is it safe to flip cars up vertically on it's side?

Just curious:

Was flipping through a fresh copy of automotive news (article, "bottoms up" 10/10/05, p. 72, sorry, I can't find a link) where it had a short article about a car dealer in Ohio who displayed some of it's cars in the showroom, standing on it's sides.

I would love to peruse the underbody of the car an length in comfort and seems like a neat marketing gimmick for a car dealer. However, I was curious if the car's suspension is strong enough to withstand that much force. What do you guys think?

Basically, the article stated that they drain the fluids, flip the car horizontally, and put it on a special frame. After @ 3wks, the car is returned to inventory. So no special bracing/reinforcements possible to the car. The little pics in the article shows a new GTO and a Tiburon rigged this way. It looks like the "half moon" frame bolts on to the wheel hubs, with the "lower" wheels removed. I know cars are genreally tough, but ain't that a lot of lateral load?

 

I would think thrust bearings would be taxed.

 

Well..considering that the car sits, drives,and brakes on those very same wheels, that the supports are bolted to, I would think it would be fine. The bushings is what I would be concernd about the most...

 

If they are using the hubs as attach points I would be concerned with the lateral loads (full weight of the car) on the suspension bushings and spindle/axle bearings on the lower side.

 

It may not let the full weight rest on the lower side - it could be distributed half hanging from the uppers and half rising from the lowers.

On the other hand, when you corner, most cars can easily get in the .85-.90 G range, so you are putting 85-90% of the cars weight laterally on the wheel hubs, so IMO they can definitely take it - just that it may *MAY* put more strain on them than normal. Then again the wheel isnt turning during this load so I cant imagine it really wears the bearings. Its load + rotation that kills bearings, not one or the other.

 

If the fluids and battery are out I don't see a problem. No more load is being placed on anything than when they are being driven and that is not even considering any built in safety factors in the components.

 

Cornering loads are temporary whereas the display is continuous for 3 weeks but then IF the weight is dispersed by half, top and bottom, then it probably doesn't matter. I was just thinking if ALL of the weight was on the lower half.......................................................

 

And when you hit a pothole while cornering, the momentary shock loads are way higher than 1g.

Nothing bad will happen to the car by hanging it on the wall like a picture. (Unless it falls.............)

Erich

 

Actually, that's not true. Bearings have a dynamic load rating and a static load rating. If you exceed the bearing's static load rating (essentially the load a bearing can take while stationary) then you will brinell, or dent, the raceway. This will lead to premature failure.

Speed can also kill a bearing. If you run a bearing above it's speed rating you will generate excessive heat within the bearing which will break down the lubricant and cause failure. Of course, this is dependent on exact speeds and the type of lube used, but in general the faster you run a bearing, the more heat is generated.

Dynamically, a bearing will typically fail from fatigue which is a whole other story. An then I could get into contamination....

It's probably more information than you wanted to know but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Getting back to the original point of this thread, I don't think the bearings will have a problem with this load. Wheel bearings are designed to last so they will be able to take the occassional shock load from a pothole or other big hit which is far more load than cornering will cause. Cornering at max speed while hitting a big pothole, now there's a heavy load. Overhung loads, or moments are also dangerous to bearing survival but I doubt they are an issue here. On the other hand, everytime you see some junker riding on 10 inch wheels sticking out 6 inches from a car's bodywork, you can now laugh knowing that they are going to need bearings very often.

 

I don't remember where I saw it..... but there are special made racks that bolt to a car frame and allow the car to spin. You can spin the car over totally upside down while the car is suspended inside this rack. I doubt the dealer had the full weight on 2 tires and such.

 

Do you remember what dealer? I'm interested in seeing this myself.

 

Don't know if this is the only dealer that displays their cars like this, but the ones mentioned in the article are:

Dennis AutoPoint (Columbus, OH)
Dennis Hyundai of Dublin (OH)


(BTW, thanks to all for your responses! Also, as far as I can see in the pics, the only attachment points are the two wheel hubs.)

 

It's a rotisserie. They usually attach to the frame rails at either end of the car. Especially handy for restoration and fabrication projects. I almost built one myself but I sold the project.

 

For a short time, so long as the battery is out, should be fine.

Bushings will likely deform over an extensive period