At a Glance

2008/11/10 Opel Insignia With Variable Damping by ZF

• CDC damper (Continuous Damping Control) as core component with adaptive chassis
• "FlexRide" equipment feature with CDC ensures enhanced safety, sporty driving characteristics, and improved comfort

The new Opel Insignia flagship unveils what kind of chassis and suspension-control system potentials reside in the CDC (Continuous Damping Control) by ZF Sachs. Under the name of "FlexRide", the Insignia driver obtains an adaptive chassis which, during normal travel, takes care of sportiness as well as comfort and, during evasive maneuvers, considerably improves handling.

The driver of the Opel Insignia does not only get an adaptive chassis with the "FlexRide" supplementary equipment which, by press of a button, allows her/him to choose between three different driving modes; moreover, a smart electronic control unit intelligizes the suspension so that the damping hardness is adapted to the driving style of the respective driver.

Just the right damping force, every five milliseconds

These characteristics are enabled through the use of the CDC electronic damper system by ZF Sachs, the Powertrain and Suspension Components division of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. This system is made up by special dampers as well as an electronic control unit which detects the current driving situation: Sensors record data concerning the road conditions, vehicle speed, and vehicle reactions that are forwarded to the electronic control system. Furthermore, every five milliseconds, the electronics compute the damping force necessary for the respective driving situation on the basis of the information provided. A proportional valve in the damper adjusts this damping individually to each wheel. This adjustment is made according to what is called the "Advanced Skyhook” strategy. Its goal is to keep the vehicle body as stable as possible regardless of driving and road conditions, as if the vehicle were suspended on a track parallel to the sky.

Improved handling in fringe ranges

In the new Opel Insignia, which can be ordered now and will be on display at the Opel dealer showrooms by the end of the year, the damper characteristic field, in line by the selection made by the Insignia driver, will be varying between the comfortable "tour" mode and the more demanding "sports" mode. In the case that the driver does not make a choice herself/himself, the shock absorbers in the Insignia will operate in accordance with the preset neutral mode. For critical driving maneuvers however, the system will respond immediately, no matter which mode has been set for the road: Forthwith it will active the harder characteristic curve which provides for significantly improved handling of vehicles in ranges of limited conditions. Thus, it adapts suspension damping flexibly and continuously to the respective driving situation and solves the compromise between safety, comfort, and dynamics in the vehicle.

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