An energy absorbing bumper system for automotive vehicles includes a pair of fluid-filled telescopic cylinder units at respective ends of the bumper mounting the same to the vehicle chassis. Variable volume fluid chambers within each unit have the fluid flow therebetween controlled by a force magnitude controlling valve assembly including a pin with a tapered end proximate an orifice communicating the chambers and a compression spring-urged valve sleeve closing an annular gap between the tapered pin end and the edge of the orifice.

A vehicle suspension system for use in operatively supporting the road engaging wheels on an automotive vehicle, the suspension including a pair of suspension struts each of which includes an elongated tubular pressure cylinder, a valved piston reciprocally disposed within the cylinder and connected to one end of a piston rod which extends axially from the cylinder, a rod guide disposed at one end of the pressure cylinder for supporting the piston rod for reciprocal movement, an elongated reserve tube arranged concentrically around the pressure cylinder, with one end of the reserve tube extending axially beyond the axially outer end of the rod guide and having the terminal end portion thereof deformed radially inwardly over the portion of the rod guide, a wheel spindle located at the opposite end of the strut from the rod guide and including a first portion fixedly secured to the outer periphery of the reserve tube and a second portion removably secured to the first portion and adapted to support a vehicle wheel thereon, and a helical coil spring extending around a portion of the strut and supported at one end by a spring support plate fixedly secured to the reserve tube.

A pushrod tube and particularly an improvement in a pushrod tube of the type adapted specifically for use with a horizontal air cooled engine as commonly used in Volkswagens and serves to extend between the block and head to inclose individually each of the pushrods that operate the valves of the engine by rotation of the cam shaft.

A front fork for suspending a front wheel of a motorcycle has an outer tube and an inner tube slidably accomodated therein. A pressure chamber is defined between the inner tube and a hollow rod and communicates with a lower chamber formed in the outer tube through a port formed in the inner tube, an anular recess formed in the inner tube, another port formed in the inner tube at the lower portion thereof and a selected one of a plurality of orifices of different diameters formed in a lock piston located in the inner tube. The lock piston is provided with an engaging member engageable with a bottom wall of the outer tube when the inner tube is caused to intrude into the outer tube by a maximum amount. The degree of fluid communication between the port of the inner tube and each of the orifices formed in the lock piston can be varied by rotating the inner tube and outer tube relative to each other while the engaging member is held in engagement with the bottom wall of the outer tube, whereby a damping effect is adjusted and air is prevented from mixing with working oil while production of unusual sounds due to lack of working oil sucked into the lower chamber is prevented.

An automobile suspension system comprises a front suspension having at least a spring placed between sprung and unsprung masses to support the sprung mass thereon and a shock absorber placed between the sprung and unsprung masses to regulate spring rebound and bound, and a rear suspension having at least a spring placed between the sprung and unsprung masses to support the sprung mass thereon and a shock absorber placed between the sprung and unsprung masses to regulate spring rebound and bound. Vertical downward jacking-force characteristics of the front suspension is set to be stronger relatively with respect to vertical downward jacking-force characteristics of the rear suspension during cornering.