Suspension Walkarounds Straightline Archives

Recently we've peeked at the undersides of several Porsche 911 variants, from our vintage 1985 Porsche 911 to the 2011 Porsche 911 GTS (the tail end of the 997 phase), to the all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S (the first appearance of the new 991 chassis.)

But all of those, of course, are rear engined Porsches. They keep their high octane junk in what would otherwise be the trunk.

The Porsche Cayman, however, is a proper mid-engine machine. Its pancake motor sits ahead of the rear axle with the transmission behind and between the rear tires, just like almost every clean-sheet formula and prototype race car built in the last 40 years or so

Our Guards Red example is a 2012 Porsche Cayman R, the healthiest version to date. Alert readers will recognize that the lack of a Rotary Lift in our shop means we've been sitting on these images until the 911s finished their parade across these pages.

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Categories: Coupes,Porsche,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

The 2012 BMW 328i is the first example of the all-new 6th-generation 3 Series sedan (code name: F30) we've had in the shop.

It's hard to tell with the naked eye, but the footprint of BMW's volume seller has grown significantly. Longer overall by 4.3 inches, it now rides on a wheelbase that's 1.9 inches longer. And even though its overall width has shrunk by a scant 0.2 inches, the U.S.-spec 2012 328's tires have been spread farther apart by 1.2 inches up front and 2.3 inches out back. Despite all this, the curb weight of a 328i manual only increases by 44 pounds.

In CAFE terms, the footprint has been increased 5 percent, from 44.8 square feet to 46.9 square feet. That's interesting because cars with bigger footprints have less aggressive fuel economy increase targets. And the new CAFE standards only regulate the footprints you build in a given year, not the footprints you built last time out. At least in part, this size growth may be an example of strategic upsizing for CAFE purposes.

But such regulatory talk is boring. Let's see the metal.

Along the way you might want to open my walkaround of a 2009 BMW 3 Series in another window. That one was an M3, so you'll see more aluminum, but you can still see how the basic architecture differs...or doesn't.

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Categories: BMW,Sedans,Suspension Walkarounds

Near as I can tell, Porsche began offering center-lock wheels as a street option in 2007, beginning with the 911 Turbo. Today that option costs $3,835 on the standard Turbo, but the so-called RS Spyder wheels are standard on the Turbo S. Other 911 variants now offer them, too.

Porsche touts several benefits: they look clean, they're easy to clean, they represent less unsprung mass and, theoretically, at least, they're far less likely to get stolen. This last point boils down to two reasons: 1) the market for these unique wheels is very limited and; 2) with a special socket and 444 lb-ft of tightening torque in play it takes more than a cross wrench to get these babies off.

Beyond all that, center lock wheels come straight out of motorsports, where one central nut makes pit stops incredibly fast if you've got a swarm of crewmen, air jacks and a couple of $3,000 ported and polished air guns to go with them.

We don't possess such an air gun, but we do have a secret weapon of our own. And we needed it in order to photograph the 2011 Porsche 911 GTS suspension walkaround.

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Categories: Coupes,Porsche,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

At first we were going to contrast the suspension of this 2011 Porsche 911 GTS to that of our 1985 Porsche 911. But then, just before the holidays hit, we got our hands on an all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S. Our GTS vs. Black Plague duel would have to wait.

This was fine by me because once the dust settled we would have a three-car 911 suspension comparison. The completion of this GTS walkaround leaves our 1985 Porsche 911 in the on-deck circle.  

Notably, this 911 is fitted with Porsche's center-lock wheels. You'll catch glimpses of them throughout, but I'm saving a detailed description for a separate sidebar that will probably be posted by the time you finish reading this.

But, as usual, this suspension walkaround starts with the wheels off. Let's see what the last year of the 997 edition of the Porsche 911 looks like underneath.

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Categories: Coupes,Porsche,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

When it first came out, the Lexus IS-F could be summarized by the classic phrase "close, but no cigar," especially in the suspension and steering departments.

This 2011 Lexus IS-F (and the 2012, as well) incorporates numerous tweaks meant improve the handling and steering while making the ride less brittle. It worked well enough that the boys in the office pronounced the reworked IS-F cigar-worthy after driving this one around a few days and testing it at the track.

Much of what Lexus did consists of invisible suspension recalibration, but it's worth a look anyway.

And you've probably figured out by now that these are homemade photos taken before we installed our new Rotary 2-post lift. 

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Categories: Lexus,Sedans,Suspension Walkarounds

We may not have had enough time for a full test of the 2012 Fisker Karma in the short time we had it, but a suspension walkaround takes almost no time at all, especially now that we have our Rotary 2-post lift.

The Fisker is so new that Rotary doesn't yet have a lift point cheat sheet on it. The Karma's owner's manual was AWOL, too, so we went ahead and used subtle marks left behind by what we presume was Fisker's own shop equipment. Going slow in cases like this is key.

As a series plug-in hybrid, this unique machine is sometimes powered by electricity stored in a large lithium-ion battery running down the center of the car, between its four seats. Other times it's powered by a 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine and generator set that's mounted longways between the front wheels. In Sport mode both of these happen at once for extra ooomph.

In all cases the Karma is driven electrically by a pair of motor-generators that sit between the rear tires. There is no driveshaft; it's all done with wires. 

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Categories: Electric Vehicles,Fisker,Hybrids,Sedans,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

We thrashed the new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S at the track and then we tossed it at some curvaceous mountain roads. Now it's time to give the 911 a much-needed rest and hoist it up on our new Rotary two-post lift for a clear look at the suspension that does the business.

This new 911 is in fact a 991 in the language of Porsche engineering, which is why the 991 prefix appears on the various components we'll soon see. You may also notice a bit of grit and grime under there because the roads were wet much of the time we had it -- except at the track, thank goodness.

Let's get on with it. Here's the 411 on the new 911 suspension.

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Categories: Coupes,Porsche,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

Oh yes we did. Inside Line recently caught up with the only 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 rolling display chassis in existence and had our way with it at a nearby Lamborghini/Aston Martin service facility.

What's more, this beautiful piece of one-of-a-kind automotive sculpture has been sold to an unnamed private owner in the Far East. Once it completes a couple more exclusive corporate appearances it's destined to be crated up and shipped to an undisclosed private location, never to be seen again.

I'm totally geeked out. Kurt Niebuhr's shutter finger has never been itchier. Let's get on with it.

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Categories: Coupes,Lamborghini,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

What's the deal with the 2011 Buick LaCrosse CXS? Why has it been selected for a suspension walkaround?

The 2011 LaCrosse is hiding something very interesting within its front wheel wells.

But only the CXS model has what GM calls Hiper Strut front suspension. We touched on it once before using illustrations that GM released before the car went on sale, but now we've got the real McCoy in our shop.

Let's take a look.

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Categories: Buick,Sedans,Suspension Walkarounds

While Jay was out riding shotgun in a plain white 2012 Hyundai Veloster, I managed to get my mitts on a Starsky and Hutch themed example in our new lab for a look-see at the suspension.

Once the shock of that stripe wears off the next thing that jumps out is the 2012 Veloster is clearly smaller than an Elantra. This impression largely stems from the V's length, which is a full foot shorter -- 12.2 inches if you're keeping score at home.

After that, however, the differences are less dramatic. Its 104.3-inch wheelbase is 2 inches shorter than that of the Elantra. The Veloster is simultaneously 1.4 inches lower and 0.6 inches wider, and its base curb weight is lighter by 77 pounds.

These dimensions are close enough that the suspension layout can be similar. Suspension tuning is another matter, though, as the Veloster's springs, dampers, tires and other tunable elements have been dialed up to make it decidedly sportier.

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Categories: Coupes,Hyundai,Suspension Walkarounds

This time we're trying something different. Instead of shooting the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid in my driveway, Kurt Niebuhr and I took it to our new garage space in Marina Del Rey, about 10 minutes from the office.

Yep, the Suspension Walkaround is going pro, first with a pro photographer and later (fingers crossed) with a real pro two-post lift so we can see EVERYTHING.

Yeah, I know it's kinda cool and ironic to see a 3-bazillion dollar sports car up on $10 jack stands in my driveway, and I'll miss that, but this setup should allow us to do more of the short-term loaners that come through our hands, like this one right here.

It won't happen right away and I still have a handful of driveway-shot walkarounds shot and waiting their turn, but for now I give you a peek at the future.

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Categories: Hybrids,Porsche,SUVs,Suspension Walkarounds

We had this plan, you see. Had it all figured out in advance.

After the 2012 Lexus LFA was finished with its date with the dyno at MD Automotive, we'd put it up on one of Mark's gen-u-ine 2-post lifts and have a good long look at the suspension. We'd get great access and you, the readers, would not have to suffer the indignity of seeing a $375,000 Lexus LFA in a compromising position on mere $10 jack stands.

Funny things, plans. They don't always pan out.

Turns out the LFA sits far too low for the lifting pads on Mark's lifts. There's also a brittle-looking carbon sill extension all around the LFA's edges and its underside is masked with a full carbon belly pan that's held on with like a jillion Torx-head fasteners. I thought we were sunk.

And then I spotted what looked like non-skid skateboard deck tape on the main carbon frame rails, four squares of it, just about where you'd expect to find...jack points!

But the LFA wasn't giving up that easy. It was still far too low for Mark's "experienced" floor jack. We ended up driving the left side tires of the LFA onto 2x6 planks to raise the car high enough to slip the jack underneath, at which point we placed a perfect-sized spacer atop the jack to distribute the load across the skateboard tape of one of the reinforced jack points.

Slowly, carefully, we raised it up, listening for creaking, watching for the tiniest of deflections. Nothing. We're good. Time for photographs and arrows.

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Categories: Lexus,Road Trips,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

In the end, the $200,000 SLS AMG is like any other car in that I can jack it up, put jack stands underneath, yank the wheels off and have a good look at the mechanicals. The trick is getting my hands on the keys for a couple of days. As you can see above I managed to do just that.

This particular car came out of the west coast Mercedes-Benz press fleet and it's made the rounds. It has over 15,000 hard miles on the clock. More than a few celebrity posteriors have sat upon these red leather seats. One would assume it's been to the Grammys, the Golden Globe Awards and the Oscars, and we're pretty certain Adam Carolla flogged it during the taping of his yet-to-be-seen response to Top Gear, a show that will air on Speed if it airs at all.

So is there anything left? Let's have a look. 

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Categories: Mercedes-Benz,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

A new 2012 Ford Focus sedan recently came our way, so we had no choice but to yank the wheels off and have a good look at the suspension. This one happens to be a Focus Titanium, the top trim level that Ford has added to the North American lineup. 

Titanium Foci come with a sport-tuned suspension and 17-inch Continental all-season tires. But this example has the optional Titanium handling package, a $595 option that nets you stickier 18-inch asymmetrical summer tires and damper tuning that's dialed up another notch to get the most out of them.

Still, nearly everything we'll see is found on all Foci, be they hatchback or sedan, S, SE, SEL or Titanium. I'll point out any differences I know of as they come up.

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Categories: Ford,Hatchbacks,Sedans,Suspension Walkarounds

Some of you asked for it, all of you are going to get it. It's time to peek underneath a 2011 Porsche Panamera, the entry-level rear-drive version with the 3.6-liter V6 engine. Even though this is technically the base model, it's no slouch, as our recent IL Track Tested results demonstrate. 

Stops from 60 mph take just 110 feet. It slithers through the slalom cones at an average pace of 69.7 mph and pulls 0.94 lateral-g on the skidpad. Not bad for a 4,025-pound 5-door hatchback. 

Today's secret word is aluminum. Feel free to "scream real loud" every time you see something made of the stuff, but know first that if you do you'll ruin your future singing career by the second or third photo. We'll all waste less breath by pointing out parts made from other materials.

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Categories: Porsche,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

We've all been bombarded with myriad technical descriptions of the Volt's plug-in hybrid powertrain. Heck, I've burned a lot of calories on analyzing the Voltiness of the Volt myself.

In the process, precious little discussion has focused on the rest of it. Our own track testing reveals that while it's no barn-burner, the Volt does ride and handle admirably for a four-door family/commuter sedan/hatchback thingy.

But does this somewhat expensive and technically interesting candidate for Car of the Year winner ride on a similarly advanced suspension? We pulled the wheels off to find out.

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Categories: Chevrolet,Electric Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Hybrids,Suspension Walkarounds

What's so special about the suspension on the 2011 Infiniti QX56? A lot, actually. Some of it's weird, some of it's brilliant. On the weird side, it has two rear springs per side. Brilliance comes in the form of a hydraulic body motion control system that replaces the stabilizer bars, just like we saw in the McLaren MP4-12C, but in this application there's one additional advantage.

The 2011 Infiniti QX56 has a few more tricks up its sleeve because it's no longer an SUV that's been adapted from the Titan pickup platform. It now rides on the home-market Nissan Patrol, the flagship SUV in Nissan's international lineup. That alone frees up development cash for more interesting mechanical bits.

On with the show...

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Categories: Infiniti,SUVs,Suspension Walkarounds

While everyone else was busy covering the Paris Auto Show, I snuck a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 over to my place for a little photo session. I took the long way home, too.

But this is no ordinary Z06. This particular Z06 is equipped with the so-called Z07 option, otherwise known as the Z06 Ultimate Performance Package. Apparently, this setup makes the car a full Z0 better.

That's because the act of checking this box represents meaningful upgrades in the suspension, tire and brake departments. Carbon-ceramics and magnetorheological fluid are added to an already-impressive materials list that includes composites, a liberal use of aluminum and more than a little magnesium.

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Categories: Chevrolet,Coupes,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

As cool as this naked chassis is, I would rather have a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C at home in my driveway, up on jackstands with the wheels off. Why? Getting one to my home would involve me driving it, of course.

But McLaren isn't quite ready to hand out keys just yet, not even for those who come armed with a quarter-million dollars in cash. No, even the paying customers must wait.

In this unfortunate reality, a de-bodied protoype like this is a more-than-acceptable substitute.

Already, we can see something interesting. The McLaren MP4-12C is not a unibody machine: the car gets all the strength it needs from what lies beneath the skin. The body itself adds a bit of rollover crash structure, aerodynamic scuplting and, of course, a heaping helping of bad-assedness, but you could drive one that looks like this with little trouble.

But the MP4-12C isn't a body-on-frame vehicle either, not really. That's because the heart of the "frame" is a single-piece carbon-fiber monocoque (yellow) that weighs just 80 pounds. I guess we can call this body-on-monocoque construction. Whatever the term, it's put together very much like a prototype racecar you might see at Le Mans or Daytona.

The engine, transmission and rear suspension are carried by an aluminum trusswork (orange) that's bolted behind. This sort of trusswork isn't found in racing applications where the engine block itself is a so-called "stressed member" that doubles as the rear half on the frame. Here the engine is "unstressed", so the trusswork is needed to do exactly what it looks like it's doing.

Meanwhile, that aluminum beam up front is not much more than a deformable crash structure and a place to hang the nose.

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Categories: Future Vehicles,McLaren,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

Yeah, I know. The word "Mustang" is missing in the above title. It's kind of silly because, after all, we can all see with our own eyes that the Ford Shelby GT500 is a Mustang. But Ford chose to leave "Mustang" out of the official model name of this car. My hands are tied.

But my floor jack and lug wrench are fully unbound. Let's get in there and see if we can see what it takes to turn a Mustang into a Shelby -- apart from stripes, badges and Cobra medallions, that is.

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Categories: Car Tech,Ford,Sports Cars,Suspension Walkarounds