Rear axle and handbrake for VW Golf IV?

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and don't know much about suspension systems.
Okay, here's the translation:

'I have a general question: If I jack up the car on its rear wheels with the handbrake engaged, doesn't it 'spring' back to its original position only after releasing the handbrake? It seems to only lower normally again when the handbrake is released. Now I'm wondering what the handbrake has to do with the rear suspension?'
I'm sorry for this question, but I just don't understand it!

GOLFTDI wrote:

Hi, I'm new to the forum and don't know much about suspension systems. Okay, here's the translation: "I have a general question: If I jack up the car on its rear wheels with the handbrake engaged, doesn't it "spring" back to its original position only after releasing the handbrake? It seems to only lower normally again when the handbrake is released. Now I'm wondering what the handbrake has to do with the rear suspension?" I'm sorry for this question, but I just don't understand it!

What's wrong with that? If it weren't like that, I would be worried about the effect of the handbrake!
If you observe how your rear axle compresses and rebounds, you'll notice that it rotates around a point located just in front of the rear axle. When the handbrake is engaged, this movement is prevented, which is why the suspension doesn't fully compress.

Assuming you had the front wheels locked, when releasing the brakes, either the front wheels would want to roll forward or the rear wheels would want to roll backward, but they can't. The reason is that the contact point of the rear tires describes an arc as the suspension compresses.
The rubber bushings on the left and right sides, which connect the axle to the body, are the central point or pivot axis.
Christian.

Hi Bertil,
You were a little faster :-).
Christian.

Why do the front wheels or rear wheels move forward or backward when I lower the car? The wheels don't travel back, they only make an arc in the horizontal plane! How can the wheels roll if I lift the car up sideways? Doesn't the support point for all the wheels always remain the same?

@berti
Why does the parking brake prevent the rear axle from rotating?

GOLFTDI wrote:

Why do the front wheels or rear wheels move forward or backward when I lower the car? The wheels don't travel a distance, they only make an arc in the horizontal plane! How can the wheels roll if I jack up the car from the side? Doesn't the support point for all the wheels always remain the same?

... you just explained it yourself. ... The wheels make an arc (forward), and it's unfortunately not correct to say that they don't cover any distance in the process (as you claim). Draw a diagram and exaggerate the arc; you'll quickly see that the wheels *do* cover some distance.

Regarding the front wheels, the situation is slightly different; these wheels have a slight inward angle (due to the wheel suspension). However, since the wheel cannot roll sideways, the spring only comes into play after the car has started rolling. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid lifting the vehicle when performing alignment and camber adjustments.

Quote:

@berti why does the handbrake prevent the rear axle from turning?

My name is BERTIL and I have nothing to do with the former national coach!!!