Simple suspension Q

[sean4385]

ok heres an easy one - dont laugh
Whats exactly is the meaning of, and difference between soft and stiff/firm..... when refferring to suspension.

I always hear people using these terms but i cant determine which is the good and which is the bad.

Stiff/firm as in the suspension sucks and its real bumpy OR stiff/firm as in the vehicle stays straight and doesnt notice the bumps, in other words suspension is good....

Then does soft refer to being innefective suspension that feels every bump OR soft as in smooth and no bumps.

once this newbie Q is answered i can start making sense of these suspension threads ive been studying.

Thanks,
Sean

 

[Alec]

Much depends on taste, road conditions, speed, etc.

For instance: my VW has a stiff suspension. This is great for handling and you feel much of the road. However, you don't get beaten up on potholes and such.

On my X, it handled ok with a fairly stiff suspension, but you felt many more bumps and long trips on the highway sometimes got a little annoying. Yet sometimes the suspension felt too soft (but much was due to lift, weight, tire sidewall) and the truck would "wallow" a bit.

 

[sean4385]

i seeeee

thank you, man-of-many-post

 

[Robb]

Not a bad question at all!!

Think of "soft" as jumping on a trampoline, and "stiff" as just jumping on the floor.

Not sure how to approach this. Whether it is good or bad depends on what you want to do with the vehicle. Offroaders tend to like their rigs to be soft. This just means that there is more movement in the suspension. This is a good thing offroad because it allows the tires to "contour" to obstacles better. For a rig that is used strictly offroad, a very soft suspension is a desirable thing. But for those that want the ability to use their trucks on and off road, this is the challenge. They want their trucks soft enough to do well offroad, but stiff enough to be safe on the street. How soft/stiff the suspension is ends up being a compromise.

Onroad is a different story. Stiff suspensions tend to perform better by holding the flat road better. But, you don't want it so stiff that it is uncomfortable to ride in. This is the challenge with a nice performing streeter: keeping the suspension stiff enough to keep the tires tight to the road, but soft enough to make the ride comfortable. Once again, how soft/stiff the suspension is, is a compromise.

For normal (stock) use, a proper suspension will be soft (as it is comfortable to ride in) and stiff (able to handle the road well) at the same time. This is the goal of most automakers.........comfortable and able to handle the road.