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Whenever I read car magazines they are always talking about the need to reduce unsprung weight. Supposedly, high unsprung weight causes a harsher ride - so this
by 2sk21 9y ago
Whenever I read car magazines they are always talking about the need to reduce unsprung weight. Supposedly, high unsprung weight causes a harsher ride - so this is not a given?
- phkahler 9y agoDepends. If you hit a bump or a pothole, you need the wheel to move vertically very quickly. But on smooth roads it's not a problem and having the mass at the corners increases the vehicles rotational (pitch, roll, and yaw) stability. I have not formed a personal opinion on it yet, so I listen to both sides. My suspicion is that the unsprung mass is bad and the arguments to the contrary are partly wishful thinking by hub-wheel advocates ;-)
- abakker 9y agoI always wonder whether it is really inspiring weight, or the ratio of sprung va unsprung? In an application I have lots of experience with, mountain biking suspension, the overall sprung weight relative to the frame/rideris so low that even doubling the wheel weight or cassette weight doesn’t really effect suspension performance. (Pedaling rotating mass is a different story) In a car or truck, where the overall mass of the car is very large, adding more unsprung mass might not matter so much. The car still has a lot more inertia than the wheels. You should be able to make up for the heavier wheels with better suspension valving and improved shims. Problem being that most factory standard suspension is really bad.
- jackmott 9y agoThe unsprung weight thing is usually a bit overstated, though it is true. It doesn't sport luxury cars from sometimes having extremely heavy wheels for the sake of looks at times, for instance.