Good book to read on Jeep steering and suspension?

psrivats said:
@pagrey I have a doctorate degree in electrical engg with a physics minor. I am no stranger to math or springs, RC circuits, electronics, harmonics (mechanical and electrical) etc. I was not looking at specific suspension component recommendations but more about learning the design details of jeep suspension and steering geometry. The factory does a great job optimizing the ride quality, longevity and capability of the vehicle. Then we go and mess with everything by installing a lift, bigger tires and whatnot. What compromises are made when we do that? How do we recover stock performance (or even make it better)? What are the tradeoffs? At what point (or at what lift height) does geometry correction becomes really needed? These are the things I want to learn and understand. Not just "slap on this kit, get these shocks, get those brackets". I want to understand the "why".

@Sancho the 2nd video is a good starting point. The small animations are great.
Click to expand...
Great, this should be really really easy.

You have a complicated circuit and you change the value of one capacitor. You can guess the effect. You can model the effect or you can test the effect. To guess is a total waste of time unless the circuit is very simple. To model requires an accurate circuit design and simulator like SPICE. To test you put in all the possible input conditions and test the output which is something that everybody can do.

Suspensions are the same thing. Guessing the outcome of suspension mods is a waste of time. Modeling them with a computer is a waste of time because we don't know the detailed parameters of any component which means the model wont work. This leaves only testing. See what I'm getting at, testing is the only option, knowing how the system works is of almost no use, you still have to rely on testing each possible thing and seeing if it works.
 
Imagine asking one of your EE professors, "isn't there a book I can read about how to modify power supplies to increase the voltage? The factory build a great power supply I just want to change a few parts so it works better"
 
pagrey said:
Imagine asking one of your EE professors, "isn't there a book I can read about how to modify power supplies to increase the voltage? The factory build a great power supply I just want to change a few parts so it works better"
Click to expand...

I try to work from general knowledge towards specific examples; I find that if I understand broad principles and concepts, the specifics are more easily revealed. There's no single book that's going to tell us exactly how to modify any given TJ to achieve specific end goals, because the thing that we call a "TJ" is, in itself, an extremely complicated and often unique system that's composed of disparate and variable parts: to a great degree, literally every Jeep on the road is different. This is why I would suggest that understanding broad theory and applying it to specific examples is generally more useful than working the other way around: understanding a specific example and trying to extrapolate general principles from that limited familiarity. My own approach has been to apply basic principles to the TJ platform, and to do my best to ask relevant questions to those that have proven knowledge and understanding of the vehicle...and if I was more intelligent, this would have been a very successful endeavor; as it is, I know just enough to get myself into serious trouble.
 
  • Like
Reactions: psrivats
pagrey said:
Imagine asking one of your EE professors, "isn't there a book I can read about how to modify power supplies to increase the voltage? The factory build a great power supply I just want to change a few parts so it works better"
Click to expand...

I get what you saying. I really do.

But if you want to learn about power supplies, is it not a good thing to start with the basics to understand how they work before you look at a complicated regulated industrial power supply with a million design features and constraints which you intend to understand? I was simply asking what is good reading material to cover the basics of suspension and steering setups, one specific to jeeps, if a resource like that exists at all. I am by no means an expert in anything automotive or even mechanical and to me it was worth asking that question. It looks like a single resource doesn't exist that has everything in one place and the information is available online across various websites and forums (which is fine). I got the answer and I will start learning. There are lot of informed and knowledgeable people even here on this forum and I think I will eventually understand the details if I spend enough time thinking about it. I do know that details are important.

FWIW - those kind of books do exist. Just look at the Springer advanced catalog that caters to a niche audience ;););)


Sundowner said:
This is why I would suggest that understanding broad theory and applying it to specific examples is generally more useful than working the other way around: understanding a specific example and trying to extrapolate general principles from that limited familiarity.
Click to expand...

Well said and I agree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pagrey
@psrivats ... If you want to jump into the deep end, start looking up 4 link designs and how the 4 link calculator works. It may not be what you're looking to do with your Jeep, but reading those threads will start to help build your understanding of how the suspension works. A guy named Imped on JF has a real good thread on building a 4 link. I think @mrblaine helped him out a bit. That was the first 4 link thread I read, then as other members post, you can get a feel for who is asking the right questions, then go read their build threads, etc. Imped was/is pretty vocal on others threads too, to correct bad information and help those who ask.

Pirate has some great threads too, but there is a LOT of bullshit to wade through. Once you learn what is real and not, venture into over there and see what you learn.

I'm still learning what I don't know, but I put a few hours in here and there when I have time. I don't know that I'll ever actually go through with the build ideas I have, but I like learning, so it's not a waste, IMHO.

If you have specific questions, I can try to help through PM or phone call too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: psrivats
Top Bottom
Back