Monday, September 12, 2005

"The challenge with improving driving dynamics on the new range of Falcon and Territory models was to improve on the high standards we had already set. By incorporating a host of new sophisticated, state of the art systems and latest technology hardware, the BF Falcon and SY Territory provide significant improvements in comfort, stability and safety."
- Stephan Presser, Vehicle Dynamics Manager

Monday, September 12, 2005

"The challenge with improving driving dynamics on the new range of Falcon and Territory models was to improve on the high standards we had already set. By incorporating a host of new sophisticated, state of the art systems and latest technology hardware, the BF Falcon and SY Territory provide significant improvements in comfort, stability and safety."
- Stephan Presser, Vehicle Dynamics Manager

Ford Australia will continue to stretch its lead in the vehicle dynamics race when the BF Falcon and SY Territory range goes on sale in October.

"The BA Falcon and SX Territory set a new benchmark in driving dynamics for local manufacturers and we've built on that impressive foundation to deliver a vehicle with even higher levels of handling, precision and comfort with the launch of BF Falcon and SY Territory," said Ford Product and Development Vice President Trevor Worthington.

"Every sedan and wagon in the range benefits from the improvements to vehicle dynamics, offering customers a plusher, more refined driving experience with even higher levels of grip and control.

"We have also incorporated the very latest in chassis control systems - including the first application of Dynamic Stability Control in an Australian-manufactured V8 and on vehicles with manual transmission - adding to the already high levels of active safety already built into each Falcon and Territory.

"In tandem with the powertrain updates, including the first six-speed automatic transmission on an Australian vehicle, it adds up to the best vehicles we've ever produced providing customers with a car offering outstanding performance, refinement, economy and safety."

Dynamic Stability Control

As part of its drive to stay at the forefront of local automotive manufacturing, the Dynamic Stability Control programme, which debuted on the award-winning Territory AWD, will now be available on selected Falcon sedans and RWD versions of Territory.

"Customers will benefit enormously from the thousands of hours' work devoted by Ford engineers to the rear-wheel drive DSC application.

"Working hand in hand with experts from the Bosch Automotive Chassis Systems Division, we have calibrated a unique RWD application of DSC designed to improve active safety levels and provide peace of mind motoring," said Presser.

DSC will be available on RWD versions of Territory, on all Fairlane variants, on Fairmont Ghia, XR6 Turbo and XR8 sedans.

How does it work?

DSC combines the advantages of Ford's Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Traction Control System (TCS) and multiplies the benefits of both.

"The best protection against accidents is to avoid them completely and stability control utilises the latest technology from Bosch to provide Falcon and Territory with a locally engineered vehicle stability control system.

"DSC is designed to help maintain stability when the vehicle approaches its physical limits, through programmed intervention in the braking system and powertrain or a combination of both."

Presser said DSC worked in tandem with ABS - which prevents the wheels from locking when the brakes are applied - and TCS, which limits wheel spin during acceleration.

"Traction control ensures the vehicle remains controllable under heavy acceleration that can occur taking off on slippery roads, negotiating a hill or accelerating out of a corner.

"Traction control brakes the driven wheel, which shows a tendency to spin, and adapts the engine torque to obtain maximum traction. The brake control is known as ABD (Automatic Brake Differential) and avoids loss of forward momentum through spinning wheels while maintaining lateral grip."

Presser explained ABD was included in all BF Falcon and SY Territory models fitted with TCS and DSC.

"Sensors located at each wheel calculate the slip of each driven wheel and initiate traction control if slip levels are deemed excessive.

"Consequently, traction control intervenes on the rear wheels of a Falcon or RWD Territory or on all four wheels on the AWD version of Territory."

The system continually monitors driver input via communication with the Electronic Throttle Control. As soon as the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) detects a deviation from desired wheel speeds, the speed of the spinning wheel is automatically reduced by brake intervention, without any action on the part of the driver.

If the system calculates more intervention is required, the ECU intervenes via an electronic throttle valve actuator to reduce excess engine torque by retarding spark.

The final level of engine intervention occurs by cutting fuel flow.

Presser described DSC as the next generation in driving aids, employing the vehicle's braking and engine control system as a tool for 'controlling ' the vehicle by mitigating vehicle skid.

"When DSC assumes operation it makes use of the existing braking system. The basic function of the brakes - to decelerate or stop the vehicle - is enhanced as stability control maintains the vehicle's stability and desired course."

DSC incorporates three vital elements in addition to the traction control system hardware - a steering wheel angle sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor and a rotational yaw rate sensor.

"The steering wheel sensor constantly monitors steering wheel angle, or the driver's intended direction of travel. The yaw and lateral acceleration sensors track the vehicle's rotation around its vertical axis and its lateral motion.

"DSC is constantly working in the background, monitoring all its sensors 25 times a second, to check the driver's steering wheel position, throttle pedal position, whether the driver is braking, and where the vehicle is actually going.

"By comparing the actual measured yaw rate with a calculated desired yaw rate, the system is able to intervene early enough to reduce the risk of unwanted skids and potential loss of control.

"Specific braking intervention is then directed at individual wheels - such as the inner rear to counter under steer, or the outer front during over steer."

DSC also modulates engine output to reduce wheel spin and vehicle speed when necessary.

Presser said despite the inherent safety built into DSC, the system could not defy the laws of physics.

"DSC significantly enhances the safety window in which the driver can operate the car, but it cannot perform miracles.

"It is an incredibly useful and practical driving aid with enormous potential to reduce the possibility of an accident, often without the driver noticing it has happened.

"For example, if the driver approaches a bend that tightens more sharply than expected, the driver will suddenly turn the wheel in the intended direction of turn, but may be carrying too much speed to safely negotiate the turn.

"Or, if a driver swerves rapidly to avoid colliding with an object or another vehicle on the road, the vehicle may not respond quickly enough to following the desired path, or may over-respond, resulting in oversteer.

"In both examples dynamic stability control will immediately notice the angle of steering wheel input and the direction of travel and brake the appropriate wheel to help keep the vehicle stable and under control.

"It represents a genuine application of active safety that has the potential to significantly reduce the occurrence of single vehicle accidents."

All chassis control systems work constantly in the background, monitoring the need for intervention at astonishing speed. DSC monitors its sensors 25 times per second, TCS 50 times per second and ABS 200 times per second.

Presser said driving conditions, which may activate DSC, include:

• Taking a turn too fast
• Moving quickly to avoid an accident, pedestrian or obstacle
• Hitting a patch of ice
• Changing lanes on a rutted road
• Entering a snow-free road from a snow-covered side street, or vice versa
• Entering a paved road from a gravel road, or vice versa
• Hitting a curb or bump while turning
• Driving on slick surfaces

Unique calibrations

The addition of DSC on Falcon and RWD Territory has resulted in no less than four unique groups of DSC calibration, developed for Australian road conditions.

"Due to the variety of engines, transmissions and body styles a total of 10 different DSC calibrations have been developed.

"Realising unique customer wants and the character of our product line-up, we have developed four families of tuning, ranging from comfort to sports, for Territory, Fairlane, Fairmont Ghia and XR6 Turbo / XR8.

"Each calibration provides the full functionality of DSC, but the intervention thresholds have been carefully tuned to produce a system perfectly suited to the vehicle.

"On Fairlane Ghia, Fairlane G8 and LTD the DSC interventions are early and subtle, in keeping with the character of the car.

"Fairmont Ghia has a calibration where DSC interventions are slightly later than the LWB version, in line with the sportier image of the car.

"On XR6 Turbo and XR8, interventions do not occur too early, adding to the sporty nature of the vehicle and ensuring the driver feels in control, but still benefits from the significant safety improvement DSC provides."

"It is all achieved through careful attention to detail, tuning of the appropriate system parameters - out of several thousands available to the calibration engineers - and delivers a car with the appropriate character in line with customer expectations," Presser said.

Performance brakes

In line with the significantly improved acceleration performance of BF Falcons with the new ZF six-speed automatic transmission, Ford will introduce a new performance brake package that will be standard on vehicles fitted with turbo or V8 engines.

The larger diameter brakes are based on the specifications used for the higher braking demands of Territory.

They will be standard on XR6 Turbo and XR8 sedan and ute, Falcon XT with 3V V8, Fairmont with 3V V8, Fairmont Ghia with 3V V8, Fairlane G8 and LTD.

Introducing the new performance brake package has eliminated the optional brake package that was an option on BA Falcons.

"This is an excellent brake package for these performance and premium vehicles, providing even more reliable and stable brake performance, with excellent thermal capacity" said Presser.

"Testing of the new performance brakes was conducted under the grueling AMS testing regime, which involves 10 high speed braking manoeuvres.

"The new brakes performed demonstrably better, with temperatures in the 10th stop reduced by 15 per cent for front brakes and 22 per cent for rear brakes, ensuring increased fade resistance and improved stopping performance."

Measuring 322 mm x 28 mm, the front disc on the performance package is 24 mm bigger than the standard brake disc.

The rear disc has increased 25 mm to now measure 328 mm x 26 mm.

Both front and rear discs feature a new pillar vented rotor design, which delivers improved cooling performance.

All other BF Falcons continue to use the twin-piston caliper front and single piston caliper rear disc brakes, which debuted on the BA Falcon.

"The braking system is well suited to the rest of the BF Falcon range, offering high resistance to heat build-up and excellent pedal feel," Presser said.

ABS upgrade

The BF Falcon and SY Territory will incorporate the latest version of ABS.

ABS 8.0 (previously 5.3) will be standard on all BF Falcon sedans, offering improved stopping distance and low speed braking performance on slippery surfaces by checking vehicle conditions 200 times per second.

The feature will be standard on all Falcon XR utes, on RTV and optional on XL/XLS utes.

"ABS provides greatly improved control during emergency braking manoeuvres or when avoiding obstacles on the road.

"This latest version is less intrusive to the driver, with a more gradual pulsing feeling through the brake pedal when the ABS system is cycling.

"We have worked closely with Bosch to improve the surface recognition of this latest ABS calibration. We have tuned its gravel road logic for better performance so it caters for the unique conditions drivers can be confronted with on Australian roads."

Presser said ABS came standard with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), which automatically distributes brake pressure between front and rear wheels to ensure optimum brake pressure, regardless of vehicle load conditions.

"This ensures the shortest possible stopping distance, while helping maintain stability of the rear end of the car, even under emergency braking conditions.

"It all means the right level of ABS intervention is induced, precisely when the driver needs it," Presser said.

Traction control upgrade

The Traction Control System (TCS) on BF Falcon and SY Territory is also the latest version available.

TCS 8.0 will be standard on all Territory versions and all petrol-engined Falcon sedans, wagons and XR utes, incorporating all the functionality of the ABS upgrade.

"This latest version of TCS controls the amount of wheel spin and helps avoid vehicle instability when accelerating in corners or on loose gravel surfaces.

"It's another vital component in providing peace of mind motoring," said Presser.

Cornering Brake Control

All SY Territory and BF Falcon models with DSC also feature Cornering Brake Control (CBC), which recognizes if a vehicle is in an oversteer situation during a braking manoeuvre.

"It instantly distributes brake pressure between the left and right wheels to provide the shortest possible stopping distance and helps keep the vehicle on course when cornering while braking," Presser said.

New tyres

Prestige customers will appreciate the levels of grip, comfort and refinement evident in a new 17-inch tyre specifically developed for Fairmont Ghia, Fairlane Ghia, Fairlane G8 and LTD.

"Ford worked closely with the team at Goodyear to develop the new Excellence 225/50 R17 94V tyre for the BF Falcon programme.

"The Excellence tyre features an asymmetric tread pattern and represents the new generation of luxury sports tyres developed by Goodyear. The new tyre has been optimised for performance under all conditions.

"In addition to increased levels of driving comfort, refinement and lower cabin noise levels, the new Goodyear also promises an improvement in tyre life."

Presser said the move of Fairlane Ghia and LTD to 17-inch wheels and tyres would enhance the already high performance levels of those cars and offer an improved vehicle stance.

Two new tyres have also been developed for the BF Falcon commercial range.

XLS SSB utes will feature a new silica compound Dunlop 225/55 R16 95W tyre, comprising the same tread pattern as the SP Sport 3000A used on XR utes.

"This tyre offers an advanced driving experience, improving levels of ride, handling, grip, steering and braking."

A new silica-based 215/60 R16 99H tyre has been constructed for use on the XL ¾ tonne utility, developed to meet advancements in load rating requirements.

"This tyre features excellent levels of steering and handling characteristics, improvements in grip and quietness in conjunction with high load carrying capacity," said Presser.