Rollover, Braking, and Dynamic Stability-Modified Suspension Vehicles. Final Report. Volume 1. Technical Report

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Rollover, Braking, and Dynamic Stability-Modified Suspension Vehicles. Final Report. Volume 1. Technical Report

B. K. Kebschull / D. H. Weir / J. W. Zellner

A study was performed to investigate the dynamic response properties of modified suspension pickup trucks and utility vehicles in particular open loop steering and braking maneuvers. Three example vehicles were tested, a 1985 Toyota pickup, a 1986 Chevrolet K-20 pickup, and a 1986 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer; in both their OE configurations and with extensive suspension, chassis, and tire modifications using aftermarket components. These modifications tended to increase the cg height, widen the track, decrease braking gain, increase suspension compliance, and possibly lead to greater loads on suspension components. Outriggers were used to prevent rollover, and an automatic vehicle controller was used to input large, repeatable and rapid open loop maneuvers. Each vehicle configuration was tested in 5 maneuvers, including straight line braking, trapezoidal steering, braking in a turn, steady state turning, and sinusoidal steering. Full scale test results are presented to show the effect of vehicle modifications on sublimit and limit performance in these maneuvers.