In article ,
Arny Krueger wrote:
But the better handling FWD cars also have decent rear suspension.

Right, but doing whatever you are doing right is far more important than
which general setup you pick.

Even longitudinal leaf springs with a live axle done right can work well
on reasonably smooth surfaces. High unsprung weight only matters on bad
surfaces, which unfortunately seems to prevail these days.

No suspension at all can work quite well on a smooth surface.

For example people like to **** on FWD cars with simple trailing arms
and a beam axle at the rear. However the beam axle is unsurpassed for
keeping the wheels near vertical to the pavement which is very
important for developing maximum cornering force.

A beam axle keeps the wheels parallel to each other, but that's about all.
With body roll - and in practice all cars do this - the important thing is
to get the relationship between the wheel taking the load and the pavement
correct. Which a beam axle is poor at.


If the wheels are not powered, unsprung weight can be kept low. Get
the trailing arm geometry right which is often done, and you have a
nice vehicle - stable but still adequately nimble.

The gold standard is upper and lower control arms, but that soup gets
****ed in at least as often as it is done right. ;-) Many compromises
come when encroachments on the passengers and luggauge are to be avoided.

That is true. But it can be done.

--
*Money isn‘t everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch

Dave Plowman London SW
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