Mercedes-Benz F400 Carving Concept

2002 Mercedes-Benz F400 Carving Concept - Extreme Car Control

Mercedes-Benz, for all intents and purposes a conservative luxury carmaker, has had a history of outlandish concept cars. While few if any will ever see production, building such allows the many talented M-B engineers and designers a chance to get outside of the conventional box and stretch their creative legs, no doubt positively affecting the design and engineering of the brands production cars.

The Mercedes-Benz F400 Carving is just such a vehicle. The Carving name, that relates to downhill skiing, is directly associated with the prototypes unique steering geometry. Like a skier, the front wheels lean into the curve to optimize cornering force, tilting the camber angle up to 20 degrees at full extension.

Together with its specially developed asymmetrical-tread tires the active camber control system provides 30% more lateral stability than conventional fixed camber steering systems, improving safety and performance. In the end the F400 is capable of a maximum lateral acceleration of 1.28 Gs, outperforming the majority of modern sports cars, including Mercedes-Benz own SLK, by about 28%.

And just how does its odd but effective wheel and tire package work? In order to create the largest contact patch possible, necessary for optimal grip, a radical redesign of the cars wheels was necessary. Why? The greater the wheel camber, the smaller the contact patch. Thats why todays sports cars offer nominal wheel travel and extremely rigid suspension systems. The engineers want to reduce lateral movement, especially in the tires sidewall, to a minimum. Think about it. If you tilt a conventional performance tire on a 20 degree camber there wont be much rubber contacting the road, hence the problem. What to do?

DaimlerChryslers engineers rewrote the rule books and developed a completely new type of wheel with two different diameters. The inside rim, which is most in contact with the road when cornering, measures 17-inches, while the outside rim is 19-inches in diameter. The best of both worlds system provides superb straight line stability while offering a much larger contact patch when needed most, in the curves. Interestingly some motorcycle racers have used a V shaped tire to improve the contact patch during high-speed cornering, similarly maximizing the contact patch when leaning the tire. The F400 Carvings tires measure 255/35R19 at their outer edges and 255/45R17 on the inside rim.

The concepts drive-by-wire braking performance is also enhanced due to the steering technology. During an emergency stop, each wheel can be immediately canted to shorten the cars stopping distance from 60 mph by 16.4-feet over conventional braking systems. The fact that carbon-fibre-reinforced ceramic 13.0-inch diameter rotors are used doesnt negatively affect stopping power either. But no matter how large theyd have little effect in standing water, where traditional tires, especially wider, low-profile rubber that is biased for performance, hydroplane. The active camber control system takes care of this problem too however, by adjusting the tires contact patch a few degrees to compensate. This works in tandem with a new sensor that detects water layers on the road surface, measures and sends the information to cars ECU, resulting in an immediate camber change to stabilize the vehicle.

But, being a research car, the Mercedes engineers didnt stop with the F400s active camber control system. Additionally, steer-by-wire technology has been integrated, removing the need of a potentially dangerous steering column while enhancing directional precision. The system incorporates sensors that respond to the drivers steering wheel input and then transmit the information to twin microcomputers that, in turn, produce commands to control the electrically actuated steering gear.

As would be expected the F400 Carvings suspension setup is hardly conventional either. Also active, the hydropneumatic system optimizes damping settings as per road surfaces changes, all at what seems like the speed of light.

While references to light speed sound sensationally sci-fi, its an accurate description of the prototypes headlight design. Situated under the cars front hood, the xenon lamps transmit their blue light through fiber-optic lines to the main beams up front. While not suffering in lighting performance the unique engineering feat saves a fair amount of space, important for this compact sports car. Whats more, additional fixed-position halogen side headlamps that come on when steering angle reaches a predetermined position, improve cornering visibility. These lights can also be activated manually, in place of fog lamps. As well, the cars turn signals are state-of-the-art LEDs that make the most of their brightness via prism lenses.

Back to earth, the F400 Carving makes use of Mercedes-Benz well proven single-overhead cam, 18-valve 3.2-L V6 currently offered in the SLK, C-Class and others. The only differentiating feature is a dry sump lubrication system to ensure a constant supply of oil, optimal when lateral acceleration reaches over the 1.0 G mark. Another benefit of a dry sump system is the lack of an oil pan, allowing a lower center of gravity and enhanced engine packaging opportunities due to a more compact overall power unit. Currently de rigueur, a sequentially actuated 6-speed gearbox, dubbed Sequentronic, uses Formula 1 style steering wheel mounted controls to drive the rear wheels.

And even though the 221-hp 3.2-L V6 with 232 lb-ft of torque, up only slightly from the 215-hp and 229 lb-ft of torque in the SLK, is comparatively antiquated when measured against the F400 Carvings otherworldly technologies, when considering the roadsters featherweight curb weight the car produces decent acceleration - 6.9 seconds to 62 mph (100 km/h). Consisting of ultra-strong, lightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), the rigid F400 body is 60% lighter than if produced with steel. Likewise the chassis is made of a multiple material mix, steel, aluminum and carbon fiber (CFRP).

But if it were just a rolling bed of technology without any thought for aesthetics all would be lost on the majority of car enthusiasts, who are quicker to fall for sexy bodywork over an intelligent personality. Mercedes designers wrapped the high-tech wares in a sleek, almost open-wheel shape with styling inspired by both motorcycle design and the brands McLaren Formula 1 racecar. Of course there are a few cues pulled from previous concept cars, particularly the Mercedes SLA prototype from last year, and even a little SLK in the grille, but overall the F400 is revolutionary, focusing the traditionally conservative three-pointed star brand in an entirely new provocative direction. The same goes for interior design. While conventional in layout, with a regular round steering wheel, gauges positioned directly in front of the drivers view, shift lever on the console and ancillary controls, for the most part, where youd expect to find them, the look is high fashion meets utilitarian functionality. But where some concepts try to future-think their audience beyond reality, Mercedes brings us back to the glory days of an automotive era filled with such simplicities as a bare-metal cast-aluminum transmission bell sitting for all eyes to see within the cockpit and sliding controls for heating and ventilation, a refreshing minimalism. The metal finishes join high quality fabrics, not particularly out of the ordinary in a Mercedes product, but the floating dash panel is not only distinct to the German brand, but rare among concept cars prior to 2002.

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