Mazda Motor Corporation

Ikuo Ishimitsu

Toshimichi Tokunaga

Yoshiaki Anan

Takeshi Tanaka

An improved vehicle suspension system capable of providing at all times a desirable maneuvering characteristic variable in response to changes in the angle of steering. The suspension system includes front wheel suspension assemblies for resiliently suspending the front wheels of the vehicle and rear wheel suspension assemblies for resiliently suspending the rear wheels of the vehicle. The front wheel suspension assemblies and/or the rear wheel suspension assemblies have a variable suspension characteristic which is controlled to vary in response to a steering angle exceeding a predetermined level in a manner such that the steering characteristic of the vehicle during steering operation is changed in a direction toward an oversteer characteristic as compared with the steering characteristic during non-steering operation. Specifically, the suspension characteristic of the front wheel suspension assemblies and/or the rear wheel suspension assemblies is changed to make the ratio of the suspension rate of each front wheel suspension assembly to that of each rear wheel suspension assembly smaller during steering operation than during non-steering operation. Also, the steering characteristic of the vehicle may be further controlled such that the understeer characteristic of the vehicle is stronger at high speed than at low speed.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Ikuo Ishimitsu