# Trailing arm suspension

> What is trailing arm suspension?

- Category: Car design › Suspension geometry
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/trailing-arm/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=trailing-arm · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/trailing-arm/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files CC BY 4.0 or their publisher's license
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## Notes

- A trailing arm pivots on the body at its front and carries the wheel at its rear, so the wheel moves on an arc about a lateral pivot (FIRGELLI). Camber does not change with bump but does with body roll, tilting both wheels and causing understeer (AutoZine).
- FIRGELLI's example: a 450 mm arm rising 150 mm rotates 19.5 deg and pulls the wheel back 25.7 mm.

## Sizes

| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| Example arm / travel | L 450 mm, dz 150 mm | FIRGELLI |
| Horizontal recession | ~25.7 mm | FIRGELLI |
| Arm rotation | ~19.5 deg | FIRGELLI |

## Where the files are

- FIRGELLI Automations: [Trailing arm suspension mechanism explained](https://www.firgelliauto.com/blogs/mechanisms/trailing-arm-suspension) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- AutoZine Technical School: [Suspension: trailing arm, semi-trailing arm, torsion beam, multi-link](https://w.autozine.org/technical_school/suspension/tech_suspension21.htm) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Questions

**Does camber change?**

Not in bump, but it does when the body rolls (AutoZine).

## Fits with

- [Camber angle](https://xemstudio.com/objects/camber/)
- [Caster angle](https://xemstudio.com/objects/caster/)
- [Front kick-up (RC)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/kick-up/)
- [Front toe (toe-in / toe-out)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/toe-front/)
- [Rear toe-in](https://xemstudio.com/objects/toe-rear/)
- [Ackermann steering geometry](https://xemstudio.com/objects/ackermann/)