Monday, February 14, 2011

R171 3-link Front Suspension

Jumping from C36 to R171, I keep wondering about the change of the front suspension. The traditional double wishbone gave a firm and luxury Mercedes ride to the W202. Because of the split installation of spring and shock, it gives a rather stable platform which are strong and reliable. The 3-link strut type came to W203 with a surprise but it did have a much sharper turn-in and responsiveness. While the lower arms are split and deem less stronger in construction, the strut itself tells a different story. The strut is heavy and over-engineered. The trailing front arm would help handle the impact of bump thumps and braking (a pull force), while the lateral arm defining the lateral position and dealing with the lateral force during cornering. It is funny that Mercedes engineers decided to use the steering (tie) rod as a third suspension arm which sits about the same levels with the other two lower arms.

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