Badass Shock Technology...

[M3 Ryan]

I am just watching the show "Rides" on TLC, and they showed some of the high tech fluid used in the electronically controlled dampening of a Hummer...
pretty trick stuff! looks pretty wild, and being able to harden in .005 seconds and go back to liquid again is pretty incredible.

Anyone have more info on this stuff?
they mentioned that it costs $2,400 a gallon... thats some expensive fluid!!

[Rob]

just look at monster truck suspensions, they dont even use springs, just electronically controlled gas shocks

[jbob]

don't some corvette's come w/ a similar automatic adjusting electronic dampening shocks??? thot i saw it on speedvision several months back (maybe motortrend or some other similar program)

[James Crivellone]

yeah I was watching that as well, too bad a gallon of that stuff costs 2 grand!

[reelizmpro]

Tokico Illumina II's I believe are electronically adjustable. Not sure if they work the same way as the ones you saw though.

[bimmerphile]

How does this technology compare to the Active Suspension in the E60?

[Jand3rson]

I LOVE that show. Even if it is hosted by Jason Priestly.

Have you guys seen the Lexus IS 300 they are doing?

[randomtask37]

i was watching the oil stuff and then got back to it when they were restoring the mustang

i wish i had the money to do something like that.

[sovann]

I think Delphi have a similar product - magnetic particles are suspended in the shock fluid and align themselves to magnetic field lines in the shock body that are emitted by some sort of electronic thingy. The damping rates vary depending on how the magnetically charged particles are aligned.

Kinetic make a pretty cool suspension system as well - it's ingenious cos it's so simple. There is a hydraulic line across the car front and rear connecting left and right dampers, and it uses the pressure difference across the pistons to control roll stiffness. Very cool 8)

I like suspension technology :)

[M42Technik]

I LOVE that show. Even if it is hosted by Jason Priestly.

Have you guys seen the Lexus IS 300 they are doing?

That was the same episode. That car is a serious powerhouse. 0-60 in 4.9 isn't too shabby. Didn't like the two tone on the car though, but sick nonetheless.

And yea that liquid is rediculous, especially when they pulled that switch and the liquid seemed to harden instantly.

Second best show out there now? American Hot Rod, Discovery Channel, 10 PM Fridays.

[m42technic]

How does this technology compare to the Active Suspension in the E60?

ARS on the E60 and E65/66 uses variable sway bar tension. The shocks in particular arent very special.

[aaron_silva]

I had a chance to see the IS430 at the L.A. auto show. It was pretty sweet in person.

Ryan, I believe Jay at Ground Control is going to try a fit electronically controlled shocks on his E46 M3. His cart is so bad ass.

Aaron

[UNHCLL]

Anyone remember when they designed chocolate filled shocks?

[george graves]

Engineers have been working on this for years(15-20) - It's to the point that soon you'll start to see cars with out springs, shocks, roll bars, or anything. A computer will control all aspects of the wheels - and a computer will be able to change the set up in real time to suite the orad/driving style/conditions.

Think of it as Anti-Lock brakes - but for you suspention.

Oh, and I bet some one will come up with and afteramrket chip as well

George Graves

[Fraser]

don't some corvette's come w/ a similar automatic adjusting electronic dampening shocks??? thot i saw it on speedvision several months back (maybe motortrend or some other similar program)

Yeah, I think the 50th anniversary edition models used something like this.

Anyone remember when they designed chocolate filled shocks?

You're kidding, right?