Front Suspension Description and Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2022 Cadillac CT4. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The front suspension has 2 primary purposes:

Isolate the driver from irregularities in the road surface.
Define the ride and handling characteristics of the vehicle.

The front suspension absorbs the impact of the road wheel traveling over irregular road surfaces and dissipates this energy throughout the suspension system. This process isolates the vehicle occupants from the road surface. The suspension system must allow for the vertical movement of the tire and wheel assembly as the vehicle travels over irregular road surfaces while maintaining the tire's horizontal relationship to the road.

The steering knuckle is connected to two front lower control links and a front suspension strut assembly. The front lower control links attach to the steering knuckle with ball joints at the outermost point. The upper portion of the steering knuckle is attached to a front suspension strut assembly by two bolts and nuts. The upper most hole in the strut is a slot which allows for front camber adjustment.

The up and down motion of the steering knuckle, as the vehicle travels over bumps, is absorbed predominantly by the front coil spring. A front suspension strut is used in conjunction with the front coil spring to dampen the oscillations created. The front suspension strut is filled with oil and has a moveable shaft that connects to a piston internally. Valves inside the front suspension strut offer resistance to oil flow and consequently inhibit rapid movement of the piston and strut rod. The front suspension strut assembly consists of a front suspension strut, front coil spring, front strut mount, and different combinations of insulators, dust boots, bumpers, seats and hardware. The front suspension strut assembly is held together, under pressure, by a front strut rod mount nut at the top of the assembly. The upper portion of the front suspension strut assembly is attached to the vehicle body and the lower portion attached to the steering knuckle.

Some vehicles are equipped with an electronic suspension control system. The electronic suspension control system individually controls the damping force of each of the vehicle front suspension struts and rear shock absorbers to keep the vehicle body as calm as possible. Changes of the damping forces can be accomplished within milliseconds and suspension characteristics can be changed at any time by activating the different available modes. For more information, refer to Electronic Suspension Control Description and Operation .

The front lower control links are connected to the drivetrain and front suspension cradle through two rigid bushings which allows the front lower control links to pivot up and down with respect to the vehicle frame and body structure. Ball joints at the outermost ends of the front lower control links allow the steering knuckle to maintain the perpendicular relationship to the road surface and to rotate as the steering wheel is turned.

A front stabilizer shaft is used to help reduce body roll when the vehicle is driven around a turn. The front stabilizer shaft is mounted to the drivetrain and front suspension cradle by two front stabilizer shaft clamps and insulators. Front stabilizer shaft links are used to connect the ends of the front stabilizer shaft to each front suspension strut assembly. Each front stabilizer shaft link has a ball joint on each end.