why is it called triangulated 4 link? ive studied and tried to figure it out but in all the setups i dont see anything different from a standard 4 link setup
Look at a GM ch***is from 64 through 87, mid size. Olds, Chevy, Pontiac, Buick. The rears are basically all the same and are triangulated four link.
Triangulated gives better articulation, good for bagged and lifted stuff (edit: and daily drivers)... Parallel is better for drag racing cause you can set anti-squat and all that easier.
The triangulated 4-link setup does not require another link or links to keep the axle centered under the ch***is (panhard bar, watts link, etc.). The diagonal bars, along with the straight bars, and the axle housing, form the three sides of the triangle, when viewed from above, although it need not be a "true" triangle.
Triangulated four bar also shouldn't/won't need a panhard bar/diagonal link to keep the rearend located under the car. One thing to think about is this though, GM cars use soft bushing so there is no real "bind", the bushing just flex. I am not a fan of these really hard and tiny urethane bushings for the reason that they really don't have enough flex in them so the stress is then placed on either the bars themselves or the brackets that locate the bars. I had a tubbed car and ran drag style ladder bars on the street. I ended up breaking a bar 3 1/2 hours away from home and I believe the cause was suspension bind. I actually have an '81 Regal and an '86 Cutl*** (with the factory GM triangulated four bar) and I will be doing some suspension mods to the Regal but I have absolutely no intention of replacing the factory bushing with the urethane kits you can buy for these cars, just not enough flex. Just my opinion. I have a '38 Olds coupe that I installed a Mustang II in and an early Camaro rear on Jeep Cherokee leafs in the back....no binding front or rear. Tons of people run fourlinks, ladder bars, fourbars, hairpins...just not for me, I don't agree with the suspension geometry. Something to think about.
I prefer a parallel 4 bar set for an air ride car rather than a triangulated set up. Tri angulated is great for a ride that has plenty of twist in the rear and you need the full range of articulation. On a bagged cruiser where all you're asking the car to do is go up and down you can't go wrong with a simple 4 bar set up. Just my .02
If anyone wants to get a little more in to the differences between 2/3/4-link setups I'd be glad to help (pm would be easiest). For a place to start I did a little google search and came up with this off the Sport Truck website. Very informative and touches on quite a few of the basics... http://www.sporttruck.com/techarticles/0804st_rear_suspension_design/index.html
The Jalopy Journal
