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 brand's 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 prototype's 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 car's wheels was necessary. Why? The greater the wheel camber, the smaller the contact patch. That's why today's sports cars offer nominal wheel travel and extremely rigid suspension systems. The engineers want to reduce lateral movement, especially in the tire's sidewall, to a minimum. Think about it. If you tilt a conventional performance tire on a 20 degree camber there won't be much rubber contacting the road, hence the problem. What to do?