Powertrain and independent suspension mounting arrangement for front-wheel-drive vehicle

In a front-wheel-drive vehicle having a cradle that is cushion mounted on the vehicle body and to which independent front-suspension control arms are mounted and further having a powertrain including an engine and transmission and differential that is cushion mounted on the cradle and wherein both the engine and transmission are positioned transversely in the vehicle body:

• the improvement comprising in combination, a plurality of cradle mounts supporting the cradle with all its weight at mounting points on the vehicle body, said cradle mounts including cushion and rate control means arranged so as to provide a soft substantially linear spring rate at small cradle vibration amplitudes and a non-linear spring rate at large cradle vibration amplitudes in both a fore and aft direction and a vertical direction relative to the vehicle body and a stiff substantially linear rate at all cradle vibration amplitudes in a lateral direction relative to the vehicle body, an engine mount and a pair of transmission mounts connected to the engine and transmission respectively and supporting the powertrain with all its weight at mounting points on the cradle, said engine and transmission mounts including cushion and rate control means arranged so as to provide soft substantially linear spring rates at all powertrain vibration amplitudes in the fore and aft, vertical and lateral directions and at small powertrain vibration amplitudes in a pitching direction relative to the vehicle body and a non-linear spring rate at large powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction, and powertrain torque reaction means connected between the powertrain and a mounting point on the vehicle body so as to be in either tension or compression on pitching of the powertrain depending on whether the transmission is in forward or reverse drive, said powertrain torque reaction means including cushion and rate control means arranged so as to provide a soft substantially linear spring rate at small powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction and a non-linear spring rate at large powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction.

In a front-wheel-drive vehicle having a cradle that is cushion mounted on the vehicle body and to which independent front-suspension control arms are mounted and further having a powertrain including an engine and transmission and differential that is cushion mounted on the cradle and wherein both the engine and transmission are positioned transversely in the vehicle body:

• the improvement comprising in combination, a plurality of cradle mounts supporting the cradle with all its weight at mounting points on the vehicle body, said cradle mounts including cushion and rate control means arranged so as to provide a soft substantially linear spring rate at small cradle vibration amplitudes and a non-linear spring rate at large cradle vibration amplitudes in both a fore and aft direction and a vertical direction relative to the vehicle body and a stiff substantially linear rate at all cradle vibration amplitudes in a lateral direction relative to the vehicle body, a plurality of powertrain mounts supporting the powertrain with all its weight at mounting points on the cradle, said powertrain mounts including cushion and rate control means arranged so as to provide soft substantially linear spring rates at all powertrain vibration amplitudes in the fore and aft, vertical and lateral directions and at small powertrain vibration amplitudes in a pitching direction relative to the vehicle body and further provide a non-linear spring rate at large powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction, and powertrain pitch reaction means connected between the powertrain and a mounting point on the vehicle body, said powertrain torque reaction means including a strut extending in the fore and aft direction so as to be in either tension or compression on pitching of the powertrain depending on whether the transmission is in forward or reverse drive, said powertrain torque reaction means further including cushion and rate control means at opposite ends of said strut arranged so as to provide a soft substantially linear spring rate at small powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction and a non-linear spring rate at large powertrain vibration amplitudes in the pitching direction.