Vehicle suspension systems

Abstract

A vehicle suspension system having first and second trailing arms (10), each trailing arm (10) being mounted to the vehicle adjacent its forward end (14) for pivotal movement about a transverse axis of the vehicle, one trailing arm (10) being located adjacent one side of the vehicle and adapted adjacent its trailing end (22) to support a first wheel of a vehicle and the other trailing arm (10) being located adjacent the other side of the vehicle and adapted adjacent its trailing end (22) to support a second wheel of the vehicle, the first and second wheels being located on a transverse axis of the vehicle, a torsion beam (24) being provided to control lateral separation of the trailing arms (10), and a pair of dynamic beams (30) being secured at their forward and rearward ends longitudinally of the vehicle, one dynamic beam (30) being located in juxtaposed relationship with each of the trailing arms (10), each trailing arm (10) being connected adjacent its trailing end (22) to the adjacent dynamic beam (10), at a point intermediate of the ends of the dynamic beam (30), the forward ends (14) of the trailing arms (10) being pivotally attached to the vehicle by means of bushes (16) with longitudinal compliance, minimum vertical compliance and controlled lateral compliance, the dynamic beams (30) being secured to the vehicle at their rearward end with longitudinal compliance but with zero or minimal lateral compliance and at their forward end with longitudinal compliance and with controlled lateral compliance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.