Pull Rod Suspension

Pull rod suspension is a specialized racing car suspension system where a rod connects the wheel assembly to the chassis and pulls downward when the wheel hits a bump, activating shock absorbers and springs mounted low in the car's body.

To understand pull rod suspension, it helps to know what suspension does. Every car needs suspension to keep its wheels firmly planted on the road, even when driving over bumps or through corners. The suspension uses springs and shock absorbers (called dampers) to cushion impacts and maintain tire contact with the track surface. Better tire contact means better grip, which allows racing cars to corner faster and accelerate harder.

Pull rod suspension builds on a design called double-wishbone suspension, which uses two triangular arms to connect each wheel to the car's main structure (the chassis). What makes the pull-rod configuration unique is how it connects these components. A slender rod runs from the top of the wheel assembly upward to a pivot point mounted low in the chassis. When the wheel moves up over a bump, it literally pulls on this rod.

This pulling motion rotates a lever inside the chassis called a rocker, which then compresses the springs and dampers that absorb the impact. The key difference from other suspension types is where these components live. In a pull-rod setup, all the mechanical parts—the rockers, springs, and dampers—sit at the bottom of the chassis rather than up high.

Formula 1 teams first saw pull rod suspension in 1979 when designer Gordon Murray introduced it on the Brabham BT49 race car. While it hasn't always been the most popular choice in F1, several top teams have returned to this design in recent years. In 2025, leading teams including McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Sauber are running pull-rod systems on the front of their cars.

The main advantage of pull rod suspension is that it lowers the car's center of gravity by positioning heavy suspension components closer to the ground. A lower center of gravity makes the car more stable, especially when cornering at high speeds. This system also offers aerodynamic benefits because the suspension components are tucked away inside the chassis, creating less disruption to the airflow around and under the car. Additionally, because pullrods work in tension (being pulled rather than pushed), they can be made slimmer and lighter than other suspension rods.

However, pull rod suspension isn't perfect. The biggest drawback is accessibility—when mechanics need to adjust or repair the suspension, they must work at the bottom of the car, often in cramped spaces or after removing the floor panel. This makes trackside changes more time-consuming. The wishbone arms may also need to be built thicker and heavier to handle the forces placed on them in this configuration.

Despite these challenges, pull rod suspension remains a valuable tool for racing teams seeking every possible advantage in performance, particularly when aerodynamic efficiency and a low center of gravity are priorities in their car design.