The front and rear subrames on the Fusion are isolated. If you tie them together you might mess up the way they interact with the compliances in the supension. You could end up with twitchy, unpredictable handling and a lot more vibration.
Who's up for some subframe connectors?
My friend who builds dragsters can build some subframe connectors for our cars. He's pretty much a metal guru and can do anything. He even welded my cams on my SHO for me. We haven't come up with a design yet or even prices, but I want to see what type of interest there is before we go further with this. We need about 5-10 people to keep costs down.
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Right, because the dynamics of a solid axle RWD car are exactly the same as the FWD independant suspension Fusion.
Think about this, when you load up the car in the corner, the lateral loads compress the rubber in the subframe bushings. This causes the subframe to shift relative to the body. The orignal engineers tune this and the other bushings so that the shift of the subframe is integrated with the other compliances in the suspension. If you start tying the rear and front together, you will alter the way the subframes shift, probably causing them to twist, rather than shift. This will find it's way back to the wheel, resulting in toe-changes that could reduce the steering feel, alter the balance and introduce unprefictability.
It could turn out to be better though, so I say try it out. But I just want to point out that there's a lot more to suspension tuning then people often realize.
And not all cars use isolated subframes, though it is becoming the only way to meet the NVH requirements of the market. I remember reading that the Accord uses isolated subframes on the I4 models, but not the V6, or it could be the other way around. The Ford 500 uses an isolated rear subframe on AWD models but not FWD.
Think about this, when you load up the car in the corner, the lateral loads compress the rubber in the subframe bushings. This causes the subframe to shift relative to the body. The orignal engineers tune this and the other bushings so that the shift of the subframe is integrated with the other compliances in the suspension. If you start tying the rear and front together, you will alter the way the subframes shift, probably causing them to twist, rather than shift. This will find it's way back to the wheel, resulting in toe-changes that could reduce the steering feel, alter the balance and introduce unprefictability.
It could turn out to be better though, so I say try it out. But I just want to point out that there's a lot more to suspension tuning then people often realize.
And not all cars use isolated subframes, though it is becoming the only way to meet the NVH requirements of the market. I remember reading that the Accord uses isolated subframes on the I4 models, but not the V6, or it could be the other way around. The Ford 500 uses an isolated rear subframe on AWD models but not FWD.
And there all made by the OEM's right? If they were so great, don't you think they'd come from the factory?
Sorry for the extra information. I will let the ignorance continue from now on.
Sorry for the extra information. I will let the ignorance continue from now on.
[quote author=MZ6ZoomZoom link=topic=39177.msg572726#msg572726 date=1139417891]
I don't know the answer to any of this, or anything about it, but:
A lot of "great" things don't come from the factory. What's good for one application is not necessarily good for another, and what's good for a stock car is not necessarily good for one using a certain setup, or wanting a certain ride.
[/quote]
This is very true. My only point was to present a bit more information so some of these trade-offs can be better understood. My opinion is that the chassis is stiff and the subframe bushings are very small and stiff. Thus all the complaince is in the suspension. The best approach would be to start stiffening up the control arm bushings first. Then the subframe will become the weaker link, and subframe connectors, or simply solid subframe mounts might have some benefit.
I don't know the answer to any of this, or anything about it, but:
A lot of "great" things don't come from the factory. What's good for one application is not necessarily good for another, and what's good for a stock car is not necessarily good for one using a certain setup, or wanting a certain ride.
[/quote]
This is very true. My only point was to present a bit more information so some of these trade-offs can be better understood. My opinion is that the chassis is stiff and the subframe bushings are very small and stiff. Thus all the complaince is in the suspension. The best approach would be to start stiffening up the control arm bushings first. Then the subframe will become the weaker link, and subframe connectors, or simply solid subframe mounts might have some benefit.
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