]

Thanks for the reply and congrats on the win!