SMART 453 Series Introduction Into Service Manual page 59

Axles and suspension
Suspension and damping
The suspension of the new smart consists of twin-tube Mac-
Pherson suspension struts on the front axle and twin-tube
shock absorbers with separate springs on the rear axle.
Front axle suspension
The front axle consists of MacPherson suspension struts for
wheel control, consisting of coil springs optimized for trans-
verse forces, auxiliary springs, twin-tube gas-filled shock ab-
sorbers and compact support bushings. The support bushing
has a three-path design i.e. force application by the shock
absorber, spring and auxiliary spring are decoupled from
each other. The shock absorber is supported by the inner
elastomer bearing, which is optimally tuned to the response
characteristics of the shock absorber.
The comfort-enhancing polyurethane auxiliary spring features
a progressive characteristic and is supported against the
P32.00-2076-00
body through the bearing housing. The force from the coil
View of support bushing
spring is transferred through the ball bearing to the body.
Noise insulation is achieved by means of a bottom spring
mount made of elastomer. In order to reduce friction in the
seal guide unit of the shock absorber, the coil springs are
geometrically designed as "side load springs", which compen-
sate for the effect of the vertical wheel force on the trans-
verse force in the seal guide unit. This produces optimized
shock absorber response characteristics.
The suspension strut features a clamping bracket for assem-
bly-related reasons, a large spring retainer with spring cat-
ching function and a weight-reduced hollow piston rod.
The torsion bar also has a tubular design for weight-related
reasons, with torsion bar mounts vulcanized onto it.
58 Introduction of the New smart fortwo coupé and smart forfour | Model Series 453
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