UTI AT-12 153 Hybrid Steering and Suspension Systems
What are the characteristics of the Macpherson Strut
- A type of strut - does not improve ride or handling quality - lower cost - compact and simple - pivots for steering - have cam-ecentric bolts that adjust camber - have two-adjustment locations: top fo strut to body (oval shaped insert), cam-ecentric bolts that move the camber at the lower part of the strut.
What are the characteristics of the control arm bushings?
- Connects control arms to frame and axle - prevent metal-to-metal contact -allow control arm assembly to move vertically - help dampen bumps in the road
What two types of built-in safety features are in a steering column regarding the event of a collision?
- Metal Mesh: steering column made of mesh material weak enough to collapse when the vehicle is in an accident - Two-piece column: one column fits insider a bigger and on impact, the plastic holding pins would shear allowing the smaller column to go inside the other.
What are the definitions of wheelset back?
- Positive: means the right wheel is set back fartherr than the left. - Negative: means the left wheel is set back farther than the right.
What are the characteristics of the Modified Machperson?
- Similar to MacPherson strut - Does not include spring - coil sptrins are positioned between lower control arms and frame
What are the components of the Macpherson strut?
- Srut - Coil Spring - Bump Stop - Hydraulic Shock - Dust Boot - Turning plate
What are the characteristics of the Chapman Strut?
- Strut suspension - similar to Machpherson strut - does not turn like macpherson strut - used in rear wheels
What are the characteristics of the Twin I-beam suspension?
- Suspension system - Exclusively on Ford trucks - Allows wheels to move independently. - smoother ride over solid axle - uses radius arm to allow better up and down motion but prevent front to back motion
What are the characteristics of the Short arm Long Arm suspension system? (SLA)
- Suspension system - short upper arm - long lower arm - spring and shock suspension absorber - in front end, steering knuckle connects to the upper and lower arms to provide a mountin point for the wheel hub. - still has some camber change with vertical motion which can lead to additional tire wear
What are the characteristics of the Double Wishbone suspension system?
- Suspension system - typically used in perofrmance applications - has coil springs with equal-length
What are the characteristics of the Multilink suspension system?
- independent suspension system with more than two control arms. - uses extra links to keep wheel in previde position - improves steering control and minimizes tire wear - basically a doubkle wishhone with each arm of the wishbone a spereate part - because of the extra arms, it makes it harder to service and more expensive
Before checking or adjusting the wheel alignment, what action should be performed?
A basic pre-aligment inspection is carried out before this action.
What component provides an electrical connection between the vehicle and the components mounted in and on the steering wheel?
A clock spring assists in carrying electricity from and to these two areas
What are the advantage to reducing weight in a vehicle?
A reduction in this factor of a vehicle causes the following; - quicker suspension reaction time - maintains tire contact with road over bumpier conditions - provides better acceleration and cornerning traction - improves vehicle's stability
What are the charactertistics of a vehicle that have instant centers closer to the axle and higher in the vehicle?
A vehicle with this type of theory setup may have traction for less time, but react quicker
What are the characteristics of vehicle that has an instant center further from the axle and lower in the vehicle?
A vehicle with this type of theory setup may have traction longer but react slower
If improper or no equal this angle will pull the vehicle towards the side with least of this angle
Caster Angle causes this when unequal on both sides.
Excessive camber angle can cause this tire-wear condition and mechanical wear.
Excessive alignment of this angle can cuase scuffing and wear on the edge of the tire-outside edge when positive and inside edge when negative. It can also cause excessive wear on wheel bearings. If the vehicle has a heavy load it can also cause this angle to decrese.
How may racing vehicle coil spring rates vary in Oval racing?
In this type of Race, the spring coil rate may differ from side to side
How may racing vehicle coil spring rates vary in road racing?
In this type of race, the coil spring rates are equal
How may racing vehicle coil spring rates vary in drag racing?
In this type of race, the coil spring rates are the same, and rear spring rates are different
What tool is used to depress the brake and when is it used?
The Brake Pedal Depressor is the tool used to depress the brake during the alignment procedure
What component assists in allowing the steering shaft or column to change angles in order to reach the steering gear?
The U-joints or universal joints help this component to reach the steering gear
What benefits are accomplished by buying and installing aftermarket anti-sway bars?
The aftermarket verison of this components allows less body roll at thicker diameters and more body roll at larger diameters
What benefits are accomplished by buying and instaling aftermarket sway arm bushing and stiffness?
The aftermarket version of this component reduces veehicle's body roll when cornering, reduces flex when you add a stuffer version, helps driver maintain vehicle control
What common steering system type was used for domestic auto makers with smaller cars with front-wheel drive?
The rack and pinion steering system was used in these applications
What tool is used to hold the steering wheel and when is it used?
The steering wheel holder tool is used when the steering wheel must be held in place, typically during alignment or servicing the steering shaft.
The air bag is part of the what system?
The supplement restraint system or SRS includes this emergency device.
What are some components you can upgrade or modify the stock control arms in vehicles?
These are some components that can be interchanged when accomplishing this task; - Control Arms: ball joints, bushings, additional brace - A-arm cross shaft: new arm is stronger, high strength steel and allows maximum cmaber adjustments - Tubular Control arms: can be used instead of stock control arms and are lighter and stronger.
What are the steps for measuring ride height of a vehicle?
These are the steps of things to check that are in regards to this procedure: #1 All tire PSI is the same #2 verify vehicle is at trim height, remove any heavy loads #3 Park the vehicle on level surface (alignment rack) #4 Jounce the front and rear of the vehicle #5 After vehicle has settled, take measurement at manufacturer-specified locations using a tape-measure.
What are the generic list of things to check when performing a basic pre-aligment inspection?
These are the steps of things to check that are in regards to this procedure: #1 Proper tire inflation, size, and tread depth #2 Vehicle ride hieght set to manufactuere specs #3 Roundness of wheels and tires, or runout #4 Proper wheel bearing adjustment #5 loose ball joints or torn ball joint boots #6 Worn control arm bushings #7 Inner and outer tie rod ends for damage or loosesness #8 Center link for play #9 Pitman arm or idler arm for any movement #10 Heavy loads not in or part of vehicle, if so, remove #11 Looseness ar steering gear or rack bushings #12 Improperly operating shock absorbers #13 Upper strut mounts and bearings #14 loose missing stabalizer bar attachments #15 dragging brakes (this can cause vehicle pull to one side)
What are the different types of ball joints used in Short/Long Arm suspension systems?
These are the type of ball joints used for this suspension system: - Pressed-In - Threaded-In - Riveted or Bolted - Non-replaceable
What procedures should be done when replacing the steering shaft?
These steps are to be completed when replacing this component; - Straighten wheels - stop engine, remove key - Lock Steering wheel - mark both ends of the steering shaft with their connecting components for proper realignment. - remove connection from both steering wheel and steering gear
What is steering axis inclination?
This NON-adjustable angle is fromed between true vertical and an imaginary line drawn between the upper and lower pivot points of the spindle as viewed from the from. It is measured in degrees. The greater this angle, the more stable and cetnered the vehicle is. This angle only changes with camber.
Camber angle can cause this if unequal side-to-side.
This aligment angle can cause pull towards the side with the most positive angle.
What angle of aligment is in regards to the tilt of the steering axis in reference to a vertical line drawn through the upper and lower steering pivot points (ball joints) as viewed from the side of the vehicle
This aligment angle is Caster
What are the defintions of each Toe alignment angle?
This aligment angle is measured by the difference between the front and rear of the tires on the same axle: - Zero: Both wheel on the same axle are parallel - Angle-in (positive): when the front of the tires are clsoer than the rear of the tires of the same axle. - Angle-out (negative): when the front of the tires are farther apart than the rear of the tires on the same axle.
What is camber alignment angle?
This aligment angle is regards to the inward or outward angle of the wheels from the true vertical as viewed from the front or rear of the vehicle.
What are the definitions of each Camber angle?
This alignment angle is measured in degrees or fracitons of degrees, - Zero: perfectly verticla tire with it being vertical to the ground - Positive: if the top of the tire tilts outwards from the car - Negative: If the top fo the tire tilts inwards to teh car
Is Caster a tire-wearing angle?
This angle does not affect tire-wear
What is wheel setback?
This angle is NON-adjustable and is the angle of axle compared to to a line perpednicular ot the vehicle enter line: It typically occurs on front wheels as a result of collision damage.
What are defintitons of each Caster Angle?
This angle is affected by these point and defined by the following: - Zero: means the steering axis is striaght up and down and also called zero degrees or perfectly vertical - Positive: This angle is measured in degrees or fractions of degrees. Positive is when the upper suspension pivot point is behind the lower pivot pooint, or ball joint, as viewed from the side. - Negative: This angle is when the upper suspension pivot point is ahead of the lower ball joint.
What is thrust angle?
This angle is of the rear wheels as determined by comparing the rear toe to the vehicle;s centerline. If both rear wheel vehicle have zero toe, the angle is parallel to the geometric centerline of the vehicle, which is ideal.
What is the "Included alignement angle" definition?
This angle is the combination of SAI and camber
What is the Toe aligment angle?
This angle is the difference in distance between the front and rear of the tires on the same axle. You measure this angle in degreese ior in fraction of an INCH, usually 1/16th, millimeters, or decimals of an inch.
What are the characteristics of the Short/Long Arm suspension arms?
This arm of this type fo suspension system typically has these charactertisics; - Made of steel or aluminum - Shapes come in "A-arm" and "I-arm" - Low arm can have coil spring or torsion bar.
What is the purpose of the four-link suspension on a axle?
This component assist in eliminated the rear axle's tendency to rotate by diverting strain onto the links, during acceleration, rear end pulls on upper bars and pushes on lower ones.
How can a ladder bar be adjusted and why?q
This component can be adjusted slightly adjusted to control the vehicle better by adjusting the pinion angle and adding preload through the threaded sleeve.
Where is the traction bar located in a vehicle?
This component can be located under the leaf spring as to prevent leaf spring wrap
What is the purpose of the control arm in the suspension sytem?
This component controls and prevents the axle from twisiting or lifting, including the wheel, keeping them traveling in the proper direction.
What are the jounce and rebound rates of stock shock absorbers?
This component has a 50/50 rate for jounce and rebound
What are the characterisitcs of the Upper and Lower control arms in suspension system?
This component has the following characerisitcs: - Found in paris in the front of the vehicle - often used in performance and racing vehicles - Allow camber to change during jounce and rebound - permitting the wheel alignment to remain the same - result in better wheel contact with the road, allowing the driver to maintain better control of the vehicle
What are the characteristics of the Trailing Arms in suspension systems?
This component has the following characteristics: - Large heavy and add to unsprung weight - allow suspension to move vertically to compensate with bumps in road while preventing side to side movement - allow driver to maintain control of the vehicle at higher speeds while still being able to feel the road - allow drift racing
What are the characteristics of the Radius Arms?
This component has the following characteristics: - Mounted behind the wheel - made from stamped steel or aluminum to reduce unsprung weight - most often used in trucks or off-road racing applications - stabalizes the front-to-reaer movement of the axles
What are the characteristics of the performance coilover shocks used for performance and racing applications?
This component inlcudes a coil spring around the shock absorber - conserves space - provides stiffer ride - has two spring plates - enhances performance
What is the purpose of suspension control arms?
This component is designed to function as a structual support for other element to connect to the steering knuckle or axle the from or body. It also maintains suspension alignment through suspension travel.
How are ladder-bars installed?
This component is installed via upper and lower bar conecting to rear axle. Both bars are welded together near the front, and low bar incorporate attachment point to the frame.
What is the purpose of the Trailing Arm in the suspension system?
This component keeps the axle from moving forward and backward, eliminate neraly all transfer of front-to-rear motion - links from chassis or frame to axle or knuckle .
How may leaf springs vary in racing applications?
This component may have a greate amound of leaves and provide a harsher ride feel in racing applications
What are the components of a four-link suspension?
This component uses four links, all connect to the rear axle; two on the top and two on the bottom.the other ends connect to the frame
What is the purpose of suspension control arms?
This components aligns front and rear suspension system, and use adjustment cams to make changes
What is the function of the control arm?
This components function is to; - reduce side-to-side movement - attach in a V pattern - four-link triagulated system
What are Trailing Arms Comprised of?
This components is made with; - steel - square or cylindrical shaped rod - require strength to keep acle in place
What are the trailing arm placement in a suspension system?
This components is; - mounted to bottoma and top of axle
What is the purpose of ladder bars?
This components prvent leaf spring wrap-up during acceleration and provides a quicker respone and launch
What are some factors that can cause Understeer?
This condition can be caused by the followin factors; - Weight distrubution - Suspension and chassis setup - Type of tire wear - Tire pressure
What are some contributing factors of oversteer?
This condition can occur with the following factors; - entering corner too fast - accelerating into corner too early or aggressively - braking or reducing driver acceleration at halfway point of corner
What is toe-out on turns?
This condition occurs when the outside travels farther than the inside tire on turns. IT allows the tires to move correctly is aided by the steering arms designed to change this angle within a certain tolerance.
What is Oversteer?
This condition occurs when the vehicle's from tire have more traction than rear tires causing the rear end of the vehicle to spin around towards the front end.
What is understeer?
This is acondition when the vehicle's kinetic energy is too strong for front tires to handle and causes tires to lose traction with road
What is the Neutral line of a vehicle?
This is an imaginary line used to calculate suspension angles to acheive best handling and cannot be changed without major modificaiton from stock setup.
What is clear vision in regards to the vehicle?
This is when the driver has an unobstructed view of the instrument panel.
What does positive caster cause during a turn?
This positive aligment angle can caused camber roll, where the the camber changes during a turn
What are the characteristics of the Hydraulic steering assist system?
This steering assist system has characteristics of the following; - has power steering pump that is mointed to the engine front and belt-driven by the crankshaft - high-pressure hose and metal line
What are the characteristics of the Electrical steering assist system?
This steering system has the following characteristics: - No hydraulic system - motor atttached somwewhere in the system - motor may be mounted on steering shaft or on the rack and pinion system
What are the characteristics of the Combination steering assist systems?
This steering system has the following characteristics; - hydraulic and electric system - more responsive handling and low speeds, and easier parking.
Does the four-link suspension system have adjustment points
This suspension systemhas adjustment points to finer tune its operation in the rear axle
What are some characteristics of racing or track suspennsion systems?
This suspesnion works with the following perameters: - Weight; light as possible, rempve unecessary trim and items - Balance; 50/50 weight ratio front to rear, allowing better conering, handling and predictability - Mass: close to center of vehicle and low as possible to maintain stability - Unsprung wieght: miniise unsprung weight on; tires, wheels, rotors, suspension arms, spindles, and rear axle to create balance.
How can Instant Center be adjusted in a performance vehicle?
This theory can be changedd by adjusting control arm angles which in turn adjust tire traction with surface in performance vehicles.
What is the Instant Center in a vehicle?
This theory is found at the point wher ethe rea suspension tries to lift. It is an imaginary point fodun by drawing lines from rear suspension components until they intersect. The best location for this theory is near the neutral line as possible
How does one find the neautral line in a vehicle?
This theory is found by doing the following steps: - Draw vertical line through spindle - draw horizontla line through vehicles center of gravity - center of gravity is twoards rear fo transmissio, approximately one foot above it - draw line from intersection of tire and road suraface in rear - draw diagonal line from tire surafce contact are to intersection of the front of the vehicle where the center of gravitt and neutral spindle vertical line intersect.
What is the center of gravity on a vehicle?
This theory is on the point of the vehicle where mass is evenly distributed.
What is the Power Steering Analyzser's purpose?
This tool checks and measures the fluid pressure and flow the power steering pump generates.
What tool is used to grab the opening of a tie rod adjusting sleeve?
This tool is called a tie rod adjusting tool or Hook Wrench
What are the qualities of a performance shock absorber?
This type of shock absorber has different valving, shock rates, and adjustable shock rate
Can Short/Long arm suspension be used with the torsion bar or coil spring system?
This type of suspenion system can be used with coil springs and torsion bars
What are the characteristics of Independent fron suspensions?
This type of suspension system has the following characterisitcs: - allows each wheel on ront axle to move seperately - offer better ride and handling - less unspring weight - can compensate for bumps in road more effectively
What are the charactertistics of the stock and conventional suspension system?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - Installed by manufacturer - Maintain comfortable ride - trasnfer vehicle weight during acceleration or cornering - prevent jerky or abrupt movements - easier to control - better stability - reduces impacts and bumps in road
What are the characterisitcs of Non-independent fron suspensions?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - Not offten made, but may be on found in truck and street rod applications - solid axle connects left and right front wheel - strong and simple - does not allow significatn camber changes allow for better control - have more unsprung weight - provide less effective handling and a rougher ride.
What are the charactertistics of Independent rear suspensions?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - provide smoother ride becuase differential is mounted to chassis - reduce unsprung weight - allow each rear wheel to react to road surface seperately - allow driver to maintain better control
What are the characteristics of Non-Independent suspensions?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - uses solid axle on older vehicles - Are often used on rear suspensions - heavier and bulkier - increase body roll - trasnfer road irregularity felt in one wheel to opposite wheel, providing rougher ride
What arr the characteristics of the Non-Independent Rear Suspension system?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - Most commonly used in performance or racing applications - Heavier and increase unsprung wieght - Cannot compensate as effectively for irregularities in road - driver feels irregularities
What are the characteristics of the Performance suspension system?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics: - harsh, jerky rides, and more road feel - handles better at higher speeds - turns faster speed without losing control - reacts quikcly to weight transfer and allowing faster acceleration
What are the characteristics of Four Wheel Independent Suspensions?
This type of suspension system has the following characteristics; - Generally found on FWD vehicles - Often used in Performance and racing application - Less unsprung weight - only wheel that hits hump, moves - allows driver to maintain better control of vehicle at higher speeds - aftermarket can be stronger and longer lasting
What are the characteristics of the Rack and Pinion assembly with a VES system?
This type of system is close to PCV but the actuator solenoid is in the power steering pump instead of the rack control valve.
What are the characteristics of the Rack and Pinion assembly with a pressure control valve? (PCV)
This type of system variation has a pressure control valve to limit the amount of power steering assist.
Do drag-cars use anti-sway bars?
This type of vehicle may not use this components as it can cause unwanted limiting of the rise and fall of the suspension
What are some afteraffects of oversteer?
When this condition occurs, some real effects occur such as; - reare of vehicle becomes unstable or has light feeling due to lack of traciton at rear tires - if not ocrrect, vehicle spins all the way around, facing other direciton
Can a failed or bad vehicle spede sensor cause the the electronic control power steering system to operate incorrectly?
Yes this system can opperate inccorectly as a faulty signal from the vehicle will confuse the system.
How can you counteract twisting action in leaf springs?
counteract twisting action in this component can be done by increasing the number of leaves or replacing leaves with thicker ones. Adding a leaf placed in front to adjust resistance without increasing spring rate
