Most peculiar suspensions.

[DaveW]

The Lotus active suspension story

http://www.gglotus.org/ggtech/activesus ... vesusp.htm

I read somewhere (Peter Wright) that the active suspension was already a "plan B" to fix the issues with the full length ground effect chassis Lotus 80. It was rejected : too soon. "Plan A" was the twin-bodied Lotus 86 "Torrey Canyon" that lead to the Lotus 88.

A good summary. A couple of additions:

Both "Plan A" & "Plan B" had been proposed when issues with the '80 appeared terminal - it was the first time that the ground effect instability known as "porpoising" had been recognized (in spades). "Plan B" had not been thought about in detail until the '88 had finally been banned, & we then started from scratch.

The system installed in the '92 was powered hydraulically by a pump attached to the DFV cam shaft, and electrically by a separate (uncharged) battery (the existing vehicle system was too noisy). The control system was an analogue computer with multiplying DAC's acting as potentiometers, controlled by a low power digital computer (the ubiquitous DSP came later).

The system was removed after the second race simply because Lotus had switched to Renault turbo power, & Renault refused to allow the hydraulic pump to be driven from the engine.

[xpensive]

Don't know if we have had the Lotus 88 on this thread yet, but it had a very peculiar suspension;

[Sombrero]

The Lotus that looks like a soviet tank...

[xpensive]

Doubt it, but this is a T88 for a Supra;

[autogyro]

The Lotus that looks like a soviet tank...

Soviet tanks have a very efficient form of ground effects.
Its called weight.

[xpensive]

Porsche 956, sospensioni orrizzontali;

[Jersey Tom]

Those might be the squarest tires I've seen

[xpensive]

Sorry I changed the image above JT, but I wanted to focus on the below. Tires were Dunlops btw.

But this is the really peculiar part with the 956 suspension, the progressive coil-spring winding, take a close look;

[xpensive]

As complicated as you can get, notice the common anti-roll bar;

[xpensive]

[xpensive]

[xpensive]

Ferrari 333 SP;

[Tim.Wright]

333 SP suspension doesn't seem so peculiar to me...

[xpensive]

I remember having to buy the 1:12 Tamiya kit to get this on the BT44;

[xpensive]

The rear of the Cosworth car was indeed peculiar;