gregk wrote:
robbovius wrote:
Tho I've read this assertion before - that pavement suspension loads are somehow higher than off-road suspension loads - I've never seen any numbers to support it, and have always noticed that for a given vehicle weight, off-road suspension bits seem rather beefier than the comparable street or pavement components.
I imagine this is based on the fact that dirt/gravel is less grippy than asphalt/concrete. The assertion would be true if your idea of "off-road" is driving on a nice graded dirt road, but spirited driving in an actual off-road setting involves significant shock loading. In my experience, going fast off road requires much stronger suspension than going fast on pavement, stiffness and preventing compliance is generally low on the list of priorities though.
Personally, I'd be much more concerned with the compliance of those rubber bushings than with the strength of the wheel bearings.
i agree ... my main concern would be the narrow spacing / high load of the upper and lower pivot points,
as well as material quality (are the hubs and knuckles simple cast aluminum or are they pressure cast/forged like most automotive aluminum suspension parts ?!?)
i do have some experience with offroad driving
;
imho the "grip" or "bite" in turns (especially the "hook" you get in sand) can exceed the grip of slicks on pavement
add to that ruts of previous vehicles and your rear uprights/knuckles get very high g-forces (similar to sliding into a curb)
thats also the main reason why we usually run beadlock rims on all 4 tires ... a good "hook" can peel non-beadlocked tires right off the rim
but i personally would not trust UTV parts on a car ... even when the newer UTV are approaching locost weight
the high cofg UTV`s seem to tip over long before they reach the g-forces of a low cofg car