A Real Scrub Radius Solution 4


foci-suspension-1Until I bought my car back, I was always saying things like… “In five years I’ll buy an AP1,” or “If Toyota ever made a successor to the AE86, I’d buy it.”  But I’ve recently realized, that’s all bull shit.  I don’t want anything but my AE86.

… at least in body.

Because as much as I’d like to think they do, new cars don’t suck.  Someone sent me a link with an article on the new Focus’ front suspension design.  I needed an extra glance to really catch what was going on.  It’s a lot of complication, and something that probably would have been near impossible to package with technology 25 years ago… but check it out.

foci-front-suspensionIt relates nicely to my post a couple weeks ago about scrub radius.  Large scrub radius does create many negatives, but especially for high power front wheel drive cars.  By offsetting the steering axis from the strut itself, Ford is able to get a postive scrub radius.  Maybe I’ll be fitting these parts to an AE86 and finally playing the fitment game…

… In a few years.


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4 thoughts on “A Real Scrub Radius Solution

  • paulcorolla

    Where does the bottom rotate?
    ON what looks like the ball joint or in the red/green parts interface?
    I’m guessing in the red/green, pretty neat also a huge hole for the fwd axles.
    Is the strut like a rear style strut from a irs type car. Pretty much the same but with out the spring perch bearing?

    Kinda cool, I still dig focus, Colin McRae.

  • Q

    yeah… I think it’s the red/green/orange.

    What keeps the main balljoint from rotating though? If it’s just that it is connected to the main strut, and the uppermount doesn’t have a rotating bearing then… seems silly.

  • randedge

    Yah, I found this. I rule. If we were in blog jail, I’d be Morgan Freeman’s character – the man who can ‘get’ things.

    On a more serious note, I’ve thought about this more: With whatever rules you are playing in that will allow such a mod like this one, would it not also allow double wishbone? Because if the answer is yes, then In-Wheel double wishbone is probably the absolute best solution. Probably easier too.

  • Q

    Easier? Nah.

    Seems to me that a lot of strut equipped cars don’t really have a good place to mount an upper control arm. And it’s a major engineering issue to figure out where I’m going to put it. Steeling this strut would maybe require no fabrication. I have my top mount. I can probably re-use existing LCA/Strut Rod… the only issue becomes fitting the right Ball joint and having enough length in the tie rods.

    Actually no… that’s not true. Because the steering arm position is not anywhere near correct and would require major modification for bump steers sake.

    But double A-arm doesn’t feel right Randy.

    That’s why Paul should fit De Dion rear suspension.