The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
Most of the talk around Cadillac’s two new sport sedans has to do with their drivetrains. The Blackwing versions of the CT4-V and CT5-V are likely to be some of the last manual-transmission performance sedans we'll see; the CT5-V Blackwing is the only manual V-8 sedan on sale today. But the really impressive stuff is found in the chassis. The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
The CT4 and CT5 share an updated version of GM's Alpha platform, creatively named Alpha 2. The big step forward is with the dampers. The Blackwings both come standard with the latest MagneRide dampers, and I'm convinced they're magic. Cadillac introduced MagneRide on the Seville STS in 2002. The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
Originally developed by Delphi and now made by BWI Group, the fourth generation of MagneRide debuted on non-Blackwing versions of the CT4-V and CT5-V. MR 4.0 is available on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, and will come standard on the upcoming C8 Corvette Z06. But to understand what makes MR 4.0 so special, we have to explain what MagneRide is in the first place. A conventional passive automotive damper has a piston that moves up and down within a cylinder filled with oil. The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
The rate at which the piston moves is determined by the shape of the piston itself. (Our colleagues at Car and Driver have an in-depth guide to how dampers work.) Passive dampers aim for compromise, balancing ride comfort against handling. A basic adaptive damper might have a solenoid that can change the piston valving, allowing for two or more selectable firmness settings.
MagneRide dampers are constructed like traditional passive dampers, but they’re filled with magnetorheological fluid—oil filled with tiny iron filings. Electromagnets in the piston generate a magnetic field that alters the orientation of the iron, changing the viscosity of the fluid and altering the damping stiffness.
With no current, an MR damper responds like a traditional passive damper, but with enough current, the fluid can theoretically get so thick, the damper would act as a solid element. In between the softest and stiffest settings there's an infinite amount of variability. And the stiffness can be changed very quickly because all you need to do is alter the current regulating the fluid. Plus, each damper can be tweaked independently, giving individual control over each wheel of a car.
So The Suspension Technology That Makes the Cadillac Blackwings Drive Like a Dream
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