Z - Link

[wally8]

That idea has essentially been done already in the CT world (pretty much any rear suspension config you can think of has been tried there).

It was typically done without birdcages though. The springs are light enough that they wrap pretty easily (you're only talking about 6-9 degrees of pinion rotation even in CT which is pretty radical). Rear slider bearings are used for the leaf springs and usually a top link with a panhard bar. The leafs won't quite do the job on locating the car laterally.

In any case, it's been pretty much abandoned by most (everyone?). Most cars run 4 links with birdcages these days because they can dial in the rear steer that they want. Many have a Z-link on the left and a four link (half of a 4 link actually) on the right.



If you're going to go that far, ditch the leaf springs and go with real links and coilovers. Like Matt said, if you want to go over it some more let's start another thread for the sake of keeping the search criteria straight.

The main advantage I see for a Z-link in this app is packaging as a result of the short arms while still maintaining favorable rear steer performance, albeit at the cost of a torque restraining device.


Wally