Magnetic Suspension and the ZL1

It has always been thought that American Car makers are always behind the ball when it comes to technology as compared to our European and Japanese counterparts. These counterparts have exceeded the U.S. in sales, quality, and sustainability in the everyday cars we drive. Truth be told though the U.S. has been pushing the bar in technology, and one of their inventions that has recently gained a lot of interest is Magnetic Suspension.

            Suspension to a car is like the knees to the human body. It’s the ability to dampen pressure put on the legs,  it allows your joints to last longer, and most importantly walk and run without waddling like a penguin. In a car suspension this translates to the ride being soft and luxurious or stiff and sporty. These categories are usually done with a set of springs or struts that can be either aftermarket or straight from the factory. As you can imagine then the stiffer the spring the harder the ride and the softer the spring the smoother the ride, but there is always a perfect balance that some companies are able to achieve, but with a compromise, a compromise that the settings must be adjusted yourself. This is where Magnetic Ride Control is implemented. General Motors(GM) has had this technology since the early 2000’s it was created by a sister group that is now implemented in many of the GM cars that you see on the road today, as well as exotics like the Corvette ZR1, Ferrari 599 GTB, and the Audi R8. It is not until now though that GM has really perfected the idea of a Magnetic Suspension system.

           

  The way a Magnetic suspension system works is through the use of oil based magnetic particles and magnets. This suspension works on the idea that when a magnetic is brought close enough to these particles they will stiffen up and allow for less movement and when this magnet is moved away it will turn back into a regular liquid. So in the end when this system is working, when it is adapting on the road you can get a perfect balance of Comfort and Sportiness based on the way you drive. These particles and magnets react millions of times a second which allows them to “adapt” to any handling situation at hand. This means when you are a taking a turn at high speed the suspension will stiffen allowing a longer window of full contact between the road and the tire, or if driving on a bumpy road the perfect amount of liquidity in the magnetic oil to keep the car as stable as possible.

            The Camaro ZL1 is the perfect example of how this is being implemented, it has been praised and rated for its amazingly comfortable ride, like a luxury car while still being able to put up track times that compete with the great Porsche 911, which is an  achievement in the American automotive sector. One New York Times writer described it as "Instead of plowing through corners, the rear end is willing to step out and point the front end into the turn. I've driven an M3 on this track, and the ZL1 really feels like a big BMW M car. Call it the M6's American pen pal." This is the goal that America has never really been able to meet with full confidence, but maybe this new ZL1 will be the beginning of a very fulfilling growth in the coming years, especially considering the extremely competitive pricing of the actual car and maintenance as compared to the Europeans. GM is catching up, but when you are competing with big players like Ferrari, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Nissan and Mclaren the level of play approaches the point where the only thing the consumer can do… is enjoy.