Independent Suspension: The rear wheels of the Focus steer with a diamond-shaped independent suspension arm axle. Each wheel reacts to the road independently and springs due to the special kinematics of the rear axle simultaneously up and down.
Good driving performance and driving comfort are ensured in your Focus by the running gear. Theoretically, it should accurately guide the wheels in all possible situations, on a wide variety of surfaces and with every movement. This is theory, in practice it means finding a compromise that is as close as possible to the theoretical ideal. The usual practical search for a theoretical ideal keeps in suspense powerful industrial computers and numerous testers of automobiles all over the globe. Since your Focus's wheels not only need to spin, they also need to move up and down as seamlessly as you can while driving. Also, when braking, accelerating and cornering, various forces arise that significantly load the chassis. Work becomes collective only when all elements are precisely harmonized with each other. The chassis includes suspension and damping, front and rear wheel suspension, steering, as well as wheels and tires. Brakes are also an element of the chassis - we will describe in a separate chapter.
Chassis calculation is a whole science
Well-calculated wheel suspensions are a science even in the age of computers: the wheels must always be at a precisely defined angle to the vehicle axle. But if you drive your Focus over a bulge in the road or rush around a corner, the wheel geometry inevitably changes. The wheels should never lose contact with the road - your Focus, following centrifugal force, is looking for the shortest path to «offside». To prevent this, if possible, the wheels are sprung relative to the body. Suspension dampens shock and smoothes the road surface. In order for the body to not undesirably vibrate and sway, it is calmed by a shock absorber on each wheel. Shock absorbers should actually be called vibration dampers: they do not dampen shocks, but weaken the natural oscillations of the springs.
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