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De Dion rear axle A de Dion tube is a form of non- independent
automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...
suspension. It is a considerable improvement over the swing axle, Hotchkiss drive, or
live axle A beam axle, rigid axle or solid axle is a dependent suspension design in which a set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have als ...
. Because it plays no part in transmitting power to the drive wheels, it is sometimes called a "dead axle".Setright, p.515. A de Dion suspension uses a universal joint at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a solid tubular beam to hold the opposite wheels in parallel. Unlike an anti-roll bar, a de Dion tube is not directly connected to the chassis nor is it intended to flex. In suspension geometry it is a beam axle suspension.


History

The de Dion tube was named after Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, founder of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
automobile manufacturer De Dion-Bouton. The tube, however, was invented around 1894 by co-founder Charles Trépardoux for use on the company's steam tricycles. G.N. Georgano, p. 27.


Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages: #Reduced unsprung weight compared to the Hotchkiss drive (
live axle A beam axle, rigid axle or solid axle is a dependent suspension design in which a set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have als ...
), since the differential and half-shafts are connected to the chassis. #Unlike most fully independent suspension there are no camber changes on axle loading and unloading (or rebound). Fixing the camber of both wheels at 0° assists in obtaining good traction from wide tires and also tends to reduce wheel hop under high power operations compared to an independent suspension. #The choice of
shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
s and springs is made easier. #The two wheels may be individually aligned, allowing for independent camber (vertical) and track (horizontal) alignment. Disadvantages: #A pair of CV or universal joints is required for each wheel, adding complexity, cost, and weight. #If coil springs are used, then a lateral location link (usually either a Panhard rod or Watt's linkage) is required, plus additional torque links on each side (five link suspension) or a combination of lower trailing links and an upper transverse wishbone. None of these additional links are required if leaf springs are used, but ride can be compromised due to the leaves having to do double duty as both locating links and springs. The torque links are not required if the setup uses inboard brakes, like in the Pegaso 1502, Rover P6, all Iso cars and Alfa Romeo type 116 (and derivatives), as the wheels do not transmit torque to the suspension. #Sympathetic camber changes on opposite wheels are seen on single-wheel suspension compression, just as in a Hotchkiss drive or live axle. This is not important for operation on improved surfaces but is more critical for rough road or off-road use.


Use in production cars


Older cars

Alfa Romeo is probably the most famous adopter of this technology, using it on the Alfa Romeo Alfetta, GT, GTV, GTV6, Giulietta,
Alfa 6 The Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 (Type 119) is a luxury executive car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1979 to 1986. Its name refers to the six cylinders of the Alfa Romeo V6 engine, which made its first appearance on this car. History On ...
, 90, 75/Milano, SZ/RZ. Other production vehicles using this suspension include the
Lancia Aurelia The Lancia Aurelia is a car produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia from 1950 to the summer of 1958. It is noted for using one of the first series-production V6 engines. Several body styles were offered: 4-door saloon, 2-door GT coupé (B20), ...
(fourth series onwards) and Flaminia, first and second generation Prince Gloria, the original Mazda Cosmo, Volvo 300-series, Rover P6, Chrysler minivans (all wheel drive versions from 1991 to 2004), DAF 46, DAF 66, all Iso cars ( Iso Rivolta IR 300, Iso Grifo,
Iso Fidia The Iso Fidia (or Iso Rivolta Fidia), initially Iso Rivolta S4, is a four-door sedan which was produced by the Italian automobile maker Iso Automoveicoli S.p.A. from 1967 to 1975. The Fidia, first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Septemb ...
,
Iso Lele The Iso Lele (or Iso Rivolta Lele) is a grand tourer that was produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Iso Automoveicoli S.p.A. between 1969 and 1974. The Lele, being a 2+2-seater, filled the gap between the Grifo and the Fidia while sha ...
) and early Bizzarrini 5300 GT Stradas, some of the largest Opels, such as the Opel Diplomat "B" of 1969, all
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated ...
s from 1967 to 1989, Ferrari 375 and 250TR, first generation Maserati Quattroporte,
Bugatti Type 251 This is a list of prototype vehicles created by Bugatti that never reached full production. Type 36 The Type 36 racer was produced in 1925, and introduced a new 1.5 L (1493 cc/91 in³) straight-8 engine. With a 60 by 66 mm bor ...
, Mercedes-Benz W125 and W154 as well as
Auto Union Type D Auto may refer to: * An automaton * An automobile * An autonomous car * An automatic transmission * An auto rickshaw * Short for automatic * Auto (art), a form of Portuguese dramatic play * ''Auto'' (film), 2007 Tamil comedy film * Auto (p ...
.


Recent cars

The Smart Fortwo (and Smart Roadster before) micro-compact cars produced by Daimler AG, Mitsubishi i
kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...
produced by Mitsubishi Motors and the Caterham 7 (a development of the Lotus Seven after Lotus sold the design rights to Caterham Cars), are the only cars recently in production that utilize this arrangement, as well as the products of some kit car companies. A recent vehicle to use this suspension coupled with leaf springs was the Ford Ranger EV. The American-built MV-1 van by VPG, produced from 2010 to 2016, also used this suspension in the rear with leaf springs. 4WD variants of the Honda Fit and Honda HR-V subcompact SUV have been reported as using a de Dion style suspension; however, these vehicles actually have a twist-beam rear suspension, with the cross beam element located even further forward (and thus even more like a trailing arm and less like the beam axle of a de Dion) than the 2WD variants.


Other notable uses

Most models of the Kawasaki MULE line of utility vehicles feature a leaf-sprung de Dion rear suspension with a distinctively curved tube axle that clears the rear subframe to provide 50mm (2 inches) of wheel travel.Kawasaki MULE 2510/MULE 2520 Utility Vehicle Service Manual Third Edition page 1-6 Benefits include simplicity, durability, compactness and a relatively low liftover height for the cargo bed. Walter Snow Fighter plow trucks produced by the Walter Truck Company of Long Island, New York throughout the mid 20th century used de Dion axles with portal gear hubs for both the front and the rear suspension, allowing the use of large differentials for durability without increasing unsprung weight or reducing ground clearance. Forged steel axles were used instead of tubes. And Mowag Duro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mowag_Duro
Triton Racing
employs the use of de Dion rear suspension in their Formula SAE vehicle.


References


Sources

* (reprints AB Nordbok 1985 edition). *Setright, L. J. K. "De Dion axle: The First Step to Independence", in Ward, Ian, executive editor. ''World of Automobiles'', Volume 5, pp. 515–516. London: Orbis, 1974. {{Powertrain Automotive suspension technologies Vehicle technology