Two (small) criticisms: 1. Far too much space is given to the characterisrics and setting up of circle track cars ( left/right turn only ) which cannot be of general interest. 2. Pictures are included that do not add to the content in any way.

46 of 50 found the following review helpful:


Was the editor on vacation that week?  Oct 19, 2002 By Pailwriter "pailwriter"
Herb Adams' Chassis Engineering is a good introduction to chassis and suspension design for the general reader. The book is easy to read and well laid out with lots of photos and diagrams. A cursory reading will reveal many of the intricacies, interrelationships, and compromises involved in designing components and subsystems to engineer a chassis for a given purpose. Anyone with an interest in automotive design with high school reading skills can certainly gain some insight and appreciation for the complexities of chassis and suspension design from reading Adams' book.

As entertaining and informative the book may be for the general reader, Chassis Engineering cannot in any way be considered a reference book. The informed reader, or anyone with an editorial eye, will quickly spot inconsistencies throughout the text. The definitions and use of fundamental terms vary from page to page and there are direct conflicts between essential portions of the text and the supporting illustrations. Those familiar with the subject can easily overlook the errors and get the gist of the wisdom Adams is trying to impart. For all others: take all information in Chassis Engineering with a grain of salt until it can be cross-referenced and confirmed by better reference material.

17 of 18 found the following review helpful:


Good reference, excellent primer  Jan 16, 2002
First, the not so good news. Like every other book in the automotive section, it is slightly dated. It is a fact in this subject, like a few others, and the nature of a technology-driven pursuit.

Now that we got that out of the way, i found this book to be a very good reference for those who have some experience and a fairly good grasp on the concepts behind it. Also, it comes across in basic, easy to understand language, explaining anything more technical then simple shop-talk. Clear, concise examples with practical, real-world numbers are used through out. A relaxed, yet informative tone keeps it more interesting than a textbook, while adequately explaining the underlying technical points.

i did feel that the book glossed over a few things however. Most notably in the section covering different types of front suspensions, it starts off with a well-balanced good point/bad point system. Near the end, it starts to feel as though the authors bias towards certain types shows through. Not to the point of comprimising the books authority, but it does show.

The book itself is well laid out, clear charts and graphs, black and white pictures provide good illustration. The index is good, and makes for easy location of particular points. The last page has a list of books (from the publisher of course) that provides suggestions for continued reading.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


solid rear axle only  Jan 10, 2006 By Osorio Batres Silvia Rebeca "booknut"
This book is useless for anything other than info about setting up solid rear axle systems. everything else in this book is either incomplete or filled with editing errors. A whole book about chassis engineering etc that at no point whatsoever mentions Ackerman angle is unbelievable. Mr. Adams says that to find the C of G position is difficult so he doesnt tell us how he tells us to assume where it is based on other cars hhhmmm Then how come in race and rally car source book mr staniforth explains how in less than a page. Save your money or buy staniforths book and see how its really done

28 of 34 found the following review helpful:


Sound Design Book for your own chassis  Jan 19, 2001 By john r. johnson
I rated this book with 5 stars because it filled the gap between prints I have on the 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C chassis and what I want to know to alter that design.

I am building a Cobra Replica from scratch and the chassis prints available do not include the suspension components. Before applying aftermarket or Ford Mustang components I needed to know why control arms where mounted the way they are on the latest technology.

The crash worthiness of current vehicles needs to be incorporated into my redesign. The information I have came from experience in tooling the autos and trucks in the Detroit area. The why's and wherefore's of chassis design was not part of that experience or engineering education.

Herb Adams approaches the subjects in a clear and concisely as well as covers the mathematics in a textbook fashion. The math is at a High School algebra level and very well supported with text and examples.

Before I begin to purchase steel and late model parts I will be able to lay out a revised design based on the original Cobra for authenticity, but have the greatest confidence that I have covered the bases well using the content of this book. Adjustments will be required to fine tune the chassis, but the building and testing of scale models (as illustrated in this book) will provide assurance that the welded frame will be correct and the tuning can be carried out easily by design.

I have Proposed and Engineered the tooling for the chassis that will replace the current Ford Explorer, as well as proposed several other chassis welding systems for the remaining companies of the big-3. This book is an excellant reference for my day-to-day engineering endeavors.

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