Macpherson Struts Vs Double Wishbone

[Alex8181]

Written By: Alex8181

Anyone who has upgraded or looking to upgrade the suspension on a tC will notice that the front and rear suspension looks quite different. The reason for that is Toyota decided to run Macpherson struts in the front and Double Wishbone in the rear of the tC. This article is not designed to be an in-depth look at each type of suspension but is to familiarize tC owner's about the suspension that they have.

Both suspension types are similar in the fact that they are independent suspensions, meaning changes and movements on one side of the vehicle will not directly affect the other side. They are also both coilover type systems which means that the shock assembly resides within the spring coils themselves.

In a double wishbone assembly, the wheel sits besides the suspension system and is guided by two "A" arms or wishbones. The spring and shock assembly is connected at the top to the frame of the vehicle and at the bottom to the lower wishbone. The design of a double wishbone assembly allows for a very compact suspension system compared to a Macpherson type assembly. This allows for a suspension system to be lower in the vehicle and making it ideal for transmitting loads and providing excellent road handling. This, of course, is a very basic explanation because a double wishbone suspension is very complex and contains more minute parts and pieces than a Macpherson assembly.



With a Macpherson suspension system, the wheel is located below the spring and shock assembly. The spring and shock assembly sits on a ball joint of a single lower arm connected by a tie rod. The single lower arm is usually an "A" arm. The top piston rod of the shock is used as a swivel axis. This is neccessary, because with a Macpherson suspension, when the wheel is turned, the whole suspension system turns with the wheel, not true with a double wishbone. On a wishbone suspension the wheel assembly is independent of the shock assembly and so when the wheel assembly turns, the shock assembly is stationary.

While different automotive experts will argue for each suspension type, there is no clear winner. Auto manufacturers and professional racing teams alike use both suspensions. Seeing as how Toyota has decided to use both on the tC, it is easy to believe that the specific types work best for each of their individual purposes on the tC.