ZF Supplies 2.4 Million Dampers Per Year for the Global Nissan Platform

2007/10/30 - It all started with the QASHQAI: The cross-over with the exotic name was the first vehicle by the Nissan company with special ZF Sachs dampers. Now, four more vehicles are added, all based on the same C platform. The order for this global platform is a premiere for ZF's Powertrain and Suspension Components division.

2007 Nissan QASHQAI

Worldwide, Nissan builds five vehicles based on a global C platform called P32: The QASHQAI was the first, followed now by the X-TRAIL and the Rogue from Japanese production, as well as the Renault-Samsung QMX, and/or Renault Koleos, which are made in Korea. The Powertrain and Suspension Components division of ZF, ZF Sachs, supplies suspension struts for the front axle and twin-tube dampers for the rear axle. The dampers for Japan and Korea are supplied by the ZF location in Korea, the ones for the QASHQAI, which is manufactured in England, come from the plants in Spain and Turkey. The scope of supply amounts to a total of 2.4 million dampers per year.

Already with the QASHQAI, international trade press representatives were impressed by the harmonious interaction of German ZF technology in a Japanese vehicle. In particular the agile and comfortable driving behavior caught the testers' eyes, as it is rather surprising for a cross-over. The breed of an SUV and a compact-class car convinces thanks to its good rolling noise attenuation and fine-tuned, sensitively responding suspension damping. In this vehicle, the ride comfort, which is comparable to that of a sedan, is not borne by increased body roll during cornering. For the first time, Nissan is using the degressive curve, a standard in Europe, for the suspension design on the Asian market.

Due to the higher vehicle body and center of gravity, the task was to select damping characteristics which ensure high vehicle stability, good comfort, and sensitive response behavior. This task was successfully solved after extensive vehicle testing and tests with the ZF Sachs degressive valve range. An optimized oil flow in the valve system ensures increased vehicle stability and sensitive response behavior already when facing minor unevenness. This makes it possible to already control body movements in the case of minor excitations. In the high speed range, however, the desired comfort is adjusted by means of the degressive damping characteristics, without a negative impact on handling and safety. Moreover, the smooth transitional range between the low and high speed range enables a favorable noise behavior. Finally, the fine-tuned balance between the front and the rear axle contributes decisively to supporting the vehicles in all driving situations and thus ensuring that electronics intervene at a later point in time.

Source: ZF

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