The dynamic behaviour of vehicles for the Indian market is tailored to specific road conditions. Roads in India are particularly demanding for the chassis and suspension systems. Although the quality of roads has improved over the years, there are still a high percentage of roads in poor condition, especially after the monsoon period, which significantly deteriorates the road surface. The intensive traffic and overloading of vehicles also add to the problem of road deterioration.
When taking into account the road conditions, road clearance for vehicles in India must be higher than the design specifications in other markets in order to protect the mechanical parts of the vehicle against road obstacles. This has a considerable effect on the dynamic performance of the vehicle and subsequently on dynamic safety when driving over 80 km/h.
Additionally, the quality of the chassis components and systems at the production line has to be monitored, to prevent inconsistent vehicle behaviour between vehicles manufactured. Divergences on vehicle performance can lead to safety and stability issues.
This paper covers the process of tuning a chassis for the Indian market, including the suspension and steering systems. Dynamic safety is therefore a major primary safety requirement with enormous potential to reduce road accidents. It is the combination of not only passive chassis systems (tires, suspensions, etc.) but also Active Chassis Systems (ESC, ABS) which determines the overall dynamic safety performance of the vehicle.
This paper explains the specifics of chassis development, testing and tuning of vehicles for the Indian market, including the influence of key chassis systems and components to improve the steering performance and vehicle stability and ultimately reduce the number of accidents on the Indian roads.