Scout Motors Inc. is an American automotive company. It is owned by German manufacturer Volkswagen Group , which obtained the Scout brand after acquiring American truck manufacturer Navistar International in 2021.
93-509: Scout Motors was established in May 2022 to produce off-road capable electric vehicles . It is an entirely US-based operation and acts as an independent company, managed separately from Volkswagen with its own executive team. The headquarters is located in Tysons, Virginia . The Scout marque is named after the off-road vehicle International Scout , produced from 1961 to 1980. Volkswagen has owned
186-499: A Range Rover , removing the body, cutting the chassis down to an 80-inch wheelbase, and attaching it to the body of a Series I Land Rover , retaining the Range Rover's V8 engine and coil-spring suspension in a light, maneuverable body. In recent years, the value of early Land Rovers and Range Rovers has risen to the extent that this is no longer practical. CCV trailers now usually base their vehicles around Land Rover Defenders or
279-448: A bow. Horse-drawn carriages and Ford Model T used this system, and it is still used today in larger vehicles, mainly mounted in the rear suspension. Leaf springs were the first modern suspension system, and, along with advances in the construction of roads , heralded the single greatest improvement in road transport until the advent of the automobile . The British steel springs were not well-suited for use on America 's rough roads of
372-705: A coalition of conservation groups including the Friends of Juniper Flats, Community Off-road Vehicle Watch, California Native Plant Society, The Center for Biological Diversity , The Sierra Club , and The Wilderness Society who initiated the legal challenge in late 2006. Many U.S. national parks have discussed or enacted roadless rules and partial or total bans on ORVs. To accommodate enthusiasts, some parks like Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida , were created specifically for ORVs and related purposes. However, such designations have not prevented damage or abuse of
465-636: A dedicated off-road driving center and are usually organized by a dedicated trialing body (such as the All-Wheel Drive Club or the Association of Land Rover clubs in the UK, or by a vehicle owner's club. The course consists of 10 to 12 "gates" marked by two garden canes (sticks) and are vertically placed. The gates are just wide enough to get a standard vehicle through. Vehicles start in a stagger, proceeding one by one, and are deemed to have cleared
558-422: A gate if at least one of the front wheel hubs passes between the canes. The vehicle's attempt ends when it comes to a stop (depending on the exact level of skill the trial is aimed at any stopping may end the attempt, or a few seconds may be allowed). Long-wheelbase vehicles are usually allowed to perform a three-point turn if needed, providing the driver declares where the turn is going to be made before they attempt
651-463: A high-speed off-road vehicle encounters. Damping is the control of motion or oscillation, as seen with the use of hydraulic gates and valves in a vehicle's shock absorber. This may also vary, intentionally or unintentionally. Like spring rate, the optimal damping for comfort may be less, than for control. Damping controls the travel speed and resistance of the vehicle's suspension. An undamped car will oscillate up and down. With proper damping levels,
744-462: A level of high-speed racing that is not characteristic of rock crawling . See article: Rally Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. Rallies may be short in
837-401: A person wearing snowshoes to walk on snow without sinking. Some cars are equipped with beadlock wheels, which allow tire pressure to be lowered even further without risking separation of the tire and rim. Upon entering the desert, it is customary for drivers to meet with a pack of other vehicles and a group leader before proceeding. The group leader then leads the pack through the stunts in
930-700: A single file line. The rationale for this technique is to prevent drivers from becoming disoriented and getting lost. High-speed racing in the desert includes chases and racing at maximum speed through rough desert terrain with numerous pots and bumps. Drivers often use rear-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive trucks with long-travel suspension and wide stance between the front enlarged tires, which maintains optimal stability at high speed. These types of trucks are often called Trophy trucks or PreRunners. Rock racing involves driving over rocks, but unlike rock crawling, does not specify penalties for striking cones, backing up, or winching . In addition, rock racing incorporates
1023-498: A spring rate close to the upper limit for that vehicle's weight. This allows the vehicle to perform properly under a heavy load, when control is limited by the inertia of the load. Riding in an empty truck meant for carrying loads can be uncomfortable for passengers, because of its high spring rate relative to the weight of the vehicle. A race car could also be described as having heavy springs, and would also be uncomfortably bumpy. However, even though we say they both have heavy springs,
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#17327766050851116-415: A standard 100-inch chassis from a Range Rover or Series I Discovery . The Suzuki SJ series of vehicles also make good bases for CCV-spec vehicles. Some vehicles are specially built, taking the form of light "buggies" with tractor tires and "fiddle" brakes (fiddle brakes give the ability to lock a wheel, which enables much better turning, better control descending hills, traction control by slowing or locking
1209-400: A suspension system. In 1922, independent front suspension was pioneered on Lancia Lambda , and became more common in mass market cars from 1932. Today, most cars have independent suspension on all four wheels. The part on which pre-1950 springs were supported is called a dumb iron . In 2002, a new passive suspension component, the inerter , was invented by Malcolm C. Smith . This has
1302-547: A vehicle with zero sprung weight. They are then put through the same dynamic loads. The weight transfer for cornering in the front would be equal to the total unsprung front weight times the G-force times the front unsprung center of gravity height divided by the front track width. The same is true for the rear. Sprung weight transfer is the weight transferred by only the weight of the vehicle resting on its springs, and not by total vehicle weight. Calculating this requires knowing
1395-416: A vehicle's sprung mass to roll. It is expressed as torque per degree of roll of the vehicle sprung mass. It is influenced by factors including but not limited to vehicle sprung mass, track width, CG height, spring and damper rates, roll centre heights of front and rear, anti-roll bar stiffness and tire pressure/construction. The roll rate of a vehicle can, and usually, does differ front-to-rear, which allows for
1488-418: A walking pace and a course properly laid out would be drivable without damage. However, the terrain usually includes steep slopes, water, side slopes, deep ruts, and other obstacles that could potentially damage a vehicle if mistakes are made or poor driving techniques are used. As such, the use of modifications can increase the chances of success. RTV trials usually take place on farmland, a quarry site, or at
1581-537: A wheel are less severe, if the wheel lifts when the spring reaches its unloaded shape than they are, if travel is limited by contact of suspension members (See Triumph TR3B .) Many off-road vehicles , such as desert racers, use straps called "limiting straps" to limit the suspensions' downward travel to a point within safe limits for the linkages and shock absorbers. This is necessary, since these trucks are intended to travel over very rough terrain at high speeds, and even become airborne at times. Without something to limit
1674-422: Is a component in setting the vehicle's ride height or its location in the suspension stroke. When a spring is compressed or stretched, the force it exerts, is proportional to its change in length. The spring rate or spring constant of a spring is the change in the force it exerts, divided by the change in deflection of the spring. Vehicles that carry heavy loads, will often have heavier springs to compensate for
1767-419: Is a simplified method of describing lateral load transfer distribution front to rear, and subsequently handling balance. It is the effective wheel rate, in roll, of each axle of the vehicle as a ratio of the vehicle's total roll rate. It is commonly adjusted through the use of anti-roll bars , but can also be changed through the use of different springs. Weight transfer during cornering, acceleration, or braking
1860-418: Is a specific form of off-roading performed on sand dunes . Dune Buggies , Sport-utility vehicles , and ATVs are often used. Vehicles driven on sand dunes are often equipped with a roll cage for safety in the case of an overturn . The tire pressure is often reduced to gain more traction by increasing the footprint of the tire and lowering the ground pressure of the vehicle on the sand, comparable to
1953-413: Is complex, and is determined by many factors; including, but not limited to: roll center height, spring and damper rates, anti-roll bar stiffness, and the kinematic design of suspension links. In most conventional applications, when weight is transferred through intentionally compliant elements, such as springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars, the weight transfer is said to be "elastic", while the weight which
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#17327766050852046-412: Is determined by the instantaneous front view swing arm (FVSA) length of suspension geometry, or in other words, the tendency of the tire to camber inward when compressed in bump. Roll center height is a product of suspension instant center heights and is a useful metric in analyzing weight transfer effects, body roll and front to rear roll stiffness distribution. Conventionally, roll stiffness distribution
2139-437: Is intended to be vehicle-damaging, mistakes and accidents are inevitable. A standard-specification vehicle would not be expected to be able to complete a CCV course, but it would still be possible. The event is run along the same lines as RTV, with a course made up of cane-marked gates. CCV trialing differs greatly from RTV trials in the vehicles used. Since CCV judges adopt an "anything goes" attitude, CCV trials rely on having
2232-441: Is key information used in finding the force-based roll center as well. In this respect, the instant centers are more important to the handling of the vehicle, than the kinematic roll center alone, in that the ratio of geometric-to-elastic weight transfer is determined by the forces at the tires and their directions in relation to the position of their respective instant centers. Anti-dive and anti-squat are percentages that indicate
2325-470: Is off-roading through an area of wet mud or clay, leading to extremely low traction and problems with moving forward. The goal is to drive as far as possible without getting stuck. There are many types of tires that are often used for this activity, including balloon tires, mud-terrain tires and paddle tires . The activity is popular in the United States , although it is illegal on public land due to
2418-416: Is open to non-road-legal vehicles, which greatly increases the scope for modification. The terrain covered will be of greater difficulty than that found on an RTV trial. Since there is a risk of touching rocks and trees with the bodywork, CCV trialing will usually require more careful use of speed to get the vehicle across certain obstacles will attempting to mitigate the risk of vehicle damage. Whilst no trial
2511-405: Is squared because it has two effects on the wheel rate: it applies to both the force and the distance traveled. Wheel rate on independent suspension is fairly straightforward. However, special consideration must be taken with some non-independent suspension designs. Take the case of the straight axle. When viewed from the front or rear, the wheel rate can be measured by the means above. Yet, because
2604-410: Is the "bump-stop", which protects the suspension and the vehicle (as well as the occupants) from the violent "bottoming" of the suspension, caused when an obstruction (or a hard landing) causes suspension to run out of upward travel without fully absorbing the energy of the stroke. Without bump-stops, a vehicle that "bottoms out", will experience a very hard shock when the suspension contacts the bottom of
2697-1000: Is the Terra, a pickup truck, and the other is the Traveler, an SUV. They are expected to release in late 2027 as a 2028 model. Reservations are currently available in the United States and Canada. Off-roading Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events with customized vehicles and skilled drivers. Off-road vehicles are either capable of or specifically developed for off-road driving. These vehicles often have features designed specifically for use in off-road conditions such as suspension lifts , off-road tires , skid plates , snorkels , roll cages , or strengthened drivetrains . Dune bashing
2790-422: Is the system of tires , tire air, springs , shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support both road holding/ handling and ride quality , which are at odds with each other. The tuning of suspensions involves finding the right compromise. It is important for the suspension to keep the road wheel in contact with
2883-412: Is transferred through more rigid suspension links, such as A-arms and toe links, is said to be "geometric". Unsprung weight transfer is calculated based on weight of the vehicle's components that are not supported by the springs. This includes tires, wheels, brakes, spindles, half the control arm's weight, and other components. These components are then (for calculation purposes) assumed to be connected to
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2976-660: Is tuned adjusting antiroll bars rather than roll center height (as both tend to have a similar effect on the sprung mass), but the height of the roll center is significant when considering the amount of jacking forces experienced. Due to the fact that the wheel and tire's motion is constrained by the vehicle's suspension links, the motion of the wheel package in the front view will scribe an imaginary arc in space with an "instantaneous center" of rotation at any given point along its path. The instant center for any wheel package can be found by following imaginary lines drawn through suspension links to their intersection point. A component of
3069-486: Is usually calculated per individual wheel, and compared with the static weights for the same wheels. The total amount of weight transfer is only affected by four factors: the distance between wheel centers (wheelbase in the case of braking, or track width in the case of cornering), the height of the center of gravity, the mass of the vehicle, and the amount of acceleration experienced. The speed at which weight transfer occurs, as well as through which components it transfers,
3162-557: The Dakar Rally , Spanish Baja , Africa Eco Race , Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge , Russian Baja Northern Forest , King of the Hammers , San Felipe 250 and Baja 500 & 1000 , which are a test of navigation skills and machine durability. Off-road parks and motocross tracks also host several events and may be the only legal place to off-road in the area. Off-road vehicle use on public land has been criticized by some members of
3255-454: The De Dion tube , which is sometimes called "semi-independent". Like true independent rear suspension, this employs two universal joints , or their equivalent from the centre of the differential to each wheel. But the wheels cannot entirely rise and fall independently of each other; they are tied by a yoke that goes around the differential, below and behind it. This method has had little use in
3348-689: The Environmental News Service article: Scalia noted that off-road vehicle use on federal land has "negative environmental consequences including soil disruption and compaction, harassment of animals, and annoyance of wilderness lovers. Several environmental organizations, including the Rangers for Responsible Recreation, are campaigning to draw attention to a growing threat posed by off-road vehicle misuse and to assist overmatched land managers in addressing ORV use impacts. These campaigns in part have prompted congressional hearings about
3441-568: The Landau . By the middle of the 19th century, elliptical springs might additionally start to be used on carriages. Automobiles were initially developed as self-propelled versions of horse-drawn vehicles. However, horse-drawn vehicles had been designed for relatively slow speeds, and their suspension was not well suited to the higher speeds permitted by the internal combustion engine. The first workable spring-suspension required advanced metallurgical knowledge and skill, and only became possible with
3534-444: The United States . Its use around 1900 was probably due to the poor quality of tires, which wore out quickly. By removing a good deal of unsprung weight , as independent rear suspensions do, it made them last longer. Rear-wheel drive vehicles today frequently use a fairly complex fully-independent, multi-link suspension to locate the rear wheels securely, while providing decent ride quality . The spring rate (or suspension rate)
3627-510: The differential gear ratio to obtain characteristics suitable for low-speed operation for traversing obstacles. Commonly, rock crawlers have a " spotter ", who is an assistant on foot by the vehicle to provide information about areas out of the driver's field of view All progress is made at low speed and the emphasis is on skill rather than on finishing first, although trialing can be highly competitive. There are three traditional forms of off-road trialing. During some competitive events, such as
3720-614: The BLM failed to follow route restrictions established in the agency's conservation plan, resulting in the establishment of hundreds of illegal OHV routes during the previous three decades. The plan violated the BLM's regulations, specifically the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The ruling was considered a success for
3813-421: The BLM's proposed designation of additional off-road use on designated open routes on public land. According to the ruling, the BLM violated its regulations when it designated approximately 5,000 miles of off-road vehicle routes in 2006. According to Judge Illston the BLM's designation was "flawed because it does not contain a reasonable range of alternatives" to limit damage to sensitive habitat, as required under
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3906-707: The National Environmental Policy Act. Illston found that the Bureau had inadequately analyzed the route's impact on air quality, soils, plant communities and sensitive species, such as the endangered Mojave fringe-toed lizard , pointing out that the United States Congress has declared that the California Desert and its resources are "extremely fragile, easily scarred, and slowly healed". The court also found that
3999-661: The Scout Motor's first two vehicles: a mid-size off-road focused SUV and a pickup truck that are scheduled to be launched in late 2027. Scout Motors' announced in December 2023 that it would open its first R&D facility sometime in 2024. Scout selected Novi, Michigan as the site of the new facility. Scout Motors indicated that it expects to employ roughly 200 people once the R&;D facility becomes operational. Scout Motors debuted two concepts on October 24, 2024, one of which
4092-515: The Scout trademark since 2020 through its American truck subsidiary Navistar International . On May 11, 2022, Volkswagen AG announced the creation of a new brand, Scout, dedicated to electric vehicles , designed, developed, manufactured and marketed in the United States. Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen USA, became the first CEO of Scout Motors. On October 24, 2024, Scout announced it will sell directly to customers and service vehicles itself, following
4185-726: The Turkey Run in Idaho and other events around the United States, point systems may be used to determine rewards. RTV (Road Taxed Vehicle) trialing is the most common form of trialing. As the name suggests, it is for vehicles that are road-legal (and thus required to pay road tax ). This excludes vehicles that are highly modified or specially built. RTV-class vehicles can carry a wide range of suspension modifications, as well as off-road tires (provided they are road-legal), recovery winches, raised air intakes, etc. Vehicles on RTV trials are usually best described as "modified from standard"—they use
4278-479: The U.S. government and environmental organizations including the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society . They have noted several consequences of illegal ORV use such as pollution , trail damage, erosion , land degradation , possible species extinction , and habitat destruction which can leave hiking trails impassable. ORV proponents argue that legal use taking place under planned access along with
4371-502: The ability to increase the effective inertia of wheel suspension using a geared flywheel, but without adding significant mass. It was initially employed in Formula One in secrecy, but has since spread to wider motorsport. For front-wheel drive cars , rear suspension has few constraints, and a variety of beam axles and independent suspensions are used. For rear-wheel drive cars , rear suspension has many constraints, and
4464-414: The actual spring rates for a 2,000 lb (910 kg) racecar and a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) truck are very different. A luxury car, taxi, or passenger bus would be described as having soft springs, for the comfort of their passengers or driver. Vehicles with worn-out or damaged springs ride lower to the ground, which reduces the overall amount of compression available to the suspension, and increases
4557-483: The additional weight that would otherwise collapse a vehicle to the bottom of its travel (stroke). Heavier springs are also used in performance applications, where the loading conditions experienced are more significant. Springs that are too hard or too soft cause the suspension to become ineffective – mostly because they fail to properly isolate the vehicle from the road. Vehicles that commonly experience suspension loads heavier than normal, have heavy or hard springs, with
4650-522: The advent of industrialisation . Obadiah Elliott registered the first patent for a spring-suspension vehicle; each wheel had two durable steel leaf springs on each side and the body of the carriage was fixed directly to the springs which were attached to the axles . Within a decade, most British horse carriages were equipped with springs; wooden springs in the case of light one-horse vehicles to avoid taxation , and steel springs in larger vehicles. These were often made of low-carbon steel and usually took
4743-529: The agencies are ignoring unregulated use "with significant consequences for the health of our public lands and communities, and adverse effects on other authorized public land uses." Video games that allow users to off-road include Forza Horizon , Dirt Series , MudRunner , Grand Theft Auto V , Dakar Desert Rally , and the MotorStorm series. [REDACTED] Media related to Off-roading at Wikimedia Commons Car suspension Suspension
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#17327766050854836-436: The amount of body lean. Performance vehicles can sometimes have spring rate requirements other than vehicle weight and load. Wheel rate is the effective spring rate when measured at the wheel, as opposed to simply measuring the spring rate alone. Wheel rate is usually equal to or considerably less than the spring rate. Commonly, springs are mounted on control arms, swing arms or some other pivoting suspension member. Consider
4929-428: The car will settle back to a normal state in a minimal amount of time. Most damping in modern vehicles can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the resistance to fluid flow in the shock absorber. See dependent and independent below. Camber changes due to wheel travel, body roll and suspension system deflection or compliance. In general, a tire wears and brakes best at -1 to -2° of camber from vertical. Depending on
5022-413: The correct vehicle to a much greater extent than in an RTV trial. Competitors can design and build vehicles that are much more optimized for off-road use, than in the lower ranks of trialing. CCV vehicles have powerful engines, high ground clearance, light, minimalist bodywork, and good approach and departure angles . For many years, in the UK, the ultimate CCV vehicle could be built by taking the chassis of
5115-409: The course (this puts a strong emphasis on ground-reading ability). This can also be called a "shunt", where the driver has to attempt a gate and then shout "shunt". They are then allowed a space of one and a half car lengths to reverse and line the car better to enter through the gate The course between the gates is a "section": between the start line and the first gate is "Section 1", the part between
5208-495: The degree to which the front dives under braking, and the rear squats under acceleration. They can be thought of as the counterparts for braking and acceleration, as jacking forces are to cornering. The main reason for the difference is due to the different design goals between front and rear suspension, whereas suspension is usually symmetrical between the left and the right of the vehicle. The method of determining anti-dive or anti-squat depends on whether suspension linkages react to
5301-415: The development of the superior, but more expensive independent suspension layout has been difficult. Henry Ford 's Model T used a torque tube to restrain this force, for his differential was attached to the chassis by a lateral leaf spring and two narrow rods. The torque tube surrounded the true driveshaft and exerted the force to its ball joint at the extreme rear of the transmission, which
5394-528: The differential of the live axle . These springs transmit torque to the frame. Although scorned by many European car makers of the time, it was accepted by American car makers, because it was inexpensive to manufacture. Also, the dynamic defects of this design were suppressed by the enormous weight of U.S. passenger vehicles before the implementation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard. Another Frenchman invented
5487-479: The discussion was the "travel planning process", a complex analysis and decision-making procedure to designate appropriate roads and trails. Both the Forest Service and BLM have been engaged in somewhat similar travel planning processes now for years, but some of the committee members didn't seem to think those processes were going along so well. "The BLM has identified travel management on its lands as ‘one of
5580-483: The driver with the lowest score is the winner. Since the terrain covered in RTV trials should be well within the capabilities of any reasonably capable vehicle (even in standard form), these trials emphasize driver skill and ground-reading abilities. Skill and experience have a larger bearing on success than having a well-equipped and modified car. Cross Country Vehicle (CCV) trialing is the next step up from RTV trialing and
5673-503: The environmental impact. Mud plugging, as practiced in the United Kingdom , refers to the motorsport of classic trials , where the main objective is to complete a challenging course of (mostly unpaved) roads and (often muddy, and frequently uphill) off-road terrain. This form of motorsport is one of the oldest to survive to this day, dating back at least to the 1920s. Rock crawling involves driving over rocky terrain, with
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#17327766050855766-468: The example above, where the spring rate was calculated to be 500 lbs/inch (87.5 N/mm), if one were to move the wheel 1 in (2.5 cm) (without moving the car), the spring more than likely compresses a smaller amount. If the spring moved 0.75 in (19 mm), the lever arm ratio would be 0.75:1. The wheel rate is calculated by taking the square of the ratio (0.5625) times the spring rate, thus obtaining 281.25 lbs/inch (49.25 N/mm). The ratio
5859-462: The first and second gates is "Section 2" and so on. An RTV course is often laid out so that each section is progressively more difficult, although this is not always the case. If a driver fails to complete Section 1 they are given 10 points. If the attempt ends in Section 2, 9 points are awarded, etc. A clear round results in gaining only 1 point. A day's event will consist of many different courses and
5952-414: The form of multiple layer leaf springs. Leaf springs have been around since the early Egyptians . Ancient military engineers used leaf springs in the form of bows to power their siege engines , with little success at first. The use of leaf springs in catapults was later refined and made to work years later. Springs were not only made of metal; a sturdy tree branch could be used as a spring, such as with
6045-446: The form of trials at a single venue, or several thousand miles long in an extreme endurance rally. Depending on the format, rallies may be organised on private or public roads, open or closed to traffic, or off-road in the form of cross country or rally-raid. Competitors can use production vehicles which must be road-legal if being used on open roads or specially built competition vehicles suited to crossing specific terrain. Mudding
6138-430: The frame or body, which is transferred to the occupants and every connector and weld on the vehicle. Factory vehicles often come with plain rubber "nubs" to absorb the worst of the forces, and insulate the shock. A desert race vehicle, which must routinely absorb far higher impact forces, might be provided with pneumatic or hydro-pneumatic bump-stops. These are essentially miniature shock absorbers (dampers) that are fixed to
6231-456: The goal being to get as far as possible with the fewest penalties. Penalties are received for striking cones, using a winch to get unstuck, going out of bounds, and going in reverse. These rules lead to the sport being technical, with drivers having to plan ahead to reduce the penalties they receive. Vehicles used for rock crawling are usually modified with different tires , suspension components that allow greater axle articulation , and changes in
6324-556: The greatest management challenges’ it faces," stated committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman , D-NM. "Likewise, the Forest Service has identified unmanaged recreation — including ORV use — as one of the top four threats to the management and health of the National Forest System. Despite these statements, it seems to me that neither agency has been able to successfully manage off-road use." "Existing rules for managing off-road vehicles are not being enforced," Bingaman added, and
6417-505: The growing impact of unmanaged off-road vehicle use. The House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight hearing on "The Impacts of Unmanaged Off-Road Vehicles on Federal Land" on March 13, 2008. A second hearing on off-highway vehicle (OHV) management on public lands was held by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 5, 2008. The Senate committee hearing
6510-575: The model adopted by competitors Tesla , Rivian and Polestar , rather than use the Volkswagen dealer network. The National Automobile Dealers Association responded that it will challenge this decision using legal and political means. On March 3, 2023, Scout Motors announced plans to build a $ 2 billion factory capable of producing 200,000 EVs a year in Blythewood, South Carolina . The factory will employ up to 4,000 people and it will manufacture
6603-513: The multiple environment and trail conservation efforts by ORV groups will mitigate these issues. Groups such as the BlueRibbon Coalition advocate for the responsible use of public lands for off-road activities. Noise pollution is also a concern and several studies conducted by Montana State University , California State University , University of Florida and others have cited possible negative behavioral changes in wildlife as
6696-552: The natural environment on which human-powered and equestrian recreation depends and alter the remote and wild character of the backcountry. Motorized recreation monopolizes forest areas by denying other users the quiet, pristine, backcountry experience they seek. It also presents safety and health threats to other re-creationists. In 2004 the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia listed several problems that result from ORV use in natural areas. From
6789-655: The policy. In 2004, several environmental organizations sent a letter to Dale Bosworth , Chief of the United States Forest Service , and described the extent of damage caused by ORV use, including health threats to other people: It is well-established that the proliferation of off-road vehicles and snowmobile use places soil, vegetation, air and water quality, and wildlife at risk through pollution, erosion, sedimentation of streams, habitat fragmentation and disturbance, and other adverse impacts to resources. These impacts cause severe and lasting damage to
6882-837: The result of some ORV use. Some U.S. states have laws to reduce noise generated by off-road and non-highway vehicles. Washington is one example: "State law requires off-road and other non-highway vehicles to use specified noise-muffling devices (RCW 46.09.120(1) (e) maximum limits and test procedures). State agencies and local governments may adopt regulations governing the operation of non-highway vehicles on property, streets, or highways within their jurisdiction , provided they are not less stringent than state law (RCW 46.09.180 regulation by local political subdivisions)". The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) supervises several large off-road vehicle areas in California's Mojave Desert . In 2009, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled against
6975-411: The road surface as much as possible, because all the road or ground forces acting on the vehicle do so through the contact patches of the tires . The suspension also protects the vehicle itself and any cargo or luggage from damage and wear. The design of front and rear suspension of a car may be different. An early form of suspension on ox -drawn carts had the platform swing on iron chains attached to
7068-478: The spinning wheel) for the best performance. Vehicles are required to meet certain safety regulations. Roll-cages must be fitted and be built to a suitable standard, recovery points must be fitted front and rear and fuel tanks must meet certain standards. A 4-point harness for all occupants is required and a fire extinguisher is recommended. In some countries off-road activities are strictly regulated, while others promote cross-country off-road endurance events like
7161-457: The spring as close to the wheel as possible. Wheel rates are usually summed and compared with the sprung mass of a vehicle to create a "ride rate" and the corresponding suspension natural frequency in ride (also referred to as "heave"). This can be useful in creating a metric for suspension stiffness and travel requirements for a vehicle. Roll rate is analogous to a vehicle's ride rate, but for actions that include lateral accelerations, causing
7254-472: The sprung center of gravity height is the roll moment arm length. The total sprung weight transfer is equal to the G-force times the sprung weight times the roll moment arm length divided by the effective track width. The front sprung weight transfer is calculated by multiplying the roll couple percentage times the total sprung weight transfer. The rear is the total minus the front transfer. Jacking forces are
7347-501: The standard chassis, drive-train, and body that the vehicle was built with, but are fitted with a wide array of modifications to assist in the trailing. Whilst modification is not necessarily required for an RTV trial, at the very least the vehicle would be expected to have some underbody and over-the-body protection such as skid plates or roll cages, often made from durable stainless steel , aluminium or mild steel . RTV courses are intended to be non-damaging and driven at little more than
7440-419: The sum of the vertical force components experienced by suspension links. The resultant force acts to lift the sprung mass, if the roll center is above ground, or compress it, if underground. Generally, the higher the roll center , the more jacking force is experienced. Travel is the measure of distance from the bottom of the suspension stroke (such as when the vehicle is on a jack, and the wheel hangs freely) to
7533-516: The time, so the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire re-introduced leather strap suspension, which gave a swinging motion instead of the jolting up-and-down of spring suspension. In 1901, Mors of Paris first fitted an automobile with shock absorbers . With the advantage of a damped suspension system on his 'Mors Machine', Henri Fournier won the prestigious Paris-to-Berlin race on 20 June 1901. Fournier's superior time
7626-476: The tire and the road surface, it may hold the road best at a slightly different angle. Small changes in camber, front and rear, can be used to tune handling. Some racecars are tuned with -2 to -7° camber, depending on the type of handling desired, and tire construction. Often, too much camber will result in the decrease of braking performance due to a reduced contact patch size through excessive camber variation in suspension geometry. The amount of camber change in bump
7719-435: The tire's force vector points from the contact patch of the tire through instant center. The larger this component is, the less suspension motion will occur. Theoretically, if the resultant of the vertical load on the tire and the lateral force generated by it points directly into the instant center, the suspension links will not move. In this case, all weight transfer at that end of the vehicle will be geometric in nature. This
7812-414: The top of the suspension stroke (such as when the vehicle's wheel can no longer travel in an upward direction toward the vehicle). Bottoming or lifting a wheel can cause serious control problems, or directly cause damage. "Bottoming" can be caused by the suspension, tires, fenders, etc. running out of space to move, or the body or other components of the car hitting the road. Control problems caused by lifting
7905-413: The travel, the suspension bushings would take all the force, when suspension reaches "full droop", and it can even cause the coil springs to come out of their "buckets", if they are held in by compression forces only. A limiting strap is a simple strap, often from nylon of a predetermined length, that stops downward movement at a pre-set point before theoretical maximum travel is reached. The opposite of this
7998-579: The tuning ability of a vehicle for transient and steady-state handling. The roll rate of a vehicle does not change the total amount of weight transfer on the vehicle, but shifts the speed and percentage of weight transferred on a particular axle to another axle through the vehicle chassis. Generally, the higher the roll rate on an axle of a vehicle, the faster and higher percentage the weight transfer on that axle . By 2021, some vehicles were offering dynamic roll control with ride-height adjustable air suspension and adaptive dampers. Roll couple percentage
8091-429: The vehicle in a location, such, that the suspension will contact the end of the piston when it nears the upward travel limit. These absorb the impact far more effectively than a solid rubber bump-stop will, essential, because a rubber bump-stop is considered a "last-ditch" emergency insulator for the occasional accidental bottoming of the suspension; it is entirely insufficient to absorb repeated and heavy bottoming, such as
8184-453: The vehicle's sprung weight (total weight less the unsprung weight), the front and rear roll center heights, and the sprung center of gravity height (used to calculate the roll moment arm length). Calculating the front and rear sprung weight transfer will also require knowing the roll couple percentage. The roll axis is the line through the front and rear roll centers that the vehicle rolls around during cornering. The distance from this axis to
8277-403: The wheeled frame of the carriage. This system remained the basis for most suspension systems until the turn of the 19th century, although the iron chains were replaced with the use of leather straps called thoroughbraces by the 17th century. No modern automobiles have used the thoroughbrace suspension system. By approximately 1750, leaf springs began appearing on certain types of carriage, such as
8370-402: The wheels are not independent, when viewed from the side under acceleration or braking, the pivot point is at infinity (because both wheels have moved) and the spring is directly inline with the wheel contact patch. The result is often, that the effective wheel rate under cornering is different from what it is under acceleration and braking. This variation in wheel rate may be minimised by locating
8463-533: Was 11 hours 46 minutes and 10 seconds, while the best competitor was Léonce Girardot in a Panhard with a time of 12 hours, 15 minutes, and 40 seconds. Coil springs first appeared on a production vehicle in 1906 in the Brush Runabout made by the Brush Motor Company. Today, coil springs are used in most cars. In 1920, Leyland Motors used torsion bars in
8556-482: Was attached to the engine. A similar method like this was used in the late 1930s by Buick and by Hudson 's bathtub car in 1948, which used helical springs that could not take fore-and-aft thrust. The Hotchkiss drive , invented by Albert Hotchkiss, was the most popular rear suspension system used in American cars from the 1930s to the 1970s. The system uses longitudinal leaf springs attached both forward and behind
8649-458: Was convened to find out why the agencies are failing to grapple with the negative impacts of off-road vehicle use on US public lands and what the agencies might need to start doing differently. For the first time in perhaps a decade, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee grilled leaders of the Forest Service and the BLM about why off-road vehicle use is being allowed to damage America's national treasures. Taking center stage in
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