Tenneco Inc. announced it is supplying its Monroe Intelligent Suspension as part of the Adaptive M Suspension option on the new BMW 3 Series. Monroe Intelligent Suspension is designed to respond to changing road conditions within milliseconds and adapt the ride to the driver’s preference for a more dynamic or comfortable ride.
According to BMW Group, the continuously variable semi-active (CVSAe) dampers in the Adaptive M Suspension system help balance uneven roads and terrain vibrations in the comfort setting, while tighter damper settings in the sport setting create a more dynamic feel. The sport plus setting allows drivers to master tight, precise turns and higher cornering speeds.
Drivers can alternate between suspension settings by pressing the “Driving Experience” control button. Sensors on the CVSAe dampers and the steering system continuously transmit data about the condition of the road and the driving situation to an on-board computer, which then adjusts the dampers in real time to get best performance in each of the three selected suspension settings.
“Tenneco is excited that Monroe Intelligent Suspension has been selected as an option on the new generation BMW 3 Series model, as this is the first compact luxury sports sedan in its category to offer our advanced semi-active technology,” said Enrique Orta, Tenneco senior vice president, Ride Performance. “Monroe intelligent suspension technology can add value across all vehicle categories, which was also validated in Tenneco’s consumer testing.”
Today, Tenneco supplies CVSAe dampers to BMW for its 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series and X3 models.
Tenneco’s CVSAe dampers are engineered at Tenneco Innovación, Ermua, Spain, and produced at the company’s advanced manufacturing facility, also in Ermua.
