How to Use unsprung in a Sentence

unsprung

adjective
  • Keeping unsprung mass to a minimum is a good thing.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2018
  • Automakers had toyed with putting motors in wheels in the past but struggled with the amount of unsprung mass this added.
    — James Morris, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • That said, the hub placement might raise concerns around unsprung weight, which could affect handling.
    — New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2025
  • And then there’s the the whole thing of no or virtually no unsprung weight in the suspension.
    — Wes Siler, WIRED, 9 June 2011
  • This saves both complexity and unsprung weight, but the problem of wheel drag remains.
    — New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Those wheels’ extra unsprung weight can also overwork your factory springs and shocks.
    — Mike Allen, Popular Mechanics, 28 June 2020
  • Audi says these tires provide more grip and that the new wheels reduce unsprung weight by 44 pounds overall.
    — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 28 Nov. 2022
  • Each wheel and tire still weighed 125 pounds, though, giving us well in excess of a quarter-ton of unsprung weight.
    — Car and Driver, 30 Nov. 2016
  • But bigger wheels and tires are also heavier than smaller ones, and unsprung mass is the enemy of good handling.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2023
  • As unsprung mass decreases, so does the workload on the suspension system.
    — Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 27 Oct. 2021
  • So unsprung mass really isn’t a showstopper after all.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2018
  • The spindle is the link between unsprung weight (specifically, the wheels and tires) and the sprung weight (the rest of the vehicle).
    — Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 31 July 2025
  • As well as reducing unsprung mass, the lighter wheels should also send more feedback to the driver, improving steering feel.
    — Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 28 July 2023
  • The carbon-ceramic brakes also are mounted inboard to reduce unsprung weight.
    — Clifford Atiyeh, Car and Driver, 20 Sep. 2017
  • Optional carbon-ceramic brakes shed a further 75 pounds of unsprung mass over the standard brakes.
    — Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023
  • Michael Teo Van Runkle Öhlins shocks help manage the ride, but there's still quite a lot of unsprung weight.
    — Michael Teo Van Runkle, Ars Technica, 9 July 2024
  • But as technology takes us further and further from the state of nature, our circadian clock is coming unsprung.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
  • Our tester was fitted with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes that reduce unsprung weight by 60 pounds, though steel brakes are standard.
    — Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 12 May 2024
  • Weight has been taken out of the suspension with the use of aluminum, particularly in unsprung components.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 2 Oct. 2018
  • Both offer decent ride quality—the certain reward for forgoing monster wheels and keeping unsprung weight low.
    — Jamie Kitman, Car and Driver, 30 Aug. 2021
  • By placing the motor in the chassis rather than the rear hub, the mid-drive motor significantly reduces unsprung weight and improves the suspension.
    — New Atlas, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Designers of electric sports cars, in particular, want motors to be smaller and lighter in order to reduce unsprung wheel weight that bogs down handling and agility.
    — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, 20 Nov. 2018
  • Iron rotors are standard, but opt for the carbon-ceramic stoppers ($8000) if unsprung and rotating mass are top concerns.
    — K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Carbon-ceramic brakes are also standard here and reduce unsprung mass by nearly 60 pounds, while a new front splitter and rear spoiler aid high-speed stability.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
  • Aluminum alloys have replaced steel as the material of choice, making wheels lighter and reducing a vehicle’s unsprung weight — the mass of its suspension components.
    — Stephen Williams, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2017
  • At the top of the list is Porsche’s carbon ceramic brake, which, for $9,870, adds larger rotors, improves heat resistance, and shaves off a lot of unsprung weight.
    — Louis Mazzante, Popular Mechanics, 21 Sep. 2021
  • Vehicles with the Weissach Package can also add featherweight magnesium wheels (saving about 22 pounds of unsprung weight) as a bonus.
    — Michael Harley, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2022
  • The six-piston calipers and optional 15-inch ceramic front discs of our sample car offer plenty of feel and gobs of stopping power on track while lopping off 22 pounds of unsprung weight to boot.
    — James Tate, Car and Driver, 1 June 2022
  • Instead of the springer or girder front suspension and semi-hard-tail frame of the original, the Chief Vintage uses modern but stylized front forks and discreet twin rear shocks that mimic the unsprung frame of the post-war bikes.
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Lower unsprung mass also means lower rotational inertia, which allows for better acceleration and shorter braking distances.
    — Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 27 Oct. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsprung.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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