BMW has filed a patent with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for a suspension system designed to facilitate vehicle drifting. The technology utilizes advanced sensors to detect when a driver intends to initiate a slide, subsequently adjusting the suspension in real-time.
The proposed mechanism functions by temporarily reducing the load on the rear axle and shifting the unsprung mass upward. This adjustment is achieved through the use of adaptive suspension or an active roll control setup, which allows the rear wheels to lose traction more easily.
Beyond initiating a slide, the system is designed to monitor vehicle speed and trajectory. It may also possess the capability to store specific steering-angle settings for future use. The patent does not specify which models might receive this technology or if it will reach production.
One potential application for this system is the upcoming all-electric BMW M3. The vehicle is expected to feature a quad-motor configuration, which BMW has previously noted will support complex torque vectoring to enhance handling dynamics.
