Breakthrough active damper tech for Ferrari Purosangue

WHETHER IT'S A FAST CAR or a luxury car that just glides over rough patches, the eventual ride quality depends a lot on the suspension set-up. High-end cars have advanced active suspension systems these days where an array of sensors and fast computers can activate split second decisions on how they are to perform.

Ferrari's first SAV, the all-new Purosangue, will now contain the latest development and application of active damper technology.

MultimaticTrueActive Spool Valve (TASV) damper technology is an industry first that integrates an electric motor directly coupled to the damper rod. It supplements the passive suspension spring and spool valve damping forces with parallel force actuation, capable of moving the vehicle body and suspension independent of road inputs.

In the early days of introduction, adaptive or semi-active systems could only change the viscous damping coefficient of the shock absorber. They did not add energy to the suspension systems, generally offered a slow time response and a limited number of damping coefficient values.

Semi-active suspensions on the other hand has the capability to respond to inputs in milliseconds and therefore can provide a wide range of damping values.

In commercial applications, cars with adaptative suspensions set-ups can offer different riding modes like comfort, normal or sport. These are usually pre-set arrangements that correspond to different damping coefficients.

Semi-active suspensions are designed to modify the damping in real time through an array of sensors that read and react depending on the road conditions and influence the dynamics of the car via its set-up.

Active suspension systems usually consist of the following components an electronic control unit, or ECU, adjustable dampers and springs. Information is fed through a series of sensors at each wheel and throughout the car. The hardware also includes actuators or servo units on top of each damper and spring. The components may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, but these are the basic parts that make up an active suspension system.