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The suspension system of cars takes a special place in car tuning. It holds the safety and comfort in the car by transferring all the forces like torque and power towards the road to what is known as traction. The suspension system is situated at the car’s chassis and is the intermediary between the car itself and the road, and it includes the steering wheel, the wheels and tires, the control arms, the coil and leaf springs, and the shock absorbers or dampeners.

The modifications and car tuning of the suspension system has a very crucial effect on car maneuverability and safety as it transfers the torque and power of the car to the road. You can certainly improve and upgrade the acceleration and cornering performance of your car with the proper modifications you make on the engine as well. You have to observe comprehensive efforts in the upgrade and improvement of the complex suspension system.        

Some people are of the belief that simply installing tougher springs and lowering the profile of the car would improve the handling of their cars. However, in proper car tuning, there are intricacies in the modification and upgrading of the entire car suspension system. It is much like the engine itself, having complex diversities of parts that are specifically designed to do individual tasks under different and varying circumstances, with the modifications done in each part resulting in various changes in performance of your car.   

The car’s suspension system has everything to do with getting a perfect and efficient balance between drivability and performance. There are different ways to improving your car’s suspension. An example of this is the installation of low profile tires. This car tuning effectively upgrades the steering operation, lowering the incidence of stretching of the walls of the tires, and therefore makes for better hold and handling on the road.

While this improvement example gives better cornering and maneuvering, because the lower profile means there is less tire rubber that meets the surface of the road, more vibrations and road noise are felt as there is less tire rubber to absorb them during driving. Another important thing to consider is that when you modify to improve one area of car performance, you stand to sacrifice another car performance area in the process.

For instance, installing wider tires at the rear can improve the grip at the rear end but it can also result in over-steering problems as the car effectively gets lighter in the front. So the car tuning of the suspension system uses a lot of compromise in the process.  

You have to go in great detail in the aspects of suspension modifications, suspension tuning, and full suspension upgrading in order to achieve your objectives in having a better performing car. Evaluating the different types of suspension springs and suspension components are also vital in this regard.

With the recent concern over high gas prices, many people here in Denver are looking for the highest mileage vehicles that they can find to drive on their daily commute. Denver has seen a boom in scooter sales and increased interest in bike commuting over the past few years. However, for those who cannot commute by bike, or do not feel safe riding a scooter in rush hour traffic, there is a better option.

The Smart Car is a radical departure from the typical American automobile. Developed in Europe where gas prices have always been high, streets are narrow and parking spaces at a premium, this car is about half the size of a typical automobile. It only carries two people and weighs close to a thousand pounds less than many of the other gas miser options out there. So, does this car’s diminutive size mean that it is dangerous to drive?

Most of us assume that the bigger a vehicle is – the safer it is. This is true to a certain degree. However, safety engineers have been able to pack a tremendous amount of design features into today’s smaller cars that decrease the chances that you will be seriously injured in a crash. The Smart Car is a great example of this fact.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHS) has recently performed comprehensive crash testing on this vehicle and it fared better than most people would have expected for it’s size.

In frontal and side impact collisions, the Smart Car received a good rating. This is actually the highest possible rating under the IHS standards. It received an acceptable rating in rear end collisions. IHS performs an off-set frontal crash test which simulates most real-world auto collisions. In a pure frontal impact test performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the Smart Car received a five star rating for driver protection and a three star rating for passenger protection.

You may also view a video showing the Smart Car being crashed into a concrete barrier at 70 m.p.h. through the link at the bottom of this article. While not scientific, this video dramatically shows how well this car performs in crashes.

So, it appears as though the Smart Car designers have done a remarkable job at making this car a safe choice for many drivers. If I were looking for a vehicle to be used primarily on city streets with little to no highway driving, I would consider this as an option. If I needed a car to drive on highways, or if I needed to transport more than two people, I would look at other options such as the Honda Civic, which has always maintained an impressive safety record along with excellent fuel efficiency.