2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor - Suspension

The 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor's passenger-car style suspension design endows this sport utility vehicle with excellent driving manners on the urban, asphalt-covered surfaces where crossover S.U.V.s typically spend most of their time. A wide 63-inch track (1600 mm) and long 108.3-inch wheelbase (2750 mm) help give the Endeavor a stable ride that offers confident handling on a variety of road conditions. Though intended for on-road, asphalt use, the Endeavor's all-new chassis and four-wheel-independent suspension design also is engineered to offer sure-footed handling on mild, off-road surfaces.

Front Suspension

The Endeavor's front wheels utilize a proven, ruggedly-designed, passenger-car style Macpherson front suspension design that helps provide more precise control, traction and superior handling capability one would expect of a sedan rather than an S.U.V. The Endeavor's suspension design enjoys weight advantages over typical, heavier, truck-based suspension layout and the reduced mass helps improve the vehicle's responsiveness and handling. Large diameter strut cylinders and springs are matched to the mass of the wheels, tires, and vehicle's weight. These struts use a gas-charged insert to dampen the road's imperfections, and a large urethane bump stopper that helps to absorb road shock and to prevent the bottoming out of the suspension. The strut's front coil spring pressures are optimized to strike the ideal balance between ride compliance and responsive, sporty handling. The Endeavor's front strut assemblies ride on large, reinforced, steel lower control arms that are supported by a rigid crossmember that spans between the control arm mounting points, and eliminates lateral movement of the control arms, helping to maintain a consistent suspension geometry for improved handling. This large, low-profile crossmember was designed without a "kick-up" in its main section and increases rigidity at the suspension mounting points while reducing weight.

The design of this flat, hydroformed suspension crossmember also allows for an optimized, lower steering box mounting position which realizes more linear toe changes and improves the vehicle's straight-line handling on uneven surfaces. The lower control arms swing from the chassis using dual density rubber bushings made of more compliant material in the top half of the bushing shell to reduce the harshness of road input. A harder rubber material used in the direction of cornering forces where the bushings compress less, maintain the shape of the lower half of the bushing shell to improve cornering. The movement of the long control arms was engineered to help generate ample wheel stroke to Endeavor's suspension track surfaces. This enables more effective and predictable toe and camber changes across its range of movement for superior traction and control on uneven surfaces. All Endeavors are equipped with a front stabilizer bar that is attached to the struts using ball joints; the bar's friction surfaces are Teflon(TM) coated which help the stabilizer respond quickly to suspension changes with smoother movement. In addition, the Endeavor's hub unit is designed to use angular contact wheel bearings that help lower friction, improve ride, reduce noise and parasitic drag.

Rear Suspension

The Endeavor's rear suspension relies on a sophisticated, low mount, multi-link arrangement to meet the challenges facing the modern crossover S.U.V. This suspension design helps the Endeavor realize the handling stability and ride quality of a passenger car while improving the utility of the rear cargo area. The lower-profile positioning of the entire rear suspension with its strategic location of coil springs, shock absorbers and links, and reduced height of the mounting points helps increase the usable width of the rear cargo area.

At the rear of Endeavor, gas-charged shocks and coil springs absorb and help negotiate the road's imperfections as long, lower control arms track over the road. Robust rear trailing arms mounting with large, vibration absorbing rear bushings and rigid upper suspension links help provide increased stability. The reduced-height of the insulation system used atop the shock and coil spring has also helped reduce the suspension's intrusion into the cargo area.

A large, lattice structure, made of hydroformed steel, helps increase suspension rigidity, especially at the control link mounting points, and provides a dramatic reduction in the vibration and road noise that penetrate to the passenger cabin. The hydroforming process uses extremely high water pressure to form stronger steel members that are devoid of welds while also offering a reduction in weight. In all-wheel-drive Endeavors, this lattice structure supports the rear differential and half-shafts, and eliminates the need to reconfigure the rear suspension or add another crossmember that would increase weight.

The rear differential is mounted using large rubber bushings that help reduce the drivetrain vibration and add the refinement of improved quietness. In an effort to provide superior handling, Endeavor's suspension designers made the rear suspension control arms as long as possible to maximize the movement of the independent suspension and allow for optimal toe and camber changes over uneven surfaces. Large-diameter rubber suspension bushings located at the friction points of the lower control arms and upper links also help reduce the vibration, and road noise that are transmitted by the suspension's steel links and control arms. In addition, an eccentric cam in the lower rear control arm mounting points can allow for the slight tuning of toe and camber.

As with the front suspension, the Endeavor also incorporates stabilizer bars that attach to the rear lower control arm and uses ball joints for improved, less restricted movement. In addition, the suspension bump stopper is made of a more resilient urethane material to offer superior shock absorption properties, and to protect the suspension from exceeding its travel.

Power Steering

The 2004 Endeavor relies on a hydraulic rack and pinion power steering system to offer the same direct, responsive steering feel, and control that drivers expect from a passenger car. The lower positioning of the steering assembly on the front crossmember helps improve steering feel and response with a more linear path for the control links to the knuckle arms and front hubs. The power steering gearbox is attached to the crossmember using rubber bushings engineered with multi-directional hardness that offer support for front to rear movement and increased compliance for left to right movement. The Endeavor's speed sensitive hydraulic power steering pump reduces its fluid flow at higher speeds to increase the steering effort at highway speeds. It maximizes power multiplication in a slow-speed situation such as parking, and to help provide a safer, more enjoyable driving experience.

The 2004 Endeavor is equipped with a stylish 4-spoke steering wheel crafted for a modern appearance and featuring a prominent aluminum triple-diamond emblem. Depending on the vehicle's trim level or selected options package, the steering wheel can be made of supple urethane or covered in rich leather. All Endeavor models are equipped with an easily accessible cruise control switch that is mounted behind the steering wheel. Endeavor XLS and Limited steering wheels are equipped with convenient audio controls.

The steering wheel is attached to a tilt-column that allows drivers to adjust their driving position and make for an easier entry and exit from the vehicle. In the interest of driver safety, the steering column is designed to collapse during a collision to avoid penetrating the cabin. The Endeavor's steering column is secured by fall-away brackets and a one-way capsule mounting system that allows the column to tear away and better absorb impact energy in the event of a collision.

Braking System

All Endeavor models are equipped with a vacuum-assisted four-wheel-disc braking system that includes vented front discs and solid rear discs. The front rotor measures 11.4 inches in diameter and the solid rear disc measures 11.9 inches in diameter. The Endeavor utilizes a powerful two-piston caliper design up front with dual 45 mm pistons and a single 38 mm caliper piston at the rear. The Endeavor is the first Mitsubishi S.U.V that includes a parking brake that is actuated by a pedal-style, foot-operated lever. Antilock brakes are standard equipment on every all-wheel-drive Endeavor model, the Limited 2WD model, and optional equipment on the front-wheel-drive Endeavor XLS models.

Wheels and Tires

All Endeavor models ride on stylish, aluminum 17-inch wheels and large diameter, all-season tires. The taller sidewall of the 235/65R 17 tires helps provide Endeavor with the ground clearance and ride height that buyers appreciate in an S.U.V. The sporty, cast aluminum wheels add a sense of rugged athleticism to this S.U.V., and are available in two different styles across the model range. The fully-equipped trim level, the upscale Endeavor Limited, is fitted with a machine-finished seven-spoke cast aluminum wheel, while the XLS and LS models ride on a sporty five-spoke design that is machine finished with titanium-painted accents on the XLS model. Endeavor's wheels are wrapped in a newly developed high-performance mud and snow spec tire that helps deliver an ideal balance between handling stability, ride comfort, and reduced road noise on tarmac, while offering competent handling in mild-off-road conditions.

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