Whether it’s hard cornering, braking, driving over bad roads, or driving with a heavy load, your tires need to be used at their maximum potential at all times. The whole point of having good geometry is to extract the most amount of grip and control out of your tires in all possible conditions. Manufacturers get it right by fine-tuning the placement of suspension components depending on what’s expected out of the car where it’s supposed to be driven, etc. Suspension geometry plays a vital role when it comes to designing the ride and handling of a car. Photo: orion, CC BY-SA 2.0 Effects of Suspension Geometry On Ride & Handling Uneven tire wear due to poor suspension geometry can lead to excess heat, wheelspin and eventual tire failure. Unresponsive or overly responsive steering feedback.Unpredictable oversteer and understeer characteristics.Prematurely worn out suspension components.Here’s a list of everything that can go wrong if your car’s suspension geometry is not set up correctly: It could get as bad as your car not being able to drive even in a straight line. Telltale signs include simple but expensive problems like uneven tire wear - and that’s if you’re lucky. If your car’s suspension geometry is off, it’s going to be extremely noticeable. The effect this has on the movement of your wheels and tires.Positioning and angular movement of your suspension components and,.In simpler words, suspension geometry involves: The geometric arrangement of all the components in a suspension system, and the values of all lengths and angles within it. Put them together and you have suspension geometry. This includes your wheels, tires, struts, springs, dampers, linkages, bushings, bearings - all of it.Ĭaster and camber are just to areas to take into account out of many.Īs you probably know, geometry is a branch of mathematics that studies the sizes, shapes, positions, angles, and dimensions of things. It is used in the automotive context because the body of every car is suspended by - you guessed it - the suspension system. The word “suspension”, originates from a Latin verb called suspendere which means “to hang up”. The words “suspension” and “geometry” are strung together for a reason. Automotive Suspension Geometry for Dummies In this article, we’ll explain what suspension geometry is, how it affects your car, and why it does the things it does. While this subject can fill an entire book, we’re going to keep it crisp and get to the good stuff right away. You’ll know exactly what to expect from the changes you make, and you’ll be in a good position to prevent errors.

If you’re thinking of modifying the handling of your car in any way, getting the basics of suspension geometry down is the first step. Without good geometry, you’re signing up for expensive suspension repairs, uneven tire wear and a generally unsafe car. The goal of good suspension geometry is to help you extract as much traction from your tires as possible. That’s where suspension geometry comes in. Ground contact alone is not enough though for your car to handle and drive well, keeping your wheels pointing in the right direction and optimally loaded is key Cars rely on their suspension system to keep their wheels on the ground.

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