bDepartment of Automobiles, Internal Combustion Engines and Railway Vehicles

* Corresponding author. O. Vaculín et al. Vehicle ride control depends not only on vehicle design, but also on the condition of the vehicle components and suspension components in particular. Moreover the current vehicles are equipped with many kinds of electronic devices assisting driver in his daily and emergency situations. The devices focused on the active safety should increase the vehicle handling capabilities, e.g. by a targeted intervention of the brakes on the individual wheels. These systems require the correctly functioning wheel suspension. However, the used vehicles do not guarantee the correctly functioning wheel suspension. The worn dampers have less damping capabilities and the worn bushings results in an improper wheel alignment. This paper presents a simulation study of the influence of worn suspension components such as dampers and shocks on the braking capabilities of the vehicle. Stopping distance of vehicles as well as lateral shift is compared for different levels of worn and defective suspension components