2016 Shelby GT350 Track Tested at VIR

ShelbyGT350TrackTested

Ford Performance, the new Global performance team from Ford has released a video of the new 2016 Shelby GT350 being track tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The 2016 Shelby GT350 will be the first Mustang to feature the MagneRide active damping system on all four corners. Basically what this system does is give the driver the best possible steering at high speeds via electronic sensing of the suspension components.

Keep reading for more on MagneRide and the GT350 Video at VIR.

MagneRide Technology:

MagneRide consists of four monotube dampers, a sensor set and an on-board Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The magneto-rheological (MR) fluid used in the dampers is a suspension of magnetically soft (easily, but temporarily magnetised) iron particles in a synthetic hydrocarbon base. The damper piston contains an electromagnetic coil that can generate a variable magnetic flux across the fluid passages.

When the coil current is off, the MR fluid is not magnetized, the iron particles are randomly dispersed within the fluid, and the fluid behaves like conventional hydraulic oil. When the coil is energized, the magnetic field causes the particles to align into fibrous structures in the direction of the magnetic flux.

The strength of the bond between the particles in the structures is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, so changing the current provides real-time variable damping with a very large range of force variation. The result is a system that outperforms conventional variable damping systems, but without the complex electro-mechanical valves used in those systems. Compared to other, valve-based technologies, MagneRide achieves a much broader damping force range and responds much more rapidly without generating noise.