“Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure”

Round-Table Discussion

Abstract
Mitsubishi Motors’ corporate philosophy is encapsulated in the following motto:
“We are committed to providing the utmost driving pleasure and safety for our valued cus-
tomers and our community. On these commitments we will never compromise. This is the
Mitsubishi Motors Way.”
In this issue focusing on driving pleasure, we hear from the engineers in charge of developing
the technologies for enhanced vehicle dynamics and 4WD systems, which provide the core support
for driving pleasure.

Key words: Driving Pleasure, Vehicle Dynamics, 4WD System

From left to right Vehicle Dynamics Testing Dept., Development Engineering Office
Advanced Chassis Engineering, Advanced Vehicle Engineering Dept., Tsuneaki NISHIDA (Chairman)
Development Engineering Office Vehicle Control Engineering, Advanced Vehicle Engineering Dept.,
Hiroyuki SUNOUCHI Development Engineering Office
Drivetrain Design, Drivetrain Engineering Dept., Sumio MOTOYAMA
Development Engineering Office Ride & Handling Testing, Vehicle Dynamics Testing Dept.,
Kaoru SAWASE Development Engineering Office
Master Evaluation, Testing Control Dept., Hiroshi SUGIMOTO
Development Engineering Office Advanced Vehicle Engineering Dept., Development Engineering Office
Hiroshi FUNO Yusuke KONDO

1. Introduction leading to the driver feeling that this spoils the fun of
driving the vehicle. This suggests that electronic con-
Nishida: In recent years, we have seen remarkable trol is not always welcome and there are areas where
progress in vehicle dynamics control technologies. intrinsic performance of the vehicle reigns. I think that
These technologies have the possibilities of allowing achieving an optimum combination of the two is an ulti-
drivers to operate a vehicle more safely and comfort- mate goal as we strive to offer driving pleasure to our
ably, even in difficult conditions or even if they are customers. Needless to say, the application of latest
unskilled. As you know, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation testing and analysis technologies, extensive field trials,
(MMC) has adopted “utmost driving pleasure” as a key and stringent and accurate evaluation are all indispens-
phrase expressing the driveability and roadability that able to achieving the goal.
is the fundamental attraction of our vehicles, aimed at With this in mind, it is worth reviewing to what point
producing exciting vehicles. These dynamic control our vehicle manufacturing has advanced in the field of
technologies are incorporated in the LANCER EVOLU- vehicle dynamics technology. Today, we have attend-
TION and other MMC vehicles and now support driving ing engineers who are involved in vehicle dynamics
pleasure as well as “toughness and safety”, which is technology development, from the control technology,
another of our key phrases. On the other hand, vehicle basic technology and testing and evaluation sections.
systems that work on these control technologies do not Please share your thoughts with everyone freely,
necessarily meet the driver’s expectation, sometimes including any difficulties you experienced.

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 “Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

2. Chassis control technology

Nishida: In the 1980s, vehicles incorporating

dynamics control technologies were launched at MMC.
These included the antilock brake system (ABS), trac-
tion control system (TCL), four-wheel steering system
(4WS), variable-characteristic shock absorbers, height
control system on air suspended vehicles, roll angle
reduction control, and stabilizer-bar on-off control. And
also the electronic control of the steering reaction force
was applied to the power steering system. Today, some
of these are installed as standard, while others do not
appear to be as popular as they once were.
Motoyama: The categories that went through the
most fluctuations were the 4WS and so-called variable
characteristics suspension technologies, including
damping-force-switching shock absorbers, air suspen-
sion and hydraulic suspensions. They boomed in the
late 1980s, but did not gain long-term popularity. In the
1990s, there were no significant developments in their
Fig. 1 4WS system (1987 GALANT VR4)
application. Recently, variable characteristics suspen-
sion technologies have regained popularity, mostly in
Europe, especially with shock absorbers that have the
capability of continuously varying rather than switching the point of adding value to the equipment. Japanese
damping force characteristics. The temporary decline vehicle manufacturers, on the other hand, are now
they experienced earlier was due to the immaturity of focusing on enhancing basic vehicle performance from
the systems, in both the hardware and software. the step they reached during the bubble years.
Another reason appears to be the immaturity of the Sugimoto: The 4WS was not optimized for all speed
envisioned goals of these systems. ranges. Actually, the systems on the models for the
Funo: As a specific case, the 4WS was a system that European market were tuned to specifications different
was developed to focus on a single area of a vehicle’s from Japanese market models.
functions. In fact, it displayed remarkable performance Motoyama: Unpleasant feel, by its nature, is an
in this area, but the driver sometimes had difficulty in unavoidable problem with the 4WS. A steering system
using it. completely devoid from such unpleasant feel is only the
Motoyama: Back then, the Japanese automakers conventional front wheel steering system. It is also true
were ahead of competitors in other countries in devel- that, no matter how well you familiarize yourself with
oping these technologies. Both the manufacturers and the system, unpleasant feel will never become familiar
the market here found value in something new that and comfortable. To enjoy the full benefit of 4WS,
these systems offered. However, the market did not ful- maybe you must think, “the 4WS steers my car better
ly appreciate the functions that the new technologies than I can” just before driving the vehicle.
offered, partly because most of them remained imma- Funo: For a vehicle to be stable and controllable, the
ture, even after being developed as products, due to a rear wheels must remain firmly in position. This is a
lack of refinement. For example, the market appreciat- basic rule. Therefore, there is inevitably argument
ed the 4WS for its ability to help in tight turns but not regarding the 4WS as to whether a system that involves
for its other abilities. Customers generally did not fully positional movement of the rear wheels can be said to
realize what benefits the 4WS could provide in what be beneficial. Finding an optimal method of controlling
scenarios. Enhanced controllability and stability of a its positional movement will pave the way to progress
vehicle is difficult to feel as it is present or absent, of the 4WS.
depending on the driving environment, unlike signifi- Motoyama: The 4WS has the potential to substan-
cantly-improved ride comfort, which customers can tially expand the degree of freedom in toe control.
easily perceive. Today’s technology is still not that advanced. Perhaps,
Sunouchi: A changing economic background has chassis control developments, assuming a 4WS-based
also influenced the popularity of these technologies. platform, would drastically increase the possibilities.
During the bubble years in Japan, people avidly looked Nishida: That is the active steering control working
for something technologically advanced and novel. on the four wheels, including the front wheels. Front
After the bubble burst, people focused on value for steering systems with variable gear ratio control have
money. Additional vehicle functions only work fully been introduced and some of them are combined with
when the vehicle’s performance itself is sound. rear wheel steering control. MMC has also made its
European manufacturers continued refining the vehi- own technology relating with this control public. As
cle’s basic performance over the years, and today, with with the steering system, development of the suspen-
a strong economic background, they have advanced to sion system to enhance its variable characteristics by

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“Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

such means as controlling the damping force has tems under the key theme of safety. The systems that
become increasingly active today. Do you have any follow these will be steering-related control systems
thoughts on this? because they have the potential to offer a high degree
Motoyama: Technologies for selecting suspension of freedom. Of course, one option is a system that com-
characteristics were predominant in development in bines these. The largest benefit of the EPS is a high
this field, but the trend has now shifted toward tech- degree of freedom of control. Its control is so free that
nologies for varying them continuously. The former we can even generate steering torque in the opposite
technologies aimed at selecting the best characteristics, direction to that of the driver’s input.
but actually selected characteristics might be neither Sunouchi: The EPS contributes less to the reduction
better nor worse, while the latter aims at continually of fuel consumption on larger vehicles. For these vehi-
adjusting the system to optimum characteristics. cles, the EPS will find its application in added functions,
Today, variable characteristics suspension systems are such as lane keeping and parking-assist systems, to
mostly employed on high-end luxury cars, but they will assist the driver rather than to reduce the fuel consump-
become popular with lower-priced vehicles. The key tion. The EPS will offer more potential in this area
factor that decides whether the systems on high-end where the capabilities offered by hydraulic means have
cars will evolve further will be the energy they con- reached a limit.
sume. The weight of the additional control system for Motoyama: I think another key point for success in
the drivetrain or steering system is greater than that of the EPS is the embodiment of steering feel that is avail-
the braking system. The additional system for the sus- able only with an electric system control. The target is
pension system is heavier than that of the drivetrain or not something on a par with, but rather that exceeds
steering system. As the weight increases, more power hydraulic systems. Steering feel adds “flavor” to the
is consumed. An active steering system, for example, vehicle.
requires a maximum current of 10 A, approximately the Nishida: On a different topic, electric systems
same current as that of brake lamps, but an extra con- remind me of MMC’s MiEV electric vehicle.
trol system added to the suspension system weighs Funo: The MiEV has a low center of gravity, which
more and therefore consumes more current. means good stability in vehicle control. It sways little
Sunouchi: Currently, air suspension systems are and only has a small load transfer in cornering, so you
employed in some high-end sedans and sport utility feel like the center of gravity is near the wheel axis. The
vehicles (SUV). Hydraulically operated fully active sus- location of the battery has been optimized, so the distri-
pensions were used in the past, but what we have today bution of the vehicle mass is well controlled. Because
is classified as a semi-active type of suspension. the electric motor responds much better to accelerator
Motoyama: Hydraulic systems consume sufficient operation than a mechanical engine, I think it is reason-
power to change the result of emissions test cycle dri- able to design the response rather conservatively to
ving. In this sense, electric active suspensions will be prevent the driver from perceiving a surprising differ-
more feasible than hydraulic systems. Electric systems ence from gasoline engine vehicles when using the
allow energy to be regenerated. Another merit is a accelerator, although suppressing a good response is
much larger range of control. wasteful. What is important is a good-feeling response,
Nishida: The conversion of various chassis systems low electricity consumption and problem-free running
into electrically operated systems is now advancing. distances. The i MiEV runs really well. It is definitely a
The most important of these is electric power steering next-generation electric car.
(EPS).
Sunouchi: EPS has had a issue in its steering feel. 3. Drivetrain control technology
However, it can now give almost the same level of feel-
ing as a hydraulic system. Nevertheless, friction and Nishida: How about drivetrain control? Electronics
motor inertia remain an EPS challenge to be addressed. have been applied to 4WD and other drivetrain controls
Besides the hardware, the approach may include to enhance the vehicle’s dynamic performance.
enhancing the software. Sawase: Electronic traction control technologies
Funo: EPS control technology may have the poten- intended to enhance cornering performance, in addition
tial to give the driver a sporty feel. to traction, are becoming the mainstream. Early elec-
Motoyama: The increased worm gear friction with tronic control applied to the 4WD system was an on-
the EPS is caused by road surface inputs. It is possible demand system that allowed high-speed on-road dri-
to solve this problem by developing the control technol- ving and distributed more torque to the rear wheels as
ogy, but this requires tremendous skill. Even with the lateral acceleration increased. At MMC, the first drive-
best EPS today, the steering feel it provides is not as train control introduced as a means of enhancing the
good as that with the best hydraulic power steering sys- vehicle’s dynamic performance was the system
tem in particular aspects. employed in the 1992 GALANT. This is the first fully-
Nishida: The EPS reduces fuel consumption. How fledged system that controls the distribution of traction
about its contribution to the vehicle’s dynamic perfor- between the front and rear wheels by using the center
mance? differential full-time 4WD as a base system. Few peo-
Motoyama: We are going to expand the application ple will know about this system because it was only pro-
of the stability control and brake-related control sys- duced in small volumes (laughter). Today, electronic

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 “Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

control prevails in the on-demand 4WD system.

Electronically controlled systems make up 60 to 70 % of
all on-demand 4WD systems. Electronically controlled
systems have become popular because not only do they
add to vehicle dynamic performance, but they are also
beneficial to weight reduction and fuel economy. The
MMC’s system employed on the OUTLANDER has very
simple control logic and is well refined. It has been well
received in the market, with critics saying, “The system
is pretty well matched to the vehicle. This must be the
result of extensive test driving”. The OUTLANDER has
good basic characteristics, and this gives the system
positive effects.
Motoyama: What inspired us to start developing
technology for lateral traction distribution was an idea Fig. 2 AYC differential gear (1996 LANCER EVOLUTION IV)
that came from a simple question: “Our past traction
control development was concerned with longitudinal
traction distribution. What would happen if lateral thought of the Automatic Yaw Control (AYC) differential
torque distribution is controlled?” Only a short while while taking a bath, but the real challenge then began.
after joining MMC, I started conducting simulations on The first prototype system took the testing staff one full
this theme. I learned through simulation that changing day to assemble and mount on the test vehicle. But, the
the lateral traction could cause an enormous yaw system broke only five seconds after the test started. At
moment to be generated and its generation could be the end of the third of similar breakage, our manager
completely stopped. I also learned that lateral traction was quite naturally not happy.
control was very useful if it was combined with vehicle Putting these hardships behind us, the AYC system
behavior feedback technology. I saw that this was also made its debut on the 1996 GALANT/LEGNUM and
effective in enhancing traction. What mattered was not LANCER EVOLUTION IV. The latest system employed
distribution but rather the shifting of traction. Zero trac- on the EVOLUTION X comes with yaw rate feedback
tion remains zero traction even after distribution. We control, the concept that Mr. Motoyama conceived of 10
found that even under zero traction conditions, a vehi- years ago.
cle’s dynamic performance could be drastically Sawase: Like any first-of-a-kind product, the AYC
enhanced by turning one wheel faster than the other. system initially received a number of negative evalua-
That was in my third year with MMC, when I discussed tions. The reason, as you may suppose, was the
that subject with Mr. Sawase. One week later, he unpleasant feel the system gave the driver. But, if you
appeared with a conceptual drawing of an active yaw completely remove the odd feel, you would not be able
control (AYC) differential. to enjoy the benefits of the system, and vice versa. We
Sawase: No! I came up with it in just three days tirelessly tried to refine the system until it was eventu-
(laughter). ally granted “citizenship”. The LANCER EVOLUTION
Motoyama: The initial design was an independent was the best platform on which to demonstrate the ben-
four-wheel drive system that used clutches. What was efits of the system. However, even here, the system
horrible about the system was that it would not allow received negative comments initially.
you to turn normally. It also allowed the driver to drift Funo: Negative comments?
the vehicle and experience an exceptional thrill. When I Sawase: Yes, that the system was “unusual”. In
asked my boss to try the vehicle with the system, he particular, critics said that the system caused the vehi-
said, “It is really difficult to drive but you have some- cle to turn when the accelerator was pressed and to
thing sufficiently worthwhile to develop a way of con- move outwards when the accelerator was released. The
trolling it”. The conclusion was that we should work on feedforward, tack-in restraining control that prevented
not traction distribution but torque transfer. the rear inner wheel from tracking too tight a curve in
Sawase: Yes, I remember that. During the first dis- corners was responsible for this, which was excessively
cussions with Mr. Motoyama, the theme presented was: effective. This gave the driver an odd feel.
“development of a lateral traction distribution system”. Nishida: It is difficult to stop here, but time is limit-
Then, I initially considered some distribution mecha- ed today. Someday, perhaps we shall schedule a run-
nisms. As the discussion advanced, however, I realized ning discussion of this kind in the Technical Review. By
that what needed to be controlled was not the lateral the way, is “torque vectoring” a common expression
traction distribution ratio but the right-left traction dif- for the effect being discussed here?
ference that produced the yawing moment. I soon Sawase: Yes, it is the English counterpart of “later-
came up with the idea of using the slipping clutch theo- al torque shift”, a direct translation from the Japanese
ry, which means that a slipping clutch transmits torque term that we use to indicate the same effect. We can
only in one direction. I also thought that an actual sys- use it as a definite English expression for the effect.
tem would need a differential gear to allow the vehicle Ricardo of England first used it. This expression pro-
to run normally when the control was inactive. I vided the opportunity for MMC’s AYC system to be

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“Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

identified as an embodiment of the concept in question numerical values alone, so we do not consider only the
in Europe. In Japan, the concept is called “Direct Yaw data. Indeed, there are good and bad images of a vehi-
Moment Control” or “DYC”. cle’s dynamic characteristics, but the image can be
Nishida: MMC has now introduced the concept in expressed in words rather than in numerical values.
the All Wheel Control (AWC) and Super All Wheel Funo: During the development of the S-AWC, we
Control (S-AWC). evaluated performance by using a sensory method and
Sawase: AWC is a set of 4WD-based technologies the results were expressed in a point rating system.
to optimally control and use the performance available However, the rating alone could not represent the full
from the four tires fully. Its most advanced form is the picture, so we tried to convey our views on the sensa-
S-AWC system. The system mounted on the LANCER tion, flavor and feel of the vehicle in close communica-
EVOLUTION series is the result of steady enhancement tion with the system developers, using descriptive com-
over the years, and its high degree of perfection and ments.
speed performance having been verified in a number of Motoyama: I can tell you that data were used only
races. Application of the technology should not be lim- for the presentation at the completion meeting of the
ited to the LANCER EVOLUTION. system development, ... data that we collected a long
time ago (laughter).
4. S-AWC on the LANCER EVOLUTION X Nishida: Were there any negative comments by the
participants?
Nishida: What was the initial market reaction to the Funo: There were a few. If the system is not in sync
S-AWC at the launch of the LANCER EVOLUTION X? with the driver, he or she may initially feel that the sys-
Funo: I attended press events; the S-AWC was giv- tem restricts the driver’s control of the vehicle. Some
en a very high mark. The system enables truly stable drivers fear that, after trying a vehicle with S-AWC, their
driving without the need for the driver to use any spe- driving skill could suffer when they return to their own
cial form of control. cars.
Nishida: Were there any “unpleasant feel” com- Sawase: Even if you are not a highly skilled driver,
ments? the system lets you drive with fewer mistakes and,
Funo: There were almost no comments of this kind. should you make a mistake, the system helps you to
Compared with the previous model (the LANCER EVO- quickly recover from it. Paradoxically, this causes con-
LUTION IX), the new system operates in many more cern, but the EVOLUTION X still makes driving fun and
scenarios and with greater control. Nonetheless, the helps the driver hone their skills in “toughness and safe-
system enables the vehicle to respond faithfully to the ty” before “upgrading” to cars without S-AWC.
driver’s control. The previous system sometimes Funo: The excellent performance of the S-AWC can
required the driver to use special maneuvers so that it be fully demonstrated provided the vehicle itself has
could fully demonstrate its performance. Such driver good characteristics. No matter how sophisticated the
considerations are not necessary with the new system. system, it cannot demonstrate its full capability and the
It indeed gives a natural feel. To make this possible, the driver cannot enjoy it unless the vehicle itself has solid
workload is increased on the part of the vehicle’s sys- characteristics. For example, the system cannot per-
tem. form properly unless the vehicle can reflect the lateral
Sawase: The driver can control the LANCER EVO- acceleration it receives exactly. The basic performance
LUTION X even in situations where he or she would not of the vehicle is very important.
be able to handle an ordinary vehicle, during high later- The tires are also key for a successful demonstration
al acceleration cornering for example, without the need of the system’s performance. The tires selected for the
for special maneuvers. LANCER EVOLUTION X were low rolling resistance
Motoyama: I often heard comments like, “It feels as tires, which now offer good grip due to recent technical
if my driving skills have improved”. Racing drivers developments. As a person who works with system
made comments like, “It makes driving easier”. evaluation, I certainly feel that tire performance is gen-
Sawase: It generally has a reputation for being just erally enhancing. In the LANCER EVOLUTION X, you
amazing. The vehicle behaves quite stably. Our devel- will find that its tires wear in an even pattern. This
opment goal for the system was stable running and the shows that the S-AWC acts positively on the tires. The
market appreciates that goal. front tires carry a lower load.
Nishida: How did you determine the target quality We also sought optimum control of road contact
of each control factor while building up the overall per- loads of the four wheels in developing the AWC system.
formance of the system? To obtain better traction and braking control efficiency
Sawase: When we started handling so-called vehi- from tires, you must keep proper control of the tires’
cle dynamics control systems, we placed more impor- road contact loads. Our success in this area depends
tance on numerical values than on other factors, but significantly on optimizing the vehicle dimensions (a
what we now respect more than numerical values is the wider track width and lower center of gravity) to prevent
solid performance of the system during driving tests. excessive variation in the tires’ vertical loads, which
We adjust the control factors according to comments would result from load transfer. It is also important to
and suggestions from test drivers. In development control vertical loads for traction control. Lower verti-
now, we recognize that a goal cannot be determined on cal loads result in less transmission of traction, which

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 “Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

makes it more difficult to control the vehicle’s attitude.

Maintaining proper vertical loads for all four wheels
provides the basis for effective vehicle attitude control.
This has great merit.
Nishida: We also have our own philosophy on body
design.
Kondo: The LANCER EVOLUTION X uses aluminum
materials for the roof, hood, fenders and bumper beam.
By using aluminum in these areas that are far from the
center of gravity, we lowered the center of gravity and
reduced the moment of inertia. The aluminum hood
has another purpose: pedestrian protection. Because a
light hood can absorb less energy, it provides less pro-
tection for the driver’s head. We specifically designed
the shapes of the inner structural components to over- Fig. 3 Body incorporating aluminum
come this problem. Furthermore, structural members (LANCER EVOLUTION X)
are spot-welded at more locations to increase stiffness.
Nishida: I heard that the aluminum roof presented
various challenges. We have focused our research on aluminum space-
Kondo: Yes, there were a number of obstacles to frame body structure technology to reduce vehicle
clear, although I only became involved in the project weight. This technology enhances the vehicle’s han-
just before the start of volume production of the dling and stability, not only because of its weight reduc-
LANCER EVOLUTION X. As mentioned before, alu- ing effect, but also because it increases the rigidity,
minum roofs lower the center of gravity, but had never especially at joints.
been used for mass-produced vehicles in Japan. One Kondo: That’s right. As generally stated, the
of the biggest challenges was the technology needed to Young’s modulus and specific gravity of aluminum are
join aluminum and steel materials. Generally, spot both one third those of steel, which means that its spe-
welding is used for steel-to-steel joints, but this method cific rigidity (ratio of stiffness to weight) is also one third
is not suitable for joining different metals. After trying that of steel. If aluminum material were simply applied
various alternatives, we chose self-piercing rivets and to the body framework for reduced weight, the body
succeeded in the trial production. We found that in would be less rigid. An aluminum space frame struc-
addition to lowering the center of gravity, the aluminum ture uses extruded aluminum materials for the main
roof substantially reduces rolling moment of inertia, structural members, taking advantage of the material’s
thus enhancing the LANCER EVOLUTION X’s dynamic characteristics to overcome such issues that are charac-
performance, so we decided to use it. teristic to steel monocoque body structures, such as a
To cope with electric corrosion, which was another loss of rigidity at joints and spot welds. In addition to a
issue, we used an adhesive between the aluminum and low moment of inertia due to reduced weight, the alu-
steel parts to prevent direct contact, in addition to minum space frame body provides the type of ride that
sealant to prevent water ingress. We also had to is not possible with a steel monocoque structure.
address heat distortion. During the body coating Nishida: That is the synergistic effect of reduced
process, the roof is heated to as high as 180 ˚C, but at weight and high rigidity. When we think about the pos-
this temperature the body panels tend to distort itive effect of a space-frame structure on stiffness, we
because aluminum and steel have different coefficients can understand how important joining techniques are
of thermal expansion. So, after extensive study, includ- to a monocoque body.
ing CAE analysis, we decided to provide beads on the Kondo: Increasing the number of spot welds is a
sides of the roof panel to prevent thermal distortion. widely known method of increasing rigidity. At MMC,
This method has since been applied to the alu- this method was first employed for the LANCER EVO-
minum roof of the OUTLANDER. I have heard that cus- LUTION IV, followed by the FTO, PAJERO, COLT and
tomers like the agility derived from the low center of other ranges. Today, continuous joining methods such
gravity of these models. as laser welding are drawing increasing attention as
substitutes for spot welding. Furthermore, an increas-
5. Body, chassis, evaluation and analysis ing number of automaker’s are positive about using
adhesives in combination with welding.
Nishida: Indeed, weight reduction, a low center of Funo: A body structure built by using a continuous
gravity and a low moment of inertia are all essential for joining method evidently provides enhanced dynamic
enhanced dynamic performance of a vehicle. However, performance. One of the clearest pieces of evidence is
simply using aluminum materials causes problems with that a vehicle with such a body structure had a lap time
the rigidity of the body, which has a predominant influ- of approximately one second less than predicted on the
ence on the vehicle’s dynamic performance. We had to handling circuit in our proving ground.
work hard to ensure full rigidity of the body in develop- Nishida: Unlike tires and suspensions, it is difficult
ing the LANCER EVOLUTION X. to logically express the impact of body characteristics

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“Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

What I have realized about body rigidity is that it

cannot be expressed by bending rigidity, torsional rigid-
ity or local rigidity values alone. Unlike collision char-
acteristics or noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) char-
acteristics, the field of handling and stability includes
large areas where human sensation plays a part, in oth-
er words, intuition. I think it is wrong to examine body
rigidity purely by mathematical calculation.
Sugimoto: A well-trained driver testing handling
and stability can accurately point out areas of the body
that lack rigidity. Currently we are using the software
applications that are specially designed for vehicle
dynamics analysis but they cannot handle the elastic
deformation of the vehicle body.
On the other hand, theoretical interpretations of the
effects of suspension geometry and alignment charac-
teristics on the vehicle’s handling and stability were
established many years ago. Multilink suspension sys-
tems, which have been widely employed since the
1980s, are intended to enhance a vehicle’s dynamic per-
Fig. 4 Aluminum space frame body
formance by utilizing their high degree of freedom in
designs that incorporate appropriate alignment and
compliance characteristics. Large-scale kinematic
on a vehicle’s dynamic performance by using mathe- analysis software was introduced at almost the same
matical formulae. In actual testing scenarios, staff tra- time. In software analysis, however, the body was han-
ditionally use their senses to identify the vehicle’s dled as a rigid body. It was not until the 1990s that CAE
dynamic performance. was applied to deformation of an operating vehicle’s
It is simple to say “the rigidity of suspension body from the viewpoints of the vehicle’s handling and
mounts”, but it is not simple to define what the phrase stability and riding comfort.
means. To begin with, where is the reference point in Sunouchi: As a chassis designing engineer, I felt
the coordinates we should use? that the body, the foundation of the vehicle, was being
Sunouchi: As a member of chassis engineering, I left behind (laughter). Geometry control development
used to focus on increasing the rigidity of suspension based on virtual steering axis philosophy and best link-
members and mounts. I realized, however, that increas- age arrangement of the multilink suspension is worth-
ing the rigidity of the body framework is crucial. There less without a solid foundation, or body.
are areas you cannot enhance no matter how much you Kondo: Today, it is possible to analyze the elastic
intend to increase the suspension stiffness. deformation of an operating vehicle’s body by using a
Kondo: Flexural stiffness and torsional stiffness are combination of multi body analysis and finite element
typical values that represent the body’s rigidity, but they analysis. We need a theoretical analysis of the elastic
do not represent everything regarding rigidity. Rigidity deformation to find what influence it has on the drivers’
is really difficult to express. senses, as well as on the vehicle’s behavior.
Sugimoto: Rigidity of the vehicle’s body is difficult Sugimoto: Human senses are extremely delicate,
to measure. To measure rigidity, the vehicle’s body so even today, a driver’s assessment during handling
must be fixed in place, but the measurement results and stability testing is often not reflected in the data.
obtained from an improperly fixed body may not be Even a difference in data value that is not sufficient to
what we need. These may represent other things, and be represented by the width of a line on a graph can
you will not understand exactly what you are measur- represent a great difference for the human senses.
ing. We require a method of presenting the force of However, that amount of difference in human feeling is
inertia. extremely difficult to use to prompt design changes
Kondo: It is important to visually confirm the defor- from designers. In my experience, a designer who tried
mation on an actual vehicle body. the vehicle and experienced a distinct difference in feel-
In addition to deformation measurement on a body ing criticized us saying, “Why do your data not reflect
in white (BIW), we used to reproduce the BIW faithfully such a large difference?” Numerical representation of
by using plastic models of individual body parts to see sensory assessment is a big challenge.
how they deformed. Now, we generally do the same
thing on computer screens using CAE technology visu- 6. For the “utmost driving pleasure”
ally, but the BIW tests were useful to me because I could
confirm how those plastic models deformed by physi- Nishida: Vehicle dynamic control technology can
cally touching them. It was easy to cause poor structur- penetrate deeper into areas beyond the ability of the dri-
al components to deform by applying a force to them ver, but the ultimate controller is the driver. In this
(laughter). sense, communication between the driver and the vehi-

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 “Vehicle Dynamics Technologies to Provide Driving Pleasure” Round-Table Discussion

cle is imperative. Control technology, however, can

only work when it is provided with numerical data.
Funo: Vehicle dynamic control technology expands
each driver’s vehicle control ability and assists with bet-
ter control. However, it can only do this well when its
control logic is tuned to match the vehicle’s characteris-
tics as well as the drivers’ control habits and expecta-
tions. Although the control logic may sometimes be tai-
lored to accentuate an attractive feature of the vehicle,
it must at least allow vehicle motion alignment to be ful-
ly ensured. Proper feedback of control system opera- Fig. 5 Driving evaluation
tion to the driver should not be perceived as unpleas-
ant, but should rather be perceived as a good thing that Nishida: After all, the ultimate question should be
provides communication between the driver and the how control systems can please human senses.
system. However, excessive feedback can generate an Comfort in a vehicle that is responsive to your control
unpleasant feel. Feedback must be kept just below the will lead to your pleasure in controlling such a vehicle.
level at which the driver starts perceiving it to be Some say that younger generations are losing interest
unpleasant. in cars while others say that vehicles are only a means
Equally important is that feedback from the dynam- of transport. Even if this is true, a vehicle that offers
ic control system is well balanced with such things as comfort and pleasure should not be a bad means of
engine response to accelerator operation, even in terms transport. In this sense, the “utmost driving pleasure”
of the quality of sound, as a vehicle is a product of over- that MMC seeks, is a common goal to be shared by all
all balance. vehicles, including cars, SUVs, trucks.
Motoyama: Vehicle systems used to be indepen- Vehicle dynamic control is evolving from a form of
dently controlled, but are now increasingly integrally independently controlling individual functions to a form
controlled. Our goal should be the innovation of indi- of integrally controlling all these functions, which will
vidual systems and their integration, to offer enhanced open up new possibilities. Nevertheless, those areas
controllability and stability while pushing the limits and that are based on sensory assessment, not on numeri-
also striving towards performance that is harmonized cal data, cannot be easily accommodated in control
with the drivers’ sensation. Control technology should technology. Anyway, we all understand that no control
keep a low profile. Even so, it should still be reliable technology can demonstrate its full capability unless
and highly efficient. the vehicle’s base, namely the specifications, body, sus-
An ideal control technology is one that does not give pension and the like, are sound. This is the basis of
an unpleasant feel because it works as if it were directly manufacturing good vehicles.
linked to the human brain, as if it were intuitively reflect-
ing the driver’s intention. I think it will keep growing. That’s it for today. Thank you everyone.

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