Macpherson struts vs double wishbone struts
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Team Driftworks
- Guides & Featured Products
- 27 Sep 2024
- Reading time: 3 minutes
Do I have Macpherson struts or Double Wishbone struts?
There are 2 main types of suspension used in production cars, these are double wishbone and Macpherson struts. Knowing which variant your car has helps hugely when understanding things like setting up coilovers or looking at adjustable arms.
There is no right or wrong type or working out which one is better, it comes down to the type of car you have or which setup feels better for you.
MacPherson struts
These are very common on the front of many mass-production cars. This setup is when the car only has a lower suspension arm and then the strut itself bolts directly to the hub supporting the wheel.
Cars with Macpherson struts will mean you can get top mounts that control the camber adjustment. You would see on this the top mount has bolts in, to adjust this you would loosen the 4 Allen bolts, move the damper by hand, and then lock them off again with the Allen bolts. This is common in the front of a Nissan Silvia, Nissan Skyline, BMW E36 and E46, and many others.
Further to this, some kits carry an adjustable castor setting on the top mount.
Driftworks CS2 coilovers have this along with certain HSD kits (E36 Monopro for example) and some BC Racing kits.
Castor adjustment can be done in several ways either on the topmount or by moving the lower arm on the car with an adjustable option or offset bush.
Castor is very important when looking at the dynamic setting on suspension and changes the feel of the steering and its self-centering along with the turn-in as it alters the dynamic camber.
Having the ability to tune your car's castor can be a very useful feature when set up correctly on Macpherson struts.
Double Wishbone struts
Double wishbone struts have an upper and lower arm supporting the knuckle and then the coilover mounts to one of these arms (normally the lower) or a knuckle. These are found on the rear of most cars (the only real exception being Subaru) and also on the front of many mass-production cars.
Cars with double wishbone suspension will not come with adjustable top mounts as the camber and castor would be adjusted on the suspension arms meaning the coilovers would have a solid topmount.
Double wishbone is used on cars like the Mazda MX5, Toyota Altezza, Chaser, Supra, Honda Civic, and Nissan R32, R33, and R34 Skyline. Setting the camber on these cars is done on the suspension arms and you can sometimes get options for upper and lower arms to be able to move this either inwards at the top (for wheel clearance) or out at the bottom (to add some slight track width and improve handling).
Hopefully, this guide gives you a good understanding of the difference between Macpherson and double wishbone struts. However, if you're still unsure or would like to know more about any of our coilovers or suspension arms, please speak to our friendly customer support team at [email protected] or call 0121 792 2000.
We're here to give you the most up-to-date knowledge on frequently searched topics gained from years of first-hand experience modifying our cars. We'll always aim to give you the answers straight without adding over complicated, unnecessary detail.
