- Rear Linked Solid Axle
The rear linked solid axle is a dependent suspension (the wheels are connected via a solid beam) which is commonly found in off-road vehicles, SUVs, and rear wheel drive vehicles. This suspension is known for its simplicity and low cost. A differential is included when it is a driven axle. Including the track bar (which is used to restrain the lateral movement of the axle) will make this an asymmetric suspension.
- Rear MacPherson Strut
In a rear MacPherson struct suspension, the knuckle and wheel are located by a control arm, strut, and toe link. The coil spring is part of the strut and acts between the strut tube and the vehicle body. The spring’s axis typically is not parallel to the strut, but is offset to minimize the bending moment in the strut.
- Rear Multi-link
The multi-link suspension derives its name from the fact that it is made up of three or more links. The rear Multi-link suspension contains five links, and is generally used on higher end luxury cars. The multi-link suspension is derived from the SLA suspension, in that each wishbone (or A-Arm) is replaced with two links. This suspension offers flexibility to the designer, since each link’s location can be determined independently. In this suspension we use the term “link” and “control arm” interchangeably. Traditionally a link is a rigid body with two connections, and a control arm has three connections.
- Rear Multi-link (with LCA)
The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension contains three links and a lower control arm, and it is generally used on cars, off-road vehicles, and light trucks. The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension differs from the conventional rear multi-link suspension in that the two lower links are replaced with a single lower control arm. This suspension offers good load bearing capability due to the single lower control arm, and the two upper links offer flexibility in packaging and suspension kinematics.
- Rear Quad-Link
The rear quad-link suspension derives its name from the fact that it is made up of four links. The rear quad-link suspension contains three individual links in tension compression and a strut. This suspension offers flexibility to the designer when determining individual handling parameters, and it is generally used on cars and light trucks.
- Rear Semi-Trailing Arm
The rear semi-trailing arm suspension is an independent rear suspension system similar to the pure trailing arm suspension, with the primary difference being that the bushing axis (or instant axis) runs at an angle in all X, Y, and Z directions. The rear semi-trailing arm suspension combines the advantages of the trailing arm and double-pivot swing axle suspension principles, without the associated disadvantages. The semi-trailing arms resemble triangulated wishbones, with the pivots arranged at an angle to the vehicle's transverse axis and either horizontal or slightly towards the vehicle's centerline.
- Rear SLA (1pc LCA)
A Short-Long Arm (SLA) suspension is included in the vehicle library as both a front and rear suspension. This configuration is also known as a Double Wishbone suspension. The coil spring and the shock absorber typically connect to the lower control arm. The SLA name is derived from the length of the control arms. The lower arm is typically long to provide a good spring lever ratio. The upper arm is typically short to provide the proper camber curve. This suspension is widely used on cars, light trucks, and on independent suspension heavy trucks.
- Rear SLA (2pc LCA)
A Short-Long Arm or SLA suspension is included in the vehicle library as both a front and rear suspension. This configuration is also known as a Double Wishbone suspension. This variant of the suspension uses a two-piece lower control arm. The SLA name is derived from the length of the control arms. The lower arm is typically long to provide a good spring lever ratio. The upper arm is typically short to provide the proper camber curve. This suspension is widely used on cars, light trucks, and on independent suspension heavy trucks.
- Rear Trailing Arm
The rear trailing arm suspension is an independent rear suspension system in which the wheel is attached to the trailing end of an arm that pivots on a bushing (this allows the wheel to move up and down). The suspension design requires a trailing arm that is flexible in order to work. A flexbody is normally used to simulate the trailing arm body.
- Rear Twist Beam
A rear twist beam suspension is also known as “torsion beam axle” suspension. They are named twist axles, because the axle must twist when the vehicle rolls. The beam holds the two trailing arms together, and provides the roll stiffness of the suspension by twisting as the two trailing arms move relative to each other. This suspension is widely used on small inexpensive passenger cars.
