5 November

The fascinating thing about car suspension is that it has to do 2 important things, which are fundamentally opposed. There is no actual way to resolve that tension. Most of all, a car has to stay on the road to keep you safe. Which means the tyres have to stay in contact with the road wherever possible, no matter how much speed and force and changed terrain is in play. That’s the main function of suspension, though much less well known than function 2. Function 2 is your comfort. To stop your body being strained and bounced to bits by the huge forces tonnes of metal travelling at high speeds creates. The problem is, improving ride comfort (function 2) damages ride handling (function 1). Cars with ‘firm’ suspension are usually designed to be great around corners. ‘Driver’s cars’. But they’re uncomfortable for passengers. Cars designed for passenger comfort tend to feel ‘boaty’ or floating, not great for fast cornering. Engineers try to find a happy medium for the targeted buyers. But it’s a tension that can’t be resolved. Modern cars, like some new EVs, also allow you to alter the suspension depending on whether you want comfort or sportiness. At the touch of a button. That’s probably as good as it’s going to get.