Improving Vehicle Handling and Comfort Performance Using 4WS

Purpose of this work is to investigate, through a virtual analysis in multi body environment, how to use a four wheel steering system (4WS) to improve vehicle handling and comfort performance.

Working only on rear axle, the idea is to define a suspension layout that maximizes the comfort using the mechanical approach, while the handling performance is demanded to the active system.

The vehicle used for the theoretical study is an Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 V6. The standard vehicle has been mechanically modified by changing the original rear suspension, a multilink geometry, with a Mc-Pherson layout designed to maximize longitudinal comfort performances. Then an active system, which controls rear steering angles, has been integrated in the rear axle in order to maximize handling performance.