A simple MacPherson strut suspension on the left front wheel of a rear-wheel drive vehicle.

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] MacPherson strut suspension. ... MacPherson strut suspension. ... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... The front suspension components of a Ford Model T. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. ... Earl Steele MacPherson was the Ford engineer who developed the MacPherson strut in the 1940s. ... For other uses, see Fiat (disambiguation). ...

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. The Ford Vedette was a large car manufactured by Ford France SA in their factory in Poissy from 1948 to 1954. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Automobile stubs | Ford vehicles ... For other Ford related cars called Zephyr, see Mercury Zephyr, Lincoln-Zephyr, and Lincoln Zephyr The Ford Zephyr was a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom. ... Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. ... Suspension, showing tie rod, steering arm, king pin (axis) ball joints The kingpin is the main pivot in the steering mechanism of a car or other vehicle. ... A Chapman strut is an automobile suspension device. ...

It consists of a wishbone or a substantial compression link stabilized by a secondary link which provides a bottom mounting point for the hub or axle of the wheel. This lower arm system provides both lateral and longitudinal location of the wheel. The upper part of the hub is rigidly fixed to the inner part of the strut proper, the outer part of which extends upwards directly to a mounting in the body shell of the vehicle. To be really successful, the MacPherson strut required the introduction of unibody (or monocoque) construction, because it needs a substantial vertical space and a strong top mount, which unibodies can provide, while benefiting them by distributing stresses.^[3] The strut will usually carry both the coil spring on which the body is suspended and the shock absorber, which is usually in the form of a cartridge mounted within the strut (see coilover). The strut also usually has a steering arm built into the lower inner portion. The whole assembly is very simple and can be preassembled into a unit; also by eliminating the upper control arm, it allows for more width in the engine bay, which is useful for smaller cars, particularly with transverse-mounted engines such as most front wheel drive vehicles have. It can be further simplified, if needed, by substituting an anti-roll bar (torsion bar) for the radius arm.^[4] For those reasons, it has become almost ubiquitous with low cost manufacturers. Furthermore, it offers an easy method to set suspension geometry.^[5] An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. ... Monocoque (French for single shell) is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ... For other uses, see Spring. ... Gasfilled Shock absorber. ... A set of coilovers. ... Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. ... A double wishbone suspension is an automobile independent suspension design using two parallel wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. ... A transverse engine is an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle. ... Front wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... A sway bar (also called an anti-sway bar or anti-roll bar) is an automobile suspension device. ... A torsion spring is a ribbon, bar, or coil that reacts against twisting motion. ... A radius rod (also called a radius arm or a torque arm) is a suspension member intended to control wheel motion in the longitudinal (fore-aft) plane. ...

Although it is a popular choice due to its simplicity and low manufacturing cost, the design has a few disadvantages, with regards to the quality of ride it provides and how it affects the handling of the car. Geometric analysis shows it cannot allow vertical movement of the wheel without some degree of either camber angle change, sideways movement, or both. It is not generally considered to give as good handling as double wishbone suspensions, because it allows the engineers less freedom to choose camber change and roll center. The wheel tends to lean with the body, leading to understeer. Another drawback is that it tends to transmit noise and vibration from the road directly into the body shell, giving higher noise levels and a "harsh" feeling to the ride compared with double wishbones, requiring manufacturers to add extra noise reduction or cancellation and isolation mechanisms. Also, because of its greater size and robustness and greater degree of attachment to the vehicle structure, when the internal seals of the shock absorber portion wear out replacement is relatively expensive compared to replacing a simple shock absorber. However, despite these drawbacks, the strut setup is still used on high performance cars such as the Porsche 911, all BMWs except the 2007 X5,^[6] and several Mercedes-Benzs. A wheel with a negative camber angle Camber angle is the angle made by the wheel of an automobile; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. ... In automobiles, a double wishbone (or upper and lower A-arm) suspension is an independent suspension design using two (sometimes parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. ... Ideally, when the car reaches the turn, the driver will steer it along the line marked with green dots. ... Porsche 911 in hillclimb The Porsche 912 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ... For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation). ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Strut Bar

Front Strut Bar mounted strut bar A strut bar or strut brace is a mostly aftermarket car suspension accessory used in conjunction with MacPherson struts on monocoque or unibody chassis to provide extra strength between the strut towers. ...

External links

• AutoZine Technical School site