We also performed in-depth torsional rigidity testing of the vehicle chassis. Torsion tests are performed by mounting the vehicle on a surface plate in a custom fixture. The fixture secures the rear suspension and locks the front suspension onto a mount, which pivots on a fulcrum at the center of the vehicle. One end of the fulcrum is attached to a hydraulic ram which allows the vehicle to be torsionally twisted.

A load cell is used on the ram to measure the force applied and dial indicators are mounted along both sides of the chassis, from front to rear and also on top of the vehicle in the shock towers. The dial indicators measure how much the vehicle chassis twists at a given load and provides a picture of the torsional rigidity of the vehicle at many points along its chassis.

This procedure is performed on the stock vehicle to gather baseline data. Based upon these results and a detailed evaluation of the vehicle's structure, stiffening components are designed and added to the vehicle.

After the stiffening components are added, the vehicle again undergoes the test to evaluate the improvement. This process was undertaken for both our Level I and Level II Suspensions as they are significantly different designs.

Chassis stiffening provides distinct benefits not only from a pure performance standpoint, but also ride comfort. We found significant reductions in vehicle vibrations in four post testing and on the road after chassis stiffening components were added to the vehicles.