Vehicle Dynamics and Damping

Book excerpt: This book explains the influence of damping on the ride and handling of race and sports cars. The author deals with the myths about damping, explaining the correllation between laws of physics and damping design, showing that there is nothing myterious about the way dampers work or damping forces can be manipulated. If the tire is the most important part transmitting engine power to the pavement, an integrated damping/suspension system is the second most important component between engine power and road surface. Over the last decades, suspension design and tuning has become one of the most important reasons for success on the race track. One of the most significant achievements of the author has been the realisation that the unsprung mass is a greater disturbing factor for good handling than the sprung mass of a car. The author describes the observations leading to this breakthrough in modern suspension tuning and the excellent results in racing.