Cruze

Rear Suspension Description and Operation - Watt Linkage

This vehicle has a semi-independent twist-beam rear suspension system consisting of the following components:

The axle assembly attaches to the underbody through a rubber bushing and bracket located at the front of each integral trailing arm. The brackets are bolted to the underbody side rails. The axle structure itself maintains the geometrical relationship of the wheels relative to the centreline of the body.

The Watt linkage is used in the rear axle of the suspension as a performance improvement. This method is intended to prevent relative sideways motion between the axle and body of the vehicle. Watt's linkage approximates a vertical straight line motion more closely, and does so while locating the centre of the axle rather than toward one side of the vehicle, as more commonly used when fitting a long Panhard rod.

It consists of two horizontal equalizer beam links of equal length mounted at each side of the chassis. In between these two links, a short centre link is connected. The centre of this centre link - the point which is constrained in a straight line motion - is mounted to the centre of the equalizer beam support. All pivoting points are free to rotate in a vertical plane. Watt's linkage can also be used to prevent axle movement in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.