Honda is claiming a production first for its adaptive damping system for the rear wheels developed for the UK-built Honda Civic Tourer [wagon] on sale in Europe later this year.
Development engineer Reiner Vollrath said the system was developed to compensate for the changes in body damping motion brought about by the longer rear overhang, additional weight when the 624 litre cargo space is fully loaded, plus the further possibility of towing or hanging trailbikes on the tailgate.
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“All this has the greatest effect over the rear wheels which is why we have developed the system only for the rear. In addition it is lighter than a four corner adaptive damping system, there is less wiring, less complexity and therefore less cost.”
Front dampers remain essentially the same as the standard hatchback model although the setting is slightly stiffer.
Pascal Papara, at Honda Europe’s Frankfurt research and development centre, said: “This is a passive system based on body motion rather than payload. It is based on a number of input factors such as acceleration, braking, steering angle, lateral movement, engine torque and rpm.”
The system has comfort, normal and dynamic settings developed to improve stability and comfort under varying load and driving conditions.
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