Scrap Mechanic Suspension Guide — Wishbone, Double Wishbone, Tank Steering & Fixes
Every Scrap Mechanic suspension type explained: Sport, Off-Road, Wishbone and Double Wishbone — how to tune them, build tank steering, and fix the suspension glitch.
Scrap Mechanic Suspension Guide — Wishbone, Double Wishbone, Tank Steering & Fixes
Suspension is the difference between a car that drives and a car that explodes into physics confetti on the first bump. Scrap Mechanic has four suspension families plus a set of tuning parameters, and the community's most-searched problems — the suspension glitch, cars shaking apart, and tank steering — all live here. This guide covers what each part does, how to tune it, and how to fix the classics.
The Four Suspension Types
| Part | Best for | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Sport Suspension | Roads, beginner cars | Stiff, predictable, cheap; jittery on rough terrain |
| Off-Road Suspension | Terrain, exploration | Longer travel, softer; soaks bumps at speed |
| Wishbone Suspension | Stable cars, community favorite | Pivot design keeps the wheel vertical — no camber problems |
| Double Wishbone | Heavy/fast vehicles | Two wishbones per wheel; maximum stability at load |
The wishbone family is the standout: because the wheel stays vertical through its travel, wishbone builds corner harder and track straighter than sport suspension at the same speed. Double wishbone adds load tolerance — the choice for trucks and tanks.
Tuning Stiffness & Damping
Every suspension part exposes tuning parameters (stiffness, damping):
- Higher stiffness — firmer ride, less body roll, more jitter on rough ground
- Higher damping — controls oscillation; under-damped cars bounce, over-damped cars feel dead
- Keep it consistent — mixed stiffness values (stiff front, soft rear) cause the car to porpoise and often trigger the glitch
Community rule of thumb: start mid-stiffness, raise damping until the bounce stops, then test on the roughest road you'll actually drive.
The famous "suspension glitch" — vehicles shaking, sinking into the ground, or jumping — is usually caused by: (1) too many suspension parts on one build (a known performance and physics bug), (2) conflicting stiffness values, or (3) suspension clipping into other parts. Fix: reduce suspension count, unify values, and never mount suspension on suspension. If the whole game lags, that's the many-suspension performance issue — trim the count.
Tank Steering (Tracked Vehicles)
Tank steering replaces steering bearings with two independently driven sides:
- Build the chassis (wide — tanks tip)
- Drive the left wheels from one engine/controller group, the right wheels from another
- Steering = differential speed: full forward both sides, left turn = stop/right-side power only, spin in place = opposite directions
Track blocks (continuous treads) ride over obstacles better than wheels and are the standard for mining tanks. The same differential logic works for wheeled tanks — see vehicle building.
The "Car Spinning in Circles" Fix
The single most-searched suspension-adjacent problem: your car drives in circles. Cause: bearing rotation directions mismatch between sides. Fix: equip the connector tool, find the bearings, and reverse the rotation on one side only. Do not change all four — you'll just create the same problem mirrored.
Wishbone Build Recipe (Community Standard)
- 2×2 block frame at the front
- Wishbone pivots mounted per wheel, aligned so wheels stay vertical
- Sport or Off-Road upper links as needed for travel
- Damping slightly higher than stiffness for stability
FAQ
Which suspension is best in Scrap Mechanic? For most players, Wishbone — it keeps wheels vertical through travel, which fixes the cornering weirdness of sport suspension. Double Wishbone for heavy loads, Off-Road for exploration.
Why is my vehicle laggy with suspension? The many-suspension bug: using a large number of suspension parts slows the physics simulation. Reduce suspension count on big builds.
Can I use suspension on trailers? Yes — trailer wheels need their own suspension (see trailers).
Does 1.0 change suspension? 1.0 rebuilt core physics systems (the "Physics & Wedge" lineage), improving stability — but the tuning rules above still apply.
Related Guides
- Vehicle Building — Cars, Tanks, Trucks & More
- Scrap Mechanic Guide — Complete Overview
- Logic Gates & Automation
- 1.0 & Drilling Thunder — What's New
Official resources: Steam store page · Steam Community Guide — Simple Vehicle · Official Scrap Mechanic Wiki · Wikipedia · IGN game page
Last Updated: August 12, 2026