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Spirson Off-Road Suspension on a Dodge Ram 2500
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We Graph It
The first set of graphs shows the truck heading southbound on our test track. Run No. 2 is the truck in its stock configuration and runs No. 12 and No. 14 are both with the Spirson Off-Road suspension. Run No. 2 and run No. 12 were completed with an approximate speed of 20 mph. With the truck in its stock configuration (red), we were not able to maintain our 20-mph speed limit-we continuously had to slow down for the larger bumps to keep the truck from slamming off of the bumpstops. When we ran the Spirson Off-Road suspension (blue), the truck articulated very well over the bumps without any harshness in the ride, although it was moving quite a bit.  In graph No. 1, you can see...  In graph No. 1, you can see our SENSR is measuring the movement (vibration) at different frequencies and how extreme those movements were while the truck was traveling down the track. Run No. 2 (red) is not only moving more, but also with more force. This represents the harsher ride of the stock suspension compared to the Spirson Off-Road suspension, run No. 12 (blue).  In graph No. 2, our SENSR...  In graph No. 2, our SENSR was measuring the same run, but this time it shows movement on all three planes: X, Y, and Z. This is called "vector magnitude." While this may sound too technical, it is basically showing the "attitude" of the truck as it travels down our track. You can see that run No. 12 (blue), with the Spirson Off-Road suspension, shows more movement in all directions, which represents the suspension controlling the attitude of the truck. On the other hand, run No. 2 (red) doesn't show as much movement and has much higher g-force readings, indicating the suspension is not able to control the attitude of the truck.  Graph No. 3 again shows the...  Graph No. 3 again shows the same run as graphs No. 1 and No. 2 with our SENSR measuring movement in an up-and-down direction. In this graph you can really see where we had to slow down for the bumps on the course. The first is at the very beginning of the run-about 8 to 12 seconds in-and then again midway through the run, about 40 to 50 seconds in. Otherwise, you can see in the graph that run No. 2 (red) is showing more movement, which would represent a harsher ride than run No. 12 (blue).  Graph No. 4 shows data from...  Graph No. 4 shows data from our SENSR with run No. 2 (red) as noted above and run No. 14 (blue), which is our Spirson Off-Road suspension that is traveling the same direction as the above runs, but at a speed of approximately 45 to 50 mph. This will show you a comparison of the truck traveling at more than twice the speed as run No. 2 (red).  Graph No. 5 again represents...  Graph No. 5 again represents run No. 2 (red) and run No. 14 (blue), measuring on all three planes-X, Y, and Z-and showing the overall attitude of the truck. As you can see, run No. 14 (blue) is traveling at more than twice the speed as run No. 2 (red), and for the most part, shows the vehicle having a better attitude throughout the course, especially at the end, where the truck was traveling much faster.  In graph No. 6, we have run...  In graph No. 6, we have run No. 2 (red) and run No. 14 (blue) again. Our SENSR is measuring up-and-down movement. You can see with the vehicle traveling at a much higher speed, the Spirson Off-Road suspension was controlling the harshness of the ride.  Graph No. 7 will be the same...  Graph No. 7 will be the same as graph No. 2, except we were heading northbound on our test track. Run No. 3 (red) is the stock suspension and run No. 13 (blue) is the Spirson Off-Road suspension. You can see the Spirson Off-Road suspension has the truck in a better overall attitude while traveling on the track. The Spirson Off-Road suspension just soaked up the bumps and didn't have the truck bucking up and down and sideways.  In graph No. 8, our SENSR...  In graph No. 8, our SENSR was measuring up-and-down movement as in graph No. 3 above, but again, we are heading northbound for this run. The Spirson Off-Road suspension, run No. 13 (blue), is showing less movement, which equates to a softer ride. It seemed the faster we went, the better the ride got. At the end of our testing, we made some bonsai runs to see what the truck could take. We were actually able to go more than 80 mph down our test track-it was simply amazing.  Graph No. 9 is showing our...  Graph No. 9 is showing our on-road (pavement) testing. The SENSR is once again measuring vehicle attitude while traveling 55 mph with the cruise control set. Here, run No. 10 (red) is the stock suspension and run No. 18 (blue) is the Spirson Off-Road suspension. The Spirson Off-Road suspension is showing less movement for the most part, compared to the stock suspension (run No. 10, red). This equated to a softer, more plush ride.  In graph No. 10, we are again...  In graph No. 10, we are again measuring the on-road test in an up-and-down movement. Run No. 18 (blue) is showing less movement than run No. 10 (red), indicating a softer ride while traveling down the road.
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