Suspension Dampening Stiffness

[gsb216200]

I have a question if i do a negative dampening stiffness will the car ride like a luxury car im really confused?

[Daffyflyer]

Well, the spring's job is to absorb bumps and body roll forces etc.

The stiffer the spring, the more force is required to compress it and thus the more force is transmitted through to the car itself, so you'll get less body roll but a harsher ride. Softer springs will give you more roll, but usually a better/softer ride over bumps.

Dampers are there to stop the spring from making the suspension bounce up and down forever, stiffer springs require stiffer dampers as the spring is "bouncier" and needs more damping to keep it under control.


I'd say you'd set spring stiffness first, then try and set the damper stiffness after that to suit the springs.


Der Bayer might be able to add more to this discussion, as he's the one who wrote the physics calculations behind suspension.

[Der Bayer]

I don't know what you mean with "negative" dampening stiffness. It's always positive. Basically you want a low dampening stiffness so that nothing prevents the wheel from moving up and down, which means that the road bump is not transferred into the body that much. But as Daffy said, too low dampening stiffness will make the wheels and body oscillate for a long time, resulting in less comfort. So you have to find the right compromise.

[RobtheFiend]

A negative dampening setting is impossible, as a zero setting is the total removal of the damper.

[gsb216200]

What would be the body bump rate of a luxury car?

[Der Bayer]

That would be very comfy, but don't try to go through corners with such a car:



If the blue and yellow line stay close to zero and the red and green line go back to zero quicky, you're fine.