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Models of varying degree of sophistication are used in vehicle dynamic studies. For ride comfort, Kelvin–Voigt arrangement is preferred and for impact harshness analysis, a relaxation-type suspension model, Zener or Maxwell type is used. The nonconsideration of relaxation-type models in ride comfort studies can result in significant errors for frequencies below ∼30 Hz. The object of the paper is to show the influence of the series stiffness on the effective suspension damping both experimentally and numerically. A frequency domain analysis of two-degree of freedom Zener quarter car model is performed to find the complex relation between effective damping coefficient and the limiting value of damping ratio for a given series stiffness. The nonlinear relation between shock absorber damping and the natural frequencies is clearly illustrated. A novel four-post rig set-up is used to validate the results by measuring transmissibilities, giving damping ratios for varying shock absorber settings. A closed form solution, based on a simplified partial model, of optimal damping coefficient, which is a nonlinear function of stiffnesses, shows good agreement with numerical simulations of the complete system. The nonlinearities in shock absorbers also influence the outcome. These findings can be a great value at early design stage.

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