The Ford GT may not have a hybrid powertrain or a near million-dollar price tag to match that of its competitors, mainly the Holy Trinity of hypercars, but it’s still one of the most advanced vehicles on sale today.
One of the GT’s more notable pieces of equipment is its suspension setup. It’s one of the things that astonished Jeremy Clarkson, leaving the outspoken journalist to claim the supercar was like a “Mad Caterham.”
Wrapping one’s head around the intricacies of the supercar’s suspension setup requires a Master’s Degree in Engineering. Luckily, Engineering Explained is here to simplify all of the insane engineering that went into the GT’s suspension setup, allowing everyone to marvel at the automaker’s engineers.
To help make things easier for everyone to understand, Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained, created an incredibly helpful animation showcasing the supercar’s double wishbone pushrod suspension setup. Fenske also points out some interesting components on the GT, including the Multimatic eDSSV and a torsion-bar spring system, which consists of a hydraulic actuator, a coil spring, and a rocker.
While the setup itself is unique, things get really interesting when Fenske begins to explain how the GT has bespoke spring rates for the vehicle’s ride height. We won’t get too technical, as the video does a excellent job of explaining the setup, but something astonishing happens when the GT is put into its track mode.
When the car’s sitting just 70-mm off the ground in track mode, the hydraulic actuator locks the coil spring into place, stopping it from moving. This gives the GT a higher spring rate at a lower ride height, ensuring the vehicle won’t bottom out on bumps. Obviously, this is some incredible stuff.
The GT’s suspension setup, as Top Gear’s Chris Harris found is what makes the supercar the “lowest, flattest and yet the most compliant supercar of them all.” With this kind of engineering, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that Ford recently set a new record on the Arctic Circle Raceway.
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