It is common knowledge that Audi has ambitions of becoming the world’s highest-selling premium automaker by the end of the decade. Toward that end, the brand has already announced a gigantic spending spree of €22 billion ($30 billion) for development costs of new models.
In the company’s quest to make its vehicles more competitive against rivals from Germany and beyond, it has just announced an advancement in suspension spring technology.
Currently, Audi’s springs are made of steel, as are those of many automakers. The new springs set to debut in “an upper mid-size model” in late 2014 are made from glass fiber-reinforced polymer, or GFRP. The result will be more precise vehicle dynamics, less vibration, and more cabin comfort.
GFRP springs are light green. While its fiber strands are thicker than those of steel springs, it is 40 percent lighter. With all things being equal, a steel spring weighs 2.7 kg (6.0 lb), while a GFRP spring weighs 1.6 kg (3.5 lb). Together, four GFRP springs can reduce a car’s weight by 4.4 kg (9.7 lb), half of which is important unsprung mass. Just as notable, GFRP springs do not corrode and are not affected by chemicals – which may make them longer lasting than traditional counterparts.
Audi co-developed GFRP with an unspecified Italian supplier. The construction technique of GFRPs are not altogether dissimilar from those of carbon fiber reinforced plastics – another important technology automakers are using to make their models stronger, lighter, and more dynamic. GFRPs are made from long glass fibers twisted together along with an epoxy resin. A machine spirals on more fibers for added strength before it is baked in an oven at 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit).
It is unclear which model the new springs will debut on, but the 2015 Audi A7 is a distinct possibility.
By Nico Grant
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