Multimatic DSSV^™

The First On-Road Application of DSSV™

The first street-going vehicle equipped with DSSV dampers was the then-flagship model offered by Porsche tuner RUF Automobile. The CTR3 debuted at RUF’s brand new facility at the Bahrain International Circuit in 2007, the 20th anniversary of the company’s first CTR model.

With structure and bodywork engineered at Multimatic Technical Centre, the mid-engine, 700-plus horsepower CTR3 was designed as a no-compromise exotic to compete with the world’s top league of supercars.

 

The Aston Martin One-77

DSSV technology gained notoriety with its fitment on Aston Martin’s 2009 flagship, the One-77 (shown at the top of this page).

Like RUF’s CTR3, the One-77 featured a carbon-composite chassis engineered and constructed at Multimatic Technical Centre in Toronto. The One-77 likewise also showcased its bellcrank-actuated DSSV rear coilover units on machined billet-aluminum carriers located for easy adjustment access. Unlike the RUF, however, the One-77 also sported an inboard front suspension. The Aston’s front DSSV coilover units were mounted to a composite structural spar that spanned the engine compartment.

With a price tag well north of $1M, just seventy-seven examples of the One-77 were produced. Each was finished to a unique specification said by Aston Martin to reflect the personality of its owner. In this regard, the Multimatic SpecFinder software might well have been used to tailor the DSSV dampers to each owner’s specific ride and handling tastes, and driving conditions.

 

Turning Up the Volume – Camaro Z/28

DSSV’s exceptional damper-to-damper repeatability ensures consistent quality in higher production volumes.

GM’s fifth-generation Camaro was reportedly no handling superstar when introduced in 2010. Upon track testing the SS performance model, Motor Trend remarked, “boy, does it push when you start to push… the Camaro can be distant and detached, almost a little clumsy, especially when driven hard.”

This would all change with the Z/28, billed officially as the most track-capable model in the Camaro range’s history. Z/28 Performance Variant Manager, Mark Stielow, announced, “We used the very best components in the industry to deliver uncompromised performance, lap after lap.”

Among those components were the first volume-production, valve-in-piston DSSV dampers from Multimatic, which provided optimal control of the Z/28’s beefy wheel-tire package.
Multimatic Engineering utilized a number of proprietary, advanced predictive and analytical tools honed in the racing world to help optimize the Z/28’s DSSV dampers. Damper curves were derived using ADAMS and SpecFinder analysis, in-house multi-post rig testing, driver-in-the-loop simulation, and with final validation on road and track. These tools significantly shortened the development process by providing opportunity for numerous tuning iterations before the Z/28 ever hit the track. This in turn gave tuning engineers the opportunity to focus on extracting maximum performance from the vehicle.

Providing significant weight savings over magnetorheological dampers as found on the Camaro ZL1, the Z/28’s DSSV setup consists of inverted monotube superstruts in front, and aluminum monotubes on the rear. Delivering unprecedented repeatability in series production with reduced assembly complexity, these valve-in-piston units represent a significant step forward in road car damping technology.

Mercedes-AMG GT

Multimatic developed its first volume-production, valve-in-body DSSV dampers for the new Mercedes-AMG GT.

Daimler’s successor to the SLS AMG, the GT (and sibling GT S) is smaller, less expensive and more purposeful than was the SLS. The base GT gets hydraulic DSSV spool-valve dampers providing precise control of damping curves, with different high- and low-speed responses for both bump and rebound.

Mercedes-Benz brought Markus Hofbauer over from Porsche to oversee the AMG’s dynamics. In an October, 2014 interview with Road & Track, Hofbauer disclosed his preference for the base GT’s DSSV setup, noting his “big respect for the Multimatic guys.”

The Ford GT

Of note is the fact that Multimatic supplied Dynamic Suspensions shim dampers for the Ford GT back in 2005. When production of Dearborn’s next-generation, composite-construction supercar began in Multimatic’s own Markham, Ontario, assembly facility in 2016, its height-adjustable suspension relied on Multimatic DSSV dampers in an inboard, pushrod-activated configuration.

 

Camaro ZL1 1LE

Given the success of the fifth-generation Camaro Z/28 and the accolades GM received for the model’s performance, it was natural that DSSV should make an appearance on the sixth-generation Camaro.

Chevrolet went all-out with the ZL1 1LE, combining its 650hp supercharged V8 with a track-focused chassis featuring Multimatic’s spool-in-piston DSSV dampers.

Tuned at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Germany, and at various race tracks in the USA, the ZL1 1LE doubled down on the performance achieved by its predecessor and became an instant hit with motoring journalists and performance enthusiasts alike. GM recorded an official lap time of 7:16.04 at the Nordschleife, putting the DSSV-equipped ZL1 1LE firmly in the rarefied atmosphere of supercar performance.

 

Going Off-Road – Chevrolet ZR-2 / Bison

To this point, DSSV’s dominance in the world of motorsport, and its ever-increasing presence in high-performance road and track cars had all been earned on paved racetracks and roads around the globe.

Would it work in challenging off-road applications? Chevrolet decided to find out, and chose its midsize Colorado pickup as the test bed for the experiment.

Harnessing advanced predictive and analytical design tools, Multimatic engineers combined a pair of spool valves in a remote body with a third spool mounted on the damper piston, the latter dealing strictly with extreme off-road suspension travel and compression forces.

Thus was born the Position-Sensitive DSSV, a damper that gave the resulting Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison pickups a unique — and critically acclaimed — ability to conquer off-road extremes while also delivering comfortable and capable on-road dynamics.

 

Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano

The SF90 Stradale is Ferrari’s most powerful road car ever, a plug-in hybrid combining a turbocharged V8 with three electric motors and all-wheel drive. For the first time on a Ferrari, clients can choose between the standard car and a version with a more sports-oriented specification.

The Asssetto Fiorano specification includes significant upgrades, including Multimatic DSSV dampers.