There’s two major issues that I have with ladder frames in the current version of Automation. The first is related to a broader issue: Safety is massively overrated in nearly all markets. Even in Light Sport, it’s almost always better to choose Advanced Safety. Similarly, ladder frame has a huge safety penalty compared to monocoque, making it a universally uncompetitive choice in all markets.
Secondly, for whatever reason, ladder hurts utility rather than improving it. It seems that it causes towing speed to be significantly reduced for some reason. This, combined with the loss of the 20% utility bonus from Kee, makes monocoque better than ladder for utility vehicles.
I’d like to emphasize that the cost benefits of a ladder chassis are actually quite well modeled in Automation; they are noticeably cheaper to produce and engineer, especially in the earlier years where overall PU/ET is lower. I think that if you address the two issues above, and maybe add in a small comfort bonus from the NVH advantages, ladder frames will become logical choices in certain markets and eras (compared to now, when there’s no reason to ever choose ladder).
Random side question: is chassis stiffness modeled in the BeamNG converter or no?