Wishbone Suspension

Wishbone suspension, also called double wishbone or double A-arm suspension, is a type of independent suspension system that uses two triangular-shaped control arms (resembling a chicken's wishbone) to connect each wheel to the car's frame, allowing each wheel to move up and down independently while maintaining precise control over its position.

The name comes from the distinctive shape of the control arms, which look like the wishbone from a chicken. Each wheel has two of these wishbone-shaped arms—one mounted above the wheel (upper wishbone) and one below it (lower wishbone). The pointed end of each wishbone connects to the wheel hub, while the wider end attaches to the car's chassis at two separate points, creating a strong triangular structure.

This design is extremely popular in motorsport, particularly in Formula 1, where every car uses wishbone suspension on all four wheels. The reason racing teams love this setup is simple: it gives engineers incredible control over how the wheels behave during racing. When a car corners at high speed, brakes hard, or accelerates out of a turn, the wishbone suspension helps keep the tires in the best possible contact with the track surface.

One of the biggest advantages of wishbone suspension is its ability to control something called camber angle—this is how much the wheel tilts inward or outward when you look at the car from the front. During hard cornering, engineers can design the suspension so the wheel leans slightly inward, which actually increases the amount of tire touching the road. More tire contact means more grip, and more grip means faster lap times.

The suspension also includes springs and shock absorbers that mount to the wishbones to control how the wheel moves up and down over bumps. In modern racing cars, these components are often mounted inside the car body using special linkages called pushrod or pullrod systems. This arrangement improves aerodynamics by keeping bulky suspension parts out of the airflow and allows teams to position weight exactly where they want it.

Beyond Formula 1, you'll find wishbone suspension on many high-performance sports cars. The Chevrolet Corvette uses it on all four wheels, while cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 and Mazda MX-5 Miata feature it at least on the front wheels. Even some older family cars, like Honda Accords made before 2012, used this suspension design because of its superior handling qualities.

The main drawback of wishbone suspension is complexity. It requires more parts than simpler designs like MacPherson strut suspension, which means it costs more to manufacture and maintain. It also takes up more horizontal space, which can be challenging in compact car designs. However, for racing applications where performance matters more than cost, wishbone suspension remains the gold standard because it simply handles better and gives engineers more control over the car's behavior on track.