Steering Knuckle Types

A Knuckle is the connection point between the wheel and vehicle suspension connectiong hubs ,bearings ,calipers ,struts and control arms.

A knuckle can be mounted in a variety of ways for both front and rear suspensions.
Properties of steering knuckle is that it must be strong inflexible and light as well as possible.
A knuckle design is dependent on the suspension brake and steering sub-assembly design of the particular vehicle and hence gives flexbility to optimize it in terms of weight and durability.
Steering knuckle functions supports the vertical weight of the vehicle mounts the wheel hub and bearing assembly allows steering arm to turn the front wheel mounts the brake caliper for disc brake systems.

Steering knuckle can be divided into two main types.One comes with a hub and the other comes with a spindle.The spindle portion of the steering knuckle is where the wheel bearings and brake components are mounted.The spindle supports those components and allows the wheel to rotate on the wheel bearings.Generally the spindle is used on none-driven wheels,but there are some where the spindle is hollow and the CV shaft extends through the bearings and hub assembly are still on the spindle there will be a drive flange that bolts to the hub.The hub is the hollow part of the knuckle that replaces the spindle in mounting the bearing that support the wheel .In a drive suspension the steering knuckle has no spindle but rather has a hub into which is affixed the bearings and shaft of the drive mechanism for mounting the bearings that support the wheel there are either holes in the hub to bolt the bearing flange or mounting the bearing in knuckle hub with snap ring.