Development of a ride comfort evaluation method with a laboratory testing system

The ride comfort qualities of different Sport-Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were determined using road load simulation in the laboratory via road and bench tests. The point vibration total value and Overall Vibration Total Value (OVTV) based on the ISO 2631 standard and the Seat-Effective Amplitude Transmissibility (SEAT) value were evaluated. The linear correction factor was derived as OVTV(corrected bench) = 0.9335 x OVTV(bench), and the correlation coefficient was 0.9908. Furthermore, the mean error of the OVTV for the road and bench tests ranged from 9.75% (original) to 0.2% (after correction). Finally, the procedures for ride comfort evaluation using a laboratory test system (four-poster) are described.