Suspension Design and Engineering Structural Analysis of the Baja Race Car

This paper focuses on the stringent requirements of the Baja SAE China competition for off-road racing vehicles and carries out the design and engineering structural analysis of the suspension system. Under the design constraints of a 1350 mm wheelbase, a front suspension using an unequal-length double-wishbone independent layout, and a rear suspension employing a single-wishbone independent layout with a camber-control arm, the hard points of the suspension were identified and optimized. After optimization, the wheel-alignment parameters (caster angle and toe angle) of both front and rear suspensions varied within a range of less than 2° throughout wheel travel, significantly improving tire contact and stability on complex terrain while reducing component loads. The paper also provides a theoretical analysis of the suspension’s anti-roll performance, demonstrating that the designed suspension possesses sufficient roll resistance to meet the safety requirements for high-speed cornering. The suspension system, after manufacturing and field testing, exhibited good handling and stability across various challenging road conditions, confirming the correctness and practical engineering value of the design methodology and optimization results.