DaimlerChrysler
is exhibiting a special concept study at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show: the F 400
Carving is a research vehicle packed with dynamic systems designed to give the
cars of tomorrow and beyond substantially enhanced active safety, dynamic
handling control and driving pleasure.
Like a number of other manufacturers, Mercedes is researching the viability
of a new system that varies the camber angle on the outer wheels between 0 and
20 degrees, depending on the road situation. Used in conjunction with
newly-developed tyres, the Mercedes implementation provides 30 percent more
lateral stability than a conventional system with a fixed camber setting and
standard tyres.
Active camber control boosts the research vehicle's maximum lateral
acceleration to 1.28 g, meaning that the concept study outperforms current
sports cars by some 28 percent.
The
active camber control in the F 400 Carving also paves the way for an equally new
asymmetrical-tread tyre concept. When the two-seater car is cornering, the outer
wheels tilt inwards, leaving only the inner area of these tyres in contact with
the road. This area of the tread is slightly rounded off. Meanwhile both the
tread pattern and the rubber blend have been specially selected to ensure highly
dynamic and extremely safe cornering. When driving straight ahead, however, it
is the outer areas of the tyres that are in contact with the road. These areas
have a tried-and-tested car tread pattern, offering excellent high-speed and
low-noise performance. Two different concepts can be combined thanks to the
active camber control.
The
F 400 Carving is something of a mobile research laboratory for the
Stuttgart-based automotive engineers. They will be using it to investigate the
further potential of this new chassis technology: besides offering excellent
directional stability during cornering, the new technology ensures a much higher
level of active safety in the event of an emergency. By way of example, if there
is a risk of skidding, the wheel camber is increased by an appropriate degree.
The resultant gain in lateral stability significantly enhances the effect of the
Electronic Stability Program. If the research car needs to be braked in an
emergency, all four of its wheels can be tilted in next to no time, thus
shortening the stopping distance from 100 km/h by a good five metres.
In addition to active camber control, the F 400 Carving research car is
fitted with other futuristic elements including a steer-by-wire system. Sensors
pick up the driver’s steering inputs and send this information to two
microcomputers which, in turn, control an electrically driven steering gear.
The
F 400 Carving is also the showcase for a totally new form of lighting technology
developed by the Stuttgart-based researchers: fibre-optic lines are used to
transmit light from xenon lamps beneath the bonnet to the main headlamps. This
technology stands out by virtue of its high performance and extremely
space-saving design. Additional headlamps positioned on the sides also come on
when the car is cornering. It's an idea that will transform the frontal design
of cars in years to come.
Whilst it's a pretty wacky looking car, the technologies being explored by
Mercedes are exciting and will no doubt be present in the most mundane of cars
in ten years time. It's also good to see clever thinking applied to the basics
rather than just throwing computing power in to make up for shortcomings in
mechanical design.