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rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:54 pm
by kloonsy
Due to not being with my bongo for a week, i cant stick my head under it, so can someone tell me if there is a seperate spring/shocker at the rear or is it a Mcpherson strut? Thanks in advance
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:13 pm
by westonwarrior
springs all round
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:28 pm
by francophile1947
Separate
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:42 pm
by scanner
MacPherson struts are usually only fitted at the front.
The Bongo has a live axle with separate springs and dampers at the rear.
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:48 pm
by kloonsy
scanner wrote:MacPherson struts are usually only fitted at the front.
The Bongo has a live axle with separate springs and dampers at the rear.
Thanks everybody. Scanner do you mean usually as in bongos or in general, as ive had a few cars with Mcphersons on all four corners
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:42 pm
by scanner
kloonsy wrote:scanner wrote:MacPherson struts are usually only fitted at the front.
The Bongo has a live axle with separate springs and dampers at the rear.
Thanks everybody. Scanner do you mean usually as in bongos or in general, as ive had a few cars with Mcphersons on all four corners
It's 100% just struts on the front with Bongos so far as I know.
Not that many cars have had struts all round, concentric springs and dampers, maybe but not true MacPherson struts as they are usually (SFAIK) only needed on steered wheels.
What cars have you had them all round on? I seem to remember some Fiats (I think) but can't think of many others.
from Wikipedia
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system widely used in modern vehicles, named after Earl S. MacPherson who developed the design. Though named for him, it was actually invented by an engineer named Fornaca at FIAT in the mid-1920s.[1]
The first car to feature MacPherson struts was the 1949 Ford Vedette,[2] and it was also adopted in the 1951 Ford Consul and later Zephyr. It can be used for both front and rear suspensions, but is usually found at the front, where it provides a steering pivot (kingpin) as well as a suspension mounting for the wheel. Rear struts of a similar design are properly called Chapman struts.
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:46 pm
by kloonsy
First one that springs to mind are my corolla gt's and gti-16's
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:57 pm
by scanner
kloonsy wrote:First one that springs to mind are my corolla gt's and gti-16's
Pre - Bongo ownership Japanese cars don't exist to me, so that's not one I've come across.
Why did they need steering on the rear wheels?
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:30 am
by kloonsy
scanner wrote:kloonsy wrote:First one that springs to mind are my corolla gt's and gti-16's
Pre - Bongo ownership Japanese cars don't exist to me, so that's not one I've come across.
Why did they need steering on the rear wheels?
Ha ha they dont. A mcpherson strut is any shock absorber (damper) that has a spring mounted over it in a single unit, not really anything to do with steering unless they are at the front. MK5 escorts are another that have them at the rear.
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 10:39 am
by scanner
kloonsy wrote:scanner wrote:kloonsy wrote:First one that springs to mind are my corolla gt's and gti-16's
Pre - Bongo ownership Japanese cars don't exist to me, so that's not one I've come across.
Why did they need steering on the rear wheels?
Ha ha they dont. A mcpherson strut is any shock absorber (damper) that has a spring mounted over it in a single unit, not really anything to do with steering unless they are at the front. MK5 escorts are another that have them at the rear.
My (slightly pedantic) point was that they are only really a MacPherson strut if they turn - if the simply locate and suspend they should really be called Chapman struts as the turning facility is the function MacPherson developed.
As explained in the Wikipedia article.
Anyway back to the question, the Bongo doesn't have either sort on the rear axle.
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 11:47 am
by kloonsy
Re: rear suspension
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:11 pm
by scanner
Their use as a non turning suspension unit was pioneered by Colin Chapman in his endless quest for simplicity and lightweight and that is where that reference comes from - presumably to reinforce the fact that in that application they don't turn and therefore don't "MacPherson".
. Although after 23 years in the motor trade ive never heard them refered to as a chapman strut, not even in college. I dont always trust Wiki!! 