Ask The Editors: Tall Knuckle Take Down
The knuckle sandwich.
Can-Am is calling this spindle configuration “tall knuckle” and while we can’t argue that they are certainly attention grabbing (for better or worse), the logic behind the design actually makes sense.
The idea here is to position the upper ball joint mount so that it loops back to the chassis at the top of the shock after swinging outward first to increase rigidity. Rather than simply running parallel to the lower mount, the top becomes a brace unto itself. Imagine for a moment the incredible side loads generated when we kick a machine of this weight sideways or even in flat cornering – a knuckle (tall or otherwise) is designed to reduced body roll in these stations.
While Can-Am is the first OEM we know of taking the concept to the SxS game with their aircraft aluminum units on the Maverick R, the concept itself is nothing new at all in the realm of performance trucks. There they are usually called steering knuckles while pavement performance hounds know them as uprights.
In the off-road setting, the routing can be a bit more extreme so as to move the cumbersome mount up and out of the way. Whether or not Can-Am’s unique design will be a magnet for foliage has yet to be determined here but we get the feeling a majority of the units offered will be snatched up desert and dune junkies who will gladly trade off jungle snags for increased chassis stability.
