Mercedes With A Tailwind To The Top

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Mercedes With A Tailwind To The Top
Mercedes With A Tailwind To The Top

Video: Mercedes With A Tailwind To The Top

Video: Mercedes With A Tailwind To The Top
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Daimler intends to continue to occupy a leading position in aerodynamics in the future. A new aeroacoustic wind tunnel in Sindelfingen will contribute to this.

By Frank Mertens

It is the sum of many small things that differentiate a good car from a very good one. In the premium segment in particular, the multitude of coherent details ultimately decides who can offer the best overall package in the highly competitive luxury car segment in order to be ahead of the curve in the end. Currently there is still BMW followed by Audi and Mercedes. But who wants to be the third winner, especially when you see yourself as the inventor of the automobile like the Swabians. Accordingly, CEO Dieter Zetsche is doing everything to overtake the competition by 2020.

Competitive advantages through aerodynamics

This requires cars that inspire with their design and innovations, which above all set benchmarks in their segment. So that Mercedes can continue to set these records in the future, the Daimler Group opened a new aeroacoustic wind tunnel in Sindelfingen on Thursday. With this, the Swabians want to further expand their lead in aerodynamics and secure competitive advantages for the hoped-for way back to the top. As the Daimler managers' vocabulary shows, it is a sporting competition. "A good Cd value is just as important for our developers as it is for an athlete to improve his performance by a tenth," says Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche.

So that the developers can also achieve the best results in the future, the car manufacturer has invested a total of 230 million euros in its technology center in Sindelfingen over the past five years, more than 50 million euros of which went into the aeroacoustic wind tunnel. After all, "world champions also need the best training centers," as Development Director Thomas Weber says. Weber proudly points out that Mercedes is already the aerodynamics and aeroacoustics world champions in almost all vehicle segments. As an example, he refers to the new Mercedes S-Class, which has a Cd value of 0.23 with the diesel hybrid, or the compact class model CLA, which has the world's best Cd value for series cars at 0.22.

Significant reduction in consumption

Dieter Zetsche, Günther Oettinger and Thomas Weber open the wind tunnel
Dieter Zetsche, Günther Oettinger and Thomas Weber open the wind tunnel

Anyone who thinks that the customer does not care about the Cd value is wrong and misunderstood the increasing importance of aerodynamics. How important it is is shown by a look at the possible reduction in fuel consumption by reducing the air resistance. Weber points out that the reduction in the Cd value from 0.26 to 0.23 means a reduction in fuel consumption of 0.1 liters in the NEDC, 0.25 liters in normal operation and "even up to one liter at high motorway speeds". If you wanted to achieve these savings with means of lightweight construction, for example, the car would have to be 100 kilograms lighter.

Against the background of tightening CO2 limits, aerodynamics can make a significant contribution to ensuring that a premium manufacturer like Mercedes meets the requirements of the legislature. For example, the Cd value improvement of 0.01 in the driving cycle means a saving of one gram of CO2 per kilometer, while real fuel consumption is already two grams per kilometer at 150 km / h.

Security implications

These are values that impress, but aerodynamics also have a major impact on safety. Because low lift values on the rear axle ensure better road holding, i.e. grip. This not only increases driving dynamics, but also safety. At the same time, the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic improvements can reduce the noise level. The S-Class not only offers the lowest wind noise level in its segment, but is also quieter than the previous wind noise world champion Maybach. The flagship of the car manufacturer is thus the quietest automobile ever.

The new aeroacoustic wind tunnel enables developers to perfectly simulate various road conditions on the almost 20-meter-long measuring section on a so-called five-band system weighing around 90 tons. The cars to be tested can be rotated at any angle on an integrated turntable with a diameter of twelve meters and, for example, cross winds can be simulated realistically.

Wind speed of 265 km / h

Mercedes has inaugurated the new wind tunnel
Mercedes has inaugurated the new wind tunnel

Thanks to a 28 square meter nozzle, the measurements can be carried out at a wind speed of 265 km / h. There is no comparable facility anywhere in the world. Thanks to extensive noise reduction measures, the wind tunnel impresses with its low noise level - even at 140 km / h, the air flows almost silently through the channel. The measurements are so precise that even the sinking of a paper handkerchief onto the body can be detected.

With the new aeroacoustic wind tunnel, Weber is certain, Daimler will also act as a driving force for the automotive industry. Some manufacturers would have neglected the topic in the past. Not Daimler, so they are confident that they will continue to set further benchmarks in the future. After all, the truth is there. Or rather: in the wind tunnel.

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