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When it comes to modifying or improving a car, most enthusiasts first think of more horsepower or louder exhausts. But there's one system that affects nearly every aspect of your driving experience—yet often goes overlooked: your suspension. Whether you're carving through corners or cruising to work, your suspension is what connects your car to the road and defines how it feels. Here's everything you need to know about suspension systems—from stock to street to full-blown track builds.
At its fundamental level, a vehicle’s suspension system is an integrated network of mechanical components—including springs, dampers (shocks or struts), control arms, anti-roll bars (sway bars), bushings, and linkages—designed to manage and control the dynamic interaction between the chassis and the road surface. Its core function is to absorb and dissipate energy from road irregularities, ensuring that the tyres maintain consistent and optimal contact with the ground at all times.
This consistent contact is critical because the tyres are the only points of traction and control, directly influencing braking efficiency, steering precision, and cornering stability. The suspension system must therefore balance two fundamental yet sometimes conflicting objectives: ride comfort and handling performance.
The design and tuning of a suspension system involve carefully balancing these demands. A setup biased too heavily toward comfort may result in excessive body movement and reduced handling precision, while a setup focused solely on performance can deliver a harsh ride and reduced usability for everyday driving.
Your ideal suspension configuration will depend heavily on your specific driving context—whether that’s smooth and comfortable daily commuting, spirited backroad driving, or high-stress motorsport applications—each demands different priorities in suspension stiffness, damping rates, and adjustability.
Springs support the vehicle’s weight and absorb shocks from road imperfections. When your car hits a bump, the springs compress and extend to cushion the impact, preventing the force from being transmitted directly to the chassis and occupants.
Dampers control how quickly the springs release energy after absorbing a bump. Without dampers, your car would keep bouncing, making for an unstable ride. They slow down spring oscillations by converting kinetic energy into heat via hydraulic fluid.
Anti-roll bars connect the left and right wheels to reduce body roll during cornering. When turning sharply, your car leans away from the turn, which can reduce grip and handling. The sway bar resists this by twisting and transferring load between wheels, keeping the car more level. Thicker bars reduce roll more but may hurt traction on uneven roads if too stiff. Adjustable sway bars let drivers fine-tune the balance between understeer and oversteer based on their driving style and conditions.
Bushings, usually rubber or polyurethane, cushion connection points between suspension parts and the chassis. Rubber bushings absorb vibrations and noise, offering a smoother ride for daily driving. Polyurethane bushings reduce flex and improve steering precision and suspension response but transmit more vibrations and harshness into the cabin. Many enthusiasts accept this trade-off for sharper handling feedback, especially on performance or track cars.
The MacPherson strut is common in front-wheel-drive and compact cars, combining the spring and damper into one assembly between the wheel hub and chassis. It is compact and cost-effective but offers limited adjustability and can cause camber changes that reduce grip during aggressive cornering. Despite this, it provides a solid balance of comfort, space efficiency, and handling suitable for everyday driving.
Double wishbone suspensions use two control arms to locate the wheel hub, maintaining a more consistent camber angle through suspension travel. This keeps the tyre flatter during cornering, improving grip, handling, and steering response compared to simpler setups. The design offers greater tuning flexibility for camber, caster, and toe adjustments, making it popular in sports cars where precision is key.
Multi-link suspensions use several independent arms to control wheel movement in multiple directions, allowing fine-tuned suspension geometry for both comfort and handling. They isolate certain forces while maintaining excellent wheel control, balancing ride smoothness with performance. Common in luxury and high-end sports cars, they allow detailed alignment adjustments. Though complex and pricier, their refinement and versatility justify the cost for serious enthusiasts.
While factory suspension is designed for general use, aftermarket systems allow you to tailor your setup for specific goals:
Lowering your car might improve looks and centre of gravity, but slam it too far and you compromise suspension travel and geometry. This can result in:
Performance suspension is about more than just low ride height—it's about balance and precision.
Air suspension systems have advanced to offer adjustable ride height and stiffness via air bladders controlled by onboard compressors and electronics. This allows drivers to easily switch between a lowered, aggressive stance and higher clearance for practical use. Some setups even feature adaptive dampers that adjust shock firmness based on driving conditions.
While air suspension excels in comfort and versatility, it adds complexity and weight compared to coilovers. For drivers focused on consistent, high-performance handling, coilovers remain superior due to their simpler design, precise tuning, and reliability under demanding conditions.
In summary, air suspension is ideal for those seeking customizable comfort and style, but coilovers are preferred for sharp, predictable performance.
Suspension upgrades are some of the most rewarding enhancements you can make to your vehicle. Whether you're after sharper handling, a more aggressive stance, or improved comfort for daily drives, the right setup makes all the difference—and at MLPerformance, we’re proud to offer a full range of premium suspension components to suit every driver.
Remember: power is fun, but control is everything.
