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Date:
August 2009
From independent to active suspension

 A brief history of suspension technology in Mercedes-Benz

passenger cars

 Surge of technical innovations in the 1930s

 Suspension technology is revolutionised by electronics

Stuttgart - Horse-drawn carriages characterised the streetscape

right up until the beginning of the 20th century, but the advent of
the automobile, which Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz
developed independently of each other in 1886, established a
completely new set of requirements compared with those
associated with horse-drawn carriages – in particular where the
suspension was concerned: it was necessary to cope with
higher speeds, without endangering road users. Gottlieb
Daimler and Carl Benz adopted different approaches to this:
while Benz took the bicycle as the starting point for his Patent
Motor Car and used a steering head and wire wheels, Daimler's
vehicle was based on a carriage equipped with a steering
system.

The technology evolved rapidly. In 1889, Wilhelm Maybach,

Daimler's brilliant design engineer, developed the "wire-wheel
car". Like the Benz vehicle, this now also had a chassis which

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was completely divorced from the world of carriage building. Page 2
There was also great progress in the development of the
engines which became ever more powerful, making the cars
faster, but also heavier – a factor which placed new demands
on the suspension. The design engineers responded with
increasingly sophisticated solutions. These included the gradual
adoption of coil springs – on the rear axle of the Daimler belt-
driven car of 1895, for example. However, it was not Gottlieb
Daimler but Carl Benz who solved the problem of how to steer a
four-wheeled vehicle by developing the "double pivot" steering
system. This new type of steering, used for the first time in the
Victoria model, was filed as a patent by Benz in 1893.

The dawn of the 20th century saw the chain drive finally
replaced by the shaft drive which was already to be found in the
1902 Benz Parsifal, the counterpart of the Mercedes Simplex.
The new drive system made it necessary to adopt a new design
for the entire rear axle assembly: the axle gear unit was now
equipped with an integrated differential which increased the
unsprung masses. As this meant that the rear axle required
more damping, additional dampers were fitted.

Surge of technical innovations in the 1930s

There was a surge of innovations in suspension technology

during the 1930s as the roads were by then much more suited
to fast motor traffic than they had been in the first quarter of the
20th century. Punctures were less frequent and suspension
systems safer and more comfortable. The all-important
additional front-wheel brakes first appeared in a Mercedes
series-production vehicle in 1921 – initially in the powerful

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28/95-hp Sport model. From summer 1924, all Mercedes Page 3
passenger cars were offered with brakes on all four wheels. The
comfort of car suspension systems, all of which were still based
on rigid axles and leaf springs, improved significantly with the
invention of the shock absorber although it was still less than
ideal, especially in the case of smaller and lighter vehicles. A
swing axle first appeared on the Benz "Tropfenwagen"
(teardrop-shape) racing car of 1923.

On display at the 1931 Paris Motor Show was the Mercedes-

Benz 170 with a completely new swing axle suspension, an
important milestone in terms of ride comfort and handling
safety. Of the four independently suspended wheels, the two at
the front were located by a pair of transverse leaf springs,
without a conventional axle, while each rear wheel was
suspended from a swing-type axle half-shaft whose tubular
sleeves were anchored to the frame by means of two coil
springs each on the wheel side and mounted in journal bearings
on the differential side. The result was a significant reduction in
unsprung masses.

Independent wheel suspension, a firm principle for all

Mercedes-Benz passenger cars ever since the introduction of
the 170, established the brand's reputation for producing
outstandingly comfortable and safe vehicles. 1933 saw the
arrival of the supercharged eight-cylinder 380 sports car – also
with a full swing-axle suspension – whose front wheels were for
the first time located by parallelogram control arms with coil
springs. This trailblazing design, separating wheel location,
springing and damping from each other, became the standard
front suspension system not just for Mercedes-Benz but also for

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numerous other manufacturers around the world. Page 4

The single-joint swing axle sets new standards

In 1954, after countless refinements, the dual-joint swing axle

introduced with the 170 in 1931 gave way to the single-joint
swing axle which remained at Mercedes-Benz until 1972. It also
had thrust arms and coil springs, and, in the case of more
powerful models, also a horizontal compensating coil spring. A
new dimension in ride comfort was opened up by the Mercedes-
Benz 300 SE, launched in 1961, in which air-chamber spring
bellows replaced the coil springs; at the same time,
hydropneumatic level control was introduced for the rear axle.
Level control had already featured in the Mercedes-Benz 300 in
1951, when it took the form of an electrically actuated torsion
bar spring. The Mercedes-Benz 600 even had shock absorbers
whose response could be adjusted from inside the vehicle.

The next major step, in 1968, was the diagonal swing axle
which was introduced in the 114/115 model series. This was
also supported on coil springs and ensured that track – and,
particularly, camber – remained largely constant under spring
compression and rebound.

At the end of 1982 the Mercedes-Benz model 190 of the

compact W 201 series was presented. This was the direct
forerunner of the
C-Class. It featured the unprecedented and sensational multi-link
independent rear suspension. The optimal travel of the
independently suspended rear wheels was achieved by
distributing the forces and moments to five three-dimensionally

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arranged links, each of which was geometrically specialised for Page 5
its function. Comfort and roadholding were optimised
independently of each other. The rear suspension was
complemented by a newly developed front suspension with
transverse control arms, damper struts and separately located
coil springs. The multi-link independent rear suspension was
gradually introduced in the other Mercedes-Benz models.

Suspension technology is revolutionised by electronics

In the 1980s, electronics began to be adopted in suspension

technology. The Mercedes-Benz SL of the R 129 model series
became the brand's first series production car for which multi-
stage electronic damper adjustment was available. The W 220
model-series S-Class joined the Mercedes-Benz range in 1998.
Instead of a classic springing and damping system using coil
springs and gas-pressure shock absorbers, this featured the
newly developed, electronically controlled AIRMATIC system, in
which the air suspension and the adaptive damping system
(ADS) form an integral unit, including individual, automatic level
control on each wheel.

Numerous enhancements to the multi-link independent rear

suspension, now mainly made of aluminium components,
brought significant improvements to roadholding, ride comfort
and handling safety. The front axle was likewise redesigned,
with a four-link system of aluminium and steel replacing the
previous double wishbone technology. Four components gave
rise to the name: transverse spring links made of steel support
the spring struts of the front axle. Radius rods at an oblique
forward angle optimise front wheel location; these are assisted

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by upper wishbones as in the classic front suspension. Track Page 6
rods link the transverse steering gear of the rack-and-pinion
steering with the front wheels.

The Electronic Stability Program ESP®, which Mercedes-Benz

presented in a 140 model-series S-Class Coupé in 1995,
represented a revolution in handling safety. Initially fitted as
standard in the S 600 Coupé and offered as an optional extra
for other models, ESP® was already part of the standard
equipment of all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars by 1999. ESP®
identifies unstable driving situations as soon as they begin to
develop and counters them by means of selective brake
actuation.

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Dynamism and motoring pleasure – that was the motto with Page 7
which the large Mercedes-Benz CL 500/CL 600 Coupé set a
new standard for automotive engineering excellence in 1999 –
and not just in Germany. The pioneering technology of the
coupé opened up a new dimension of driving, primarily as a
result of the world’s first active suspension system: Active Body
Control ABC represented a milestone in dynamic handling
control and ride comfort. In this system, hydraulically controlled
servo cylinders in the spring struts work in unison with the
passive shock absorbers and coil springs. The actively
controllable elements reduce oscillating body vibrations up to
five hertz, such as are noticeable in the form of body lift and roll
on uneven road surfaces, heavy lateral roll on bends and diving
under braking. In the Mercedes-Benz CL passive gas-pressure
shock absorbers and coil springs were still responsible for
handling higher-frequency wheel vibrations from six to 20 hertz,
however their damping effect was less pronounced than in
conventional suspension systems. This had a positive effect on
vibration and road noise. Active roll stabilisation rendered
torsion bar stabilisers superfluous.

The W 221 S-Class, launched in 2005, has an enhanced

AIRMATIC air suspension system in combination with the
Adaptive Damping System ADS. This continuously optimises
the strength of the shock absorber response in line with the
condition of the road, the driving style and the vehicle's load
status. Within just 50 milliseconds, the system adjusts the
damping force at each wheel to the current situation. Active
Body Control ABC has been perfected to such an extent that
the movements of the vehicle body during dynamic driving have
been reduced by more than 60 percent compared with the

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previous model. This technology takes the S-Class into a new Page 8
dimension of driving dynamics, yet does so while maintaining
the highest standards of comfort.

The 204-series C-Class also set a benchmark for suspension

technology in 2007: the ADVANCED AGILITY package makes it
possible to adjust shock absorbers at the touch of a button –
and at the same time to tune transmission shift characteristics.
Also available is the AGILITY CONTROL package, a selective
damping system that adjusts shock absorber power, steering
and gearshifting to suit different driving conditions.

The suspension of the future in the F 700

A glimpse of the future is provided by the Mercedes-Benz F 700

research car displayed at the 2007 International Motor Show in
Frankfurt. With its active PRE-SCAN suspension, the car not
only reacts highly sensitively to uneven patches of road surface
but also acts in an anticipatory manner – enhancing both ride
comfort and handling safety in equal measure. PRE-SCAN uses
two laser sensors in the headlamps as "eyes" which produce a
precise picture of the condition of the road. On the basis of the
image created by the laser sensors and the information about
the road condition, the control unit develops a strategy for
overcoming the obstacle concerned. In response, Active Body
Control adjusts the damping of each individual wheel to a tauter
or softer setting in advance and increases or reduces the load
on the wheel by means of an active hydraulic system. The
suspension is adapted to a given situation within fractions of a
second. This results in a hitherto unprecedented level of ride
comfort, combined with maximum handling safety.

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Launched in 2009, the E-Class of the 212 model series sets Page 9
new standards for long-distance comfort in this vehicle
category. The new model is equipped as standard with an
enhanced suspension featuring an adaptive shock absorber
system which adjusts automatically to the current driving
situation by reducing the damping forces during normal driving,
thereby increasing ride comfort noticeably. During dynamic
cornering or when swerving at high speed to avoid an obstacle,
the system applies the maximum damping force in order to
stabilise the vehicle as effectively as possible. What's more, the
vehicle can be ordered with a variant suspension system with
dynamic damping characteristics and a lowered ride height as
well as air suspension; for the first time, this has been combined
with an infinitely variable electronically controlled damping
system which processes various sensor signals and controls
each wheel independently.

2009 also sees Mercedes-Benz launch a new generation of the

S-Class. Factors contributing to the updated model's ability to
meet the highest standards in terms of driving dynamics and
agility include the Direct-Steer system, which varies the steering
ratio according to the steering angle, and the modified Active
Body Control ABC with crosswind stabilisation. In the case of
the latter system, the ABC spring struts are used to vary the
wheel load distribution in response to the direction and intensity
of the crosswind so that its effects are largely compensated.
ABC adjusts the response of the spring struts on the basis of
input from the yaw rate and lateral acceleration sensors of the
Electronic Stability Program ESP®. For added safety, the
Torque Vectoring Brakes apply a calculated asymmetric braking
force to the inner rear wheel when cornering. This has the effect

Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart/Germany

of generating a defined turning or yawing moment about the Page 10
vehicle's vertical axis so that the saloon turns into the bend
without compromising any of its dynamic qualities.

At its premiere in 2007, the Mercedes-Benz F 700 research

vehicle was dubbed the "flying carpet" by the motoring press
because of its safe, comfortable and cleverly designed
suspension. Of course, some of its features belong very much
to the future. But series-production Mercedes-Benz vehicles
already stand comparison with the "flying carpet" and they are
moving ever closer to it with every new model series.

Further information on Daimler is available on the internet at:

www.media.daimler.com

About Daimler

Daimler AG, Stuttgart, with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks,
Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a globally
leading producer of premium passenger cars and the global market leader of
heavy- and medium-duty trucks as well as buses. The Daimler Financial Services
division has a broad offering of financial services, including vehicle financing,
leasing, insurance and fleet management. Daimler sells its products in nearly all the
countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. The
company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, continued to make
automotive history following their invention of the automobile in 1886. As an
automotive pioneer, Daimler and its employees willingly accept an obligation to act
responsibly towards society and the environment and to shape the future of safe
and sustainable mobility with groundbreaking technologies and high-quality
products. The current brand portfolio includes the world’s most valuable automobile
brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Western
Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed
on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange
abbreviation DAI). In 2008, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a
workforce of over 270,000 people; revenue totaled €95.9 billion and EBIT
amounted to €2.7 billion. Daimler is an automotive Group with a commitment to

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excellence, and aims to achieve sustainable growth and industry-leading
profitability.
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