Avoiding a twist beam rear axle for next car.

[BL Fanboy]

Just checking, am I the only one that is fed up with the standard twist beam rear axle solution so many car manufacturers use?

This is going to be a cliché fest but I'm just going to plough on (no pun intended)

I am a pretty average driver so I'm not making any great claims in my ability to "sense" a car's chassis, its just that it seems to me that most cars fitted with the above mentioned rear axle solution are pretty "dead" feeling at the back end and feel a bid "wooden" (sorry for the clichés) I've had loads of cars with this suspension solution.

Its just that the French torsion bar cars I've had and the 90's Honda based cars have seemed so much more supple and "connected"

I can only assume, looking at the layout, that the twist beam is cheap to do compared to other ways of doing rear suspension.

I think I'm going to look for a fully independent rear end for my next car.

[Monkeylegend]

BL Fanboy said:

I think I'm going to look for a fully independent rear end for my next car.

Agreed, and rear wheel drive.

[ShiresV2]

BL Fanboy said:

Just checking, am I the only one that is fed up with the standard twist beam rear axle solution so many car manufacturers use?

Nope. I understand where you're coming from, fancy suspension is great when it works.

However I'm sick of changing legion bushings and ball joints and rose joints and other multi-link gubbins, just to keep my cars feeling like they're connected to the road.

For that reason my daily has the minimum number of suspension bits (including a beam rear axle) and still manages to be a good enough steer on the daily grind. Fancy suspension I keep confined to my hobby cars.

[BL Fanboy]

That's a really good point about suspension simplicity especially for a daily driver.

Suspension clonks are a pet hate for me so I suppose the less bushing, the less chance of clonks!

[Monty Python]

ShiresV2 said:

Nope. I understand where you're coming from, fancy suspension is great when it works.

However I'm sick of changing legion bushings and ball joints and rose joints and other multi-link gubbins, just to keep my cars feeling like they're connected to the road.

For that reason my daily has the minimum number of suspension bits (including a beam rear axle) and still manages to be a good enough steer on the daily grind. Fancy suspension I keep confined to my hobby cars.

I've never had any bits of the suspension replaced on any of the cars I've had - am I not driving them right?

[Mave]

Monty Python said:

I've never had any bits of the suspension replaced on any of the cars I've had - am I not driving them right?

Or not keeping them long enough? Or nice smooth roads near you? 4 of my cars have needed various bush replacements in the last 10 years...

[BL Fanboy]

Monty Python said:

I've never had any bits of the suspension replaced on any of the cars I've had - am I not driving them right?

Cor! that's lucky!

I've lost count of the springs, drop links, bottom arms I've had to replace!

Thinking about it, the very axle I'm wanting to avoid for my next car is one that has caused least issues!