Real case of Vehicle Dynamics Simulation during an SUV Suspension Development

Traditionally, the suspension development of SUV vehicles presents additional difficulties when compared to other vehicle types, like sedans or even light trucks, due to its inherently high CG height from the ground. This situation is even more critical when designing a suspension set-up for developing countries, due to market particularities such as road conditions and vehicle loading and use.

When MMC Automotores do Brasil, Mitsubishi Motors representative for Brazil, decided to produce locally a new SUV as part of the localization process, it was decided to develop a specific suspension tuning for Brazilian conditions. The main objective was to increase suspension travel to improve vehicle capability on rough roads, increasing at same time the comfort level on bad surfaces, but without any critical compromise of vehicle stability and handling. Considering the very critical compromises between Ride & Handling involved, it was decided to use a Vehicle Simulation tool (Callas software, from SERA-CD) to help driving the suspension development process. This paper describes the simulation application and its technical benefits to the whole development process.